Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials

• Signal participants or other officials to make them aware of infractions or to otherwise regulate play or competition.
• Inspect sporting equipment and/or examine participants in order to ensure compliance with event and safety regulations.
• Keep track of event times, including race times and elapsed time during game segments, starting or stopping play when necessary.
• Judge performances in sporting competitions in order to award points, impose scoring penalties, and determine results.
• Start races and competitions.
• Resolve claims of rule infractions or complaints by participants and assess any necessary penalties, according to regulations.
• Confer with other sporting officials, coaches, players, and facility managers in order to provide information, coordinate activities, and discuss problems.
• Direct participants to assigned areas such as starting blocks or penalty areas.
• Verify scoring calculations before competition winners are announced.
• Report to regulating organizations regarding sporting activities, complaints made, and actions taken or needed such as fines or other disciplinary actions.
• Teach and explain the rules and regulations governing a specific sport.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.