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From soldier to official, Earlville native Steve Osborne keeps serving others · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  From soldier to official, Earlville native Steve Osborne keeps serving others. Written
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  by Brian Hoxy. This article is being read by an automated voice
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  brought to you by Everlet. Many of Steve Osborne’s family had been
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  in the military, so he figured that might be the same path
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  he would take.
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  He wasn’t expecting how fast that path would be.
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  I was a recruiter’s dream, Osborne said. I had been laid off
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  from my job in 1987, needed to do something and walked into
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  the U.S. Army National Guard recruiter’s office in Marseilles. I just asked
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  him what he could do for me. I remember it was on
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  a Tuesday because the recruiter said he was taking a guy to
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  Chicago for MEPS Military Entrance Processing Station to test if I wanted
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  to go. I thought, Well, I don’t know what that is, but
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  let’s go.
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  That same night I got a call telling me I had passed
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  and I could do whatever I wanted to do. I asked what
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  the specialty training was in Marseilles, and he told me engineering. I
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  said that sounds good to me. The next morning, I was in
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  Marseilles and was sworn in, then two weeks later was in boot
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  camp.
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  Born and raised in Earlville, Osborne played soccer, basketball and baseball at
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  Earlville High School, playing soccer all four years. Class of 1985, Osborne
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  was a starting midfielder on the first two Red Raiders soccer teams
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  to win a regional title his junior and senior years.
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  He was a part-time combat engineer for 15 years and full-time from
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  2002-2008. He served as a staff sergeant in Operation Iraqi Freedom and
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  was stationed with current Streator boys and girls soccer coach J.T. Huey
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  from February to November 2004.
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  Osborne began another path in 1990 as he became an Illinois High
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  School Association official.
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  I have a cousin who is an assigner for officials for sports
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  in the area and he worked with my dad at the prison
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  in Sheridan, Osborne said. He kept telling my dad that he hoped
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  I’d decided to become an IHSA official because he needed them. I
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  thought, Well, this would be a good way to make some extra
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  money, so I called him. I took the tests and I was
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  off and running.
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  He told me the sports he was wanting officials for: baseball, softball
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  and basketball, but when I told him I wanted to do soccer,
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  he was really happy. He said he really didn’t have any soccer
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  officials to contact, so I’d be a huge help in that area.
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  Over the years, Osborne said he’s found other positives other than the
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  paycheck.
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  For one, it keeps me in shape, Osborn said. I also just
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  love interacting with the kids and the coaches. It’s a little extra
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  money in my pocket, sure, but it’s also the relationships I’ve built.
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  I’ve met so many great people through being an official. I’ve also
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  now been doing this long enough that many of the guys and
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  girls that were players are now coaches. So, it’s really cool to
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  see that they’ve stayed in whatever sport it is and are doing
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  a good job coaching their kids.
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  Osborne says communication is an important facet of being an official.
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  I was a staff sergeant for six years, so I was in
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  charge of a group of people, but I’m not really a yeller
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  or a screamer, Osborne said. I’m more of a hands-on or explainer.
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  This is what you did right, or this is what you did
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  wrong, and this is how you correct it.
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  When I’m officiating, I’m talking to the players a lot. Sometimes it’s
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  an explanation of what I called and why, or what I saw.
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  Sometimes I let them know what a great play I thought they
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  made. While I’m an official, I want to lift the kids up
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  when they deserve it, but I’m also going to let them know
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  when they are close to or over a certain line.
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  In a profession where most of the time half of those watching
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  think you’re wrong and the other half right, Osborne said it’s important
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  for him to remember why he’s doing what he does.
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  I just want to make sure that both sides respect the others,
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  Osbourne said. Have there been times where I’ve had a problem with
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  a coach or player? Sure. But I always try and make sure
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  if I can’t talk it over after that game, that the next
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  time we meet up, I try and seek them out to hopefully
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  work it out.
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  The biggest thing for me is remembering what I do is about
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  the kids, the student athletes. I’m not looking for a pat on
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  the back after games I officiate, I just want both teams after
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  a game to almost not even realize we were there. If I
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  get a Good job from someone, that’s great, but most of the
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  time leaving the field with no one saying a word is the
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  best compliment.
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  Osborne said he’ll keep officiating as long as his body will allow
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  him to. He added he’s always on the lookout to help add
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  more people to the group.
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  I’ll be honest, I try and talk everyone into becoming an official,
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  Osborne said. I’ve had a lot of fun over the years being
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  an official. Are you going to get every call right? No. But
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  like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get
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  at it. I mean, I still miss things here and there, but
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  I’m always trying to do the best I can and make things
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  fair for everyone involved.