If you happened to read my Aug. 24, 2022 column, you may recall that I like surprises.
Not for myself! (I told my husband early in our relationship that if he ever arranged a surprise birthday for me, I’d — well, I don’t know what I’d do, but it would not involve happiness for either him or me. Thinking of paying me an unexpected visit? Unless you are one of my children, think again.) But I did thoroughly enjoy the surprise my siblings and I cooked up for our dad’s 80th birthday.
You can imagine, then, how excited I was to be a part of a surprise involving a father, in this case, the story about Liberty Bell High School graduate and basketball referee Tim Lewis surprising his father, Rick Lewis, at what may turn out to be Rick’s final regular season varsity basketball game as a referee last Friday in Pateros. You can read a recap of that story elsewhere in the newspaper.
Having interacted with Rick for years as a fellow newspaper contributor (not to mention seeing him on the sidelines of just about every outdoor sports game), I was delighted to get a chance to highlight some of his contributions to youth sports, but I was also intrigued by the top secret nature of the story itself, which appealed to my inner investigative reporter.
The investigation was right up my alley because it was so simple. Ask a bunch of guys to say a few nice words about a colleague they like and respect. Listen to a handful of fun stories — some fit for print, others not so much (Mike Bourn apparently has quite a story involving a stress ball). Write it all down. Make sure not to inadvertently copy the subject of the investigation, Rick, on any of the emails or texts. This was a journalism feat I felt sure I could pull off.
The plan to surprise Rick was hatched by the Pateros School District’s Athletic Director and girls’ basketball coach, Jared Henton. Rick was to referee in what was scheduled to be his last regular season game, Pateros vs. Waterville/Mansfield. When Rick arrived, he was told that there was a complication with the other referee, but that a guest official had been arranged. That guest referee turned out to be Tim.
Later, when telling the story to fellow referee Mike Thornton, who was not able to be present at the game, Rick said, “Yeah, the other ref didn’t show, so I pulled some kid from the crowd to work with me and he did OK.” That “kid” being his protégé and son, Tim, who refers to Rick’s decades-long career as a basketball official as his “selfless attitude and dedication to youth sports.”
So the Pateros game switcheroo did, indeed, surprise Rick. What isn’t surprising is that Rick has already been scheduled to referee some playoff games, so he hasn’t hung up his stripes and whistle quite yet.
If you see Rick, call for a time out so you can congratulate him.
