This Somali teen wanted a job: He found something greater in refereeing
After years of depending on his mother to support him, Himo Osman decided: He was ready to work.
The problem? He was only 13.
Except in rare circumstances, Oregon law prohibits minors younger than 14 from working. Oregonians can’t work in kitchens or even mow lawns professionally until they’re 16.
The soft-spoken Somali teen searched high and low for a company that would hire young teenagers. Last year he found one: Portland Parks & Recreation hires referees as young as 14 for the youth sports leagues.
Himo taught himself to referee basketball games by watching YouTube videos and studying print-outs of different hand signals for fouls.
“There’s tricks to looking at the court,” the East Portland teen said. “You keep your body at angles.”
To become a referee, Himo had to attend a four-week training then pass a 34-question test. Finally, he tried out at the “Jitters Jamboree,” a series of games Portland Parks hosts to test out new refs. He passed and began refereeing 3rd and 4th grade games last year.
Osman, now 15 and a junior at Benson High School, earns $18 a game refereeing on Saturdays for Portland Parks. He volunteers, too, when teams can’t afford an arbiter.
He spent a few hours Sunday working for free at the East Portland Community Center, where a group of Somali boys were holding an invitational tournament. The East African All Stars have been practicing for months, but none of their mothers had seen them play. So they staged a tournament to kick off the season.
At times, Himo had to teach the boys the rules of the game.
“You have to stay in the box during free throws,” he told one player.
“What’s the box?” the kid asked.
Sunday’s game was heavy on fouls and free throws. The fouls were accidental, but Himo has seen games elsewhere get rough.
“The bad thing is I don’t like kicking kids out or having them sit down,” he said. “I just like making things fun.”
He’s found something of a calling in refereeing. He now trains other referee-hopefuls, and he volunteers for other Muslim teams who want to play legitimate games.
As his sense of community has ramped up, so has his entrepreneurial instinct. He runs a barber business out of his house, cutting hair for $5 a head. Himo spends some of the money he earns on food and clothes. He’s also saving up for a car and, eventually, college.
Himo said he wants to referee while attending a Division 2 college, but his dream is to become an electrician. He’s learning to wire a house at Benson.
And he made one professional connection at the tournament Sunday.
Keith Edwards, who was at the games with his wife, Antoinette Edwards, heard another fan mention Himo’s dreams of becoming an electrician. Keith Edwards worked 44 years as an electrical engineer. He was the first African-American business manager of a construction local in IBEW history.
At half-time, Edwards walked over to Himo. The teen stood up to meet him. Edwards held out his hand; Himo hugged him. Edwards told Himo he could contact him anytime.
Himo’s already carving out a space in his schedule — between reffing and cutting hair — to call him this weekend.
oregonlive.com