Intramural sports are a fantastic way for students on any campus to stay active and play the sports they most enjoy.
At Georgia State, intramurals have existed for as long as most people can remember. Most students end up participating in these events at some point, but if you’re a student looking for a way to make some spending money, the intramural program offers paid referee jobs.
“We’ll run anywhere between six to seven sports per semester,” Joaquin Vidal-Collazo, competitive sports coordinator at Georgia State, said.
Interested students are in a good spot. The Recreation Center is always looking for students to apply in need of more employees, namely referees.
“Right now, we are a little bit short-handed,” Vidal-Collazo said. “I would like to have a few more referees on staff because the ones that are on staff right now are being stretched a bit thin.”
This is a problem the Recreation Center has seen in its time on campus. As Georgia State and its Recreation Center are located in downtown Atlanta, competition amongst businesses for applicants is highly competitive.
“Our biggest challenge is being in the city of Atlanta,” Vidal-Collazo said. “You can work at essentially an infinite number of places.”
The job offers flexible hours for students. Each employee has the ability to revolve his or her schedule around class time.
“The average official works about 15 hours a week,” Vidal-Collazo said
In addition to the flexible hours, the benefits for working at the Recreation Center are plentiful.
“They get a one-third sized locker [and] they get their regular pay. There are many different development opportunities,” Vidal-Collazo said
Third-year students Malik Galbraith Jr. and Trent Laurentino Jr. have both been referees at Georgia State for about two and a half years.
“It’s a fun job,” Galbraith Jr. said. “I didn’t intend to ref at all, but after doing it, if I had to choose a job on campus it would probably be reffing.”
For Laurentino Jr., the opportunity to experience a wide range of sporting events is an enjoyable one.
“All the different sports are fun, even the ones you don’t like,” Laurentino Jr. said.
Both Galbraith Jr. and Laurentino Jr. have been very pleased with the work flexibility.
“They schedule around you,” Galbraith Jr. said. “You never have to miss school to work.”
The referee position offers much more than just a job. Students that join the team get to meet a plethora of new students. The experience is like joining a new family.
“It’s a pretty fun group to work with,” Galbraith Jr. said. “We talk a lot about sports [and] everyone is pretty similar on staff.”
The satisfaction that referees feel after each game is something that holds a special place for Laurentino Jr..
“You definitely get a sense of pride knowing that you reffed a game,” he said.
Students interested in joining the intramural team are encouraged to head over to the Recreation Center’s website and apply as soon as possible.
