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Football officiating clinic held in Indy

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — You see them all of the time on the field. You agree with them, argue with them, scream at them. But what does it actually take to become a football official?

“We do a lot of film review. There are tests that we do to keep up with the rules, so we review our game from last week, we’ll start the scout of the team for next week. So that’s several hours throughout the week,” Tim Maguire explained.

Maguire understands the importance of making sure every official is on the same page, which is why he teamed up with former Colt and current Missouri Valley official Rick Demulling for the Football Officiating Academy.

“You don’t just become an official and be done; you can’t just go get your license and be done. It’s an everyday thing. You get in the rule book, there’s a lot of networking so you cross-over between business and officiating,” Demulling said.

While this clinic was open to people of all ages, the sport needs more young people in stripes, which is why camps like this are so important in garnering interest in officiating.

“At first when I walked in today I was nervous,” Gracynn Jennings said. “But I’ve never been one to turn away a challenge.”

Jennings, a UIndy student, has aspirations to wear the stripes at the highest level.

“They told me earlier to dream big,” Jennings said.

The pressures of making the right call starts in the off season.