It has been said that difficult times often bring out the best in people. What transpired in late July and early August in one southeastern Kentucky community perfectly epitomizes one of those times.

It began July 28, 2022, near Hazard, Ky. A historic rain event brought torrential precipitation to the area, causing major destruction and leaving at least 39 people dead in its wake. Over the course of three days, nearly 10 inches of rain fell, including nearly eight inches in the city of Hazard. The majority of the rain falling in a two-hour period in the early morning hours proved to be the biggest problem.

Houses and businesses were swept away in the resulting flood waters. Hundreds of people lost everything, including seven Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) football officials. They included Jack Barker, who lost his business, and Derrick Wright, Chase Fugate, Chad Bates, Austin Johnson, Jody Johnson and Jake Johnson, all of whom lost their homes. Austin Johnson and his wife were awakened at 2:30 a.m. and had to hold on to trees for several hours to avoid being washed away in the flood waters.

“It was hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime ordeal,” Austin Johnson said. “I never thought we’d have to do something like that.”

Jake Johnson jumped out of the second story of his house to escape the rising waters as well while escaping to his aunt’s house, which was on higher ground. Jody, Jake’s father, stayed behind in the upstairs portion of the house and rode out the storm.

“The water had run us upstairs,” Jody said. “(Jake) jumped off our back porch. It wasn’t swift water, but it was enough to scare him.

“I was born and raised in that area, and I’ll be 47 in October. It’s the worst flooding I’ve seen in my life. It happened in the middle of the night and came in a hurry. In two hours, the devastation was done.”

When an emergency of this magnitude occurs, it takes a lot of hard work and effort on the part of many to get everyone back on track. It is also in these times the true character of people is revealed. Shortly after the flooding, a group of businesspeople in Kentucky began working together to do what they could to offer comfort and assistance to those officials affected by the flood. And while some of those businesses compete with each other, they put that aside and came together to help out.

Many community members worked together to clean up after the flood and help everyone get back on their feet.

One of the first people to get the ball rolling was Scott Kennedy of Force 3 Pro Gear and Officially Connected. Kennedy, an NCAA baseball umpire who lives in Louisville, Ky., immediately started posting on Twitter and Instagram the need for supplies to help those officials affected by the storm.

Kennedy reached out to multiple connections in the flood-ravaged area seeing how people were doing and if there was anything he could do to help. One of the first to get back to him was Kyle Maggard, the football assigner for the region who assigns all seven officials and who also works football, basketball and baseball. Maggard told Kennedy he had six officials in the area who had lost everything and another who had lost his main source of income, and anything he could do to help would be appreciated.

Kennedy began collecting donations as well as cases of water, toiletries, shoes and clothing to drive down to Hazard. He also contacted Greg Wilson, an NFL back judge and owner and operator of Honig’s, an officiating supply company out of Denver.

“Greg Wilson was the first person I called,” Kennedy said. “He is my football guy. He never hesitated. … I texted and said, ‘I know you’re busy, but call me when you get some time.’ Football season was starting in three weeks.”

Later that day, Wilson called Kennedy and told him to get him everyone’s sizes from head to toe. Wilson ultimately sent to Kennedy’s house two massive boxes full of uniforms and gear for each of the six officials once they were all sewn and specifically sized.

“He asked if I was in a position to assist, and I said, ‘Absolutely,’” Wilson recalled. “Outside of officiating, I personally believe this is what we should be doing — trying our best to help each other out in life. I was very grateful that I was in this unique position to be able to step in and help out and get these men on their feet and hopefully refereeing football games and just making their lives a bit easier.”

Getting the officials back onto the field would not have been possible without all the endeavors of everyone behind the scenes. Trying to replace everything in a short amount of time was no easy task. Wilson said Honig’s was able to supply everything to the officials except shoes, and True Officials out of Louisville stepped in to fill the gaps as well.

“Greg overnighted everything,” Kennedy said. “I got the package Monday afternoon and took it to UPS on Tuesday. Initially, I wasn’t even sure if UPS could get it there. … Kyle ended up getting it on Wednesday and made all the drops on Thursday to the guys. Those guys had games on Friday.”

Scott Kennedy (right) delivers supplies to those in need in Kentucky and meets with area assigner Kyle Maggard.

Before receiving the gear from Honig’s, Kennedy and one of his business partners, John Bennett, loaded up Kennedy’s SUV with necessities and made two trips to Hazard. Kennedy said he received roughly $2,500 in donations from local officials and he loaded up on paper towels, cleaning supplies, clothes, etc., to deliver to Maggard, who ultimately made sure the families got what they needed. Kennedy’s mother and father went to the store and donated over $600 in supplies as well.

While Kennedy was busy collecting items, another sports officiating retail giant in Louisville was also collecting items to donate. Jim Kirk, president of Ump-Attire.com, wanted to help the six officials as well. The KHSAA alerted Kirk to the six officials who had lost everything and shared with him an email from Maggard. Kirk immediately reached out to Maggard to see how he could help.

“I’m from that area,” Kirk said. “I’m born and raised in eastern Kentucky, so that really hit home for me. We’ve been providing apparel to the KHSAA since 2012 and through that, these guys are our customers. In our office, we say we’re not a sport goods company, we support people in their careers and their career happens to be sports officiating.

“Their lives were dramatically affected so this is where we step out of our normal bounds of just providing gear and apparel for the field and courts and support them,” Kirk said. “We had a slogan (in some ads) and that slogan is ‘Standing behind you and the game.’ The game is what you think about. We like to look at it as more than that. We stand by you, too. We wanted to let these officials know there was a company in Kentucky who cared about them.”

That caring led to Kirk and Ump-Attire.com holding a collection drive. The company posted through social media and through the Kentucky and Indiana officiating communities looking for items to be donated for those six families. Kirk ended up being able to fill two SUVs. He drove them and dropped them off to Maggard, who became the go-between. Kirk also reached out to New Balance, which donated 14 pairs of shoes.

From left, Ben Kirk; Jim Kirk, president of Ump-Attire.com; Kyle Maggard and Hunter Fry.

“I kind of coordinated everything,” Maggard said. “I was on vacation (in Tennessee). I woke up Thursday morning about 10 a.m. I got on Facebook and saw postings about the flood. Once I figured out where the floods happened, I called all the guys to see if anyone needed anything.”

Because the officials all work multiple sports, Maggard worked with the companies to make sure the officials all had enough gear to cover all the sports they worked. In general, the companies donated two full sets of uniforms for the officials as well as all the equipment, gear and duffel bugs. The companies all wanted to make sure the officials had enough gear because water was shut off for nearly three weeks and doing laundry was nearly impossible.

“I made connections over 20 years with people and just wanted to help them out,” Maggard said. “They are all really good guys.”

The KHSAA was also working behind the scenes to help the officials and waived the officials’ licensing fees so they had one less thing to worry about.

While the officiating supply companies were hard at work outfitting the officials and making sure they had food, water and other essentials, another group was also assisting. UMPS CARE Charities, the official charity of MLB umpires, was working to find out how its organization could get involved.

Greg Gibson, a 24-year veteran MLB umpire who retired in October, visited the officials. Gibson, who is from southeastern Kentucky, went to lunch with the group and wanted to find out what everyone needed. Gibson had the opportunity to spend a few hours with the families to just talk about officiating and see what he could do to help.

MLB umpire Greg Gibson, far right, met with officials and their families severely impacted by the flooding.

“I’m about two hours away from where it got hit in Hazard,” Gibson said. “I was able to take a Sunday and just meet with them and hear their story. They needed a break from what they were experiencing.

“They are still struggling. They need a lot of help. I wish there was more I could do. I can use my platform as a major league umpire and bring attention to it. They’ve lost so much.”

UMPS CARE, through its Family Care Program, also made a generous donation to assist the families. The Family Care Program was established to provide short-term financial assistance to former professional baseball umpires who have fallen on hard times but has grown to include members of the “baseball family.”

“That is how UMPS CARE started,” UMPS CARE president Gary Darling said. “National League guys started the ‘Helping Hands’ fund. That is the original arm of UMPS Care, the Family Care program.”

While the road to recovery for the seven officials will be long, the ability to get back to some sense of normalcy has been a little bit of relief. It has given them a chance to get back on the field and under the Friday night lights and an opportunity to forget about the stresses for at least a couple of hours. And it is in those moments when the realization of what happened and the life lessons come to fruition.

“As bad as our situation is, there’s 39 people who lost their lives who can’t sit around and talk about it,” Jody Johnson said. “We’re healthy. We are going to build back better. You get knocked down, you get back up. That’s one lesson sports and officiating teaches you. If you get knocked down, you got to get back up and keep moving forward.”

The post Help Rains Supreme appeared first on Referee.com.

Jose Acevedo has everything an assigner (or even a coach) could look for in an up-and-coming basketball referee. The 22-year-old senior and psychology major at the University of Central Florida (UCF), as the saying goes, “looks the part.”

He was among three officials — and obviously, the least experienced — for a 7A (largest classification) regional final in Orlando between teams that sported future signees with Kansas, Florida, Mississippi State and Duke. Amid a huge crowd and a humid setting, Acevedo perspired and thought, “What have I gotten myself into? How is this possible?”

That answer is actually best found by taking a look back to a few years earlier, when Acevedo took his shot at “Referee U.”

For nearly 30 years, Jim Wilkening has taught a basketball officiating class at UCF’s Recreation and Wellness Center. Its success rate is insurmountable in producing officials who have advanced all the way to the NBA and WNBA, not to mention high-level NCAA men’s and women’s games plus the Olympics.

Wilkening took over this officials development program for a mentor who got him into the stripes business. And, yes, he’s immensely proud of the biggest success stories, of which there are many. But he’s just as quick to point out what the ever-flourishing program has meant for the seemingly infinite number of games that have needed to be filled in central Florida.

“I started this at UCF in 1995,” Wilkening said. “But it goes back to Valencia College underneath the leadership of Don Rutledge, who was an NCAA referee. I took the course in 1992-93 and got hooked. I wasn’t sure exactly how, but I knew I wanted to keep something like that going.”

Just Like Any Other Classroom — Sort Of
Tuesday evening’s three-hour classes always start with a whistle blow. That’s how attendance is taken. Instructors gauge whether the pitch and length of each student’s toot is game-ready. The reply is a simple yes or no.

Beyond that quick cacophony, RWC 206 looks like a standard university meeting room. This one at the Recreation and Wellness Center on UCF’s vast campus cannot hold more than 40 people. Wilkening accepts about 26 students and has nearly 10 instructors and a weekly guest speaker who sit in a “horseshoe” and envelop themselves in the game and all its rigors.

The group dissects a rule and goes over mechanics and positioning. Of course, the greatest advancement for Wilkening has been the ease of accessibility to video.
Then it’s a short walk to the building’s intramural courts, where they oversee the action at the school’s fraternity-based league.

Games begin promptly at 7:20 p.m. and there’s two sets of them, with each official working a half. Instructors have wireless mics and can give on-court instruction, but there’s also a return to the film room for video breakdown. That usually includes a “play of the day” to unravel.

In a talent-rich state (where even many of the students have played a noteworthy level of high school ball) on one of the largest campuses in the country — more than 70,000 students — the games can be a dizzying mix of talent — but also testosterone.
Acevedo, for one, actually got pushed by a disgruntled player during his first year of the program.

The unnerving moment, however, only left him with the resolve to learn from it and come back better. Video and a unique array of composed, qualified instructors helped him through the bumpy start.

“The program Jim has put together allows a real entry-level referee to come in there and learn proper mechanics, along with really understanding the rules and responsibilities,” said JB Caldwell. “It’s an inclusive, diverse and inspiring environment.”

Caldwell, in his mid-60s, attended Rutledge’s classes that inspired Wilkening’s path. Caldwell’s own path has included 20 years of officiating Division I men’s basketball. He also served as an NBA scouting senior advisor for seven years.

Rutledge officiated in six men’s Final Fours along the way, but way back in the day already recognized more officials were always needed.

Wilkening’s know-how and connections have sent those officials all the way to the top.
Dannica Mosher was a nursing major at UCF in 2016 when she was invited to the NBA’s Grassroots Officiating Camp.

Mosher is among seven former Knights who have NBA officiating experience, working part-time or full-time for the league. Others include Brent Barnaky, John Conley, Robert Hussey, Brandon Schwab, Ray Acosta and Steve Anderson. NBA referee Nick Buchert, who attended University High School (Orlando) and the University of Phoenix, is also a graduate of the basketball officiating class. The officiating program has produced officials in college, Olympic and professional basketball as well as professional and college football.
“There are a lot of people around to look up to,” Anderson said. “And the thing is, they’re all really good people. They want to give back. They want to mentor and help others get as far as they want to go, as well.”

Anderson took the course in 2002 and by 2007 (after five years of handling intramurals at UCF) was hired in the D-League, and in 2009 found himself working NCAA Division I basketball. He officiated in the NBA from 2013-17 and currently serves as a Division I basketball and football official, as well as a FIBA official.

Anderson looks back fondly on the days of making $7 an hour officiating games at UCF — getting bumped to $10 as an “honor official.” The intense classroom and court settings led him along a unique journey.

“You have to have a certain love of it, and a hunger to get better,” Anderson said. “If you’ve got those, everything else is in place to set you up for success.”

Big Bang for the Buck
Wilkening, around his full-time job as UCF executive director of the recreation and wellness center, is still found on a basketball court about 40 times a year. He mostly does NCAA D-II and NAIA men’s basketball games throughout Florida, and will still pile up the miles.

He’s at a place in life where the UCF sports officiating development program (which in addition to basketball covers flag football, baseball, soccer, volleyball, softball, floor hockey and dodgeball) is preeminent in the country. He credits his staff, and only really mentions his success as shown by fostering an environment in which the people around him want to thrive.

UCF students pay $35 for the nine-week basketball course (and earn one credit) and non-UCF students pay a relatively paltry $75. It runs from early September right into the start of high school basketball season.

Wilkening is also proud of a variety of area assigners who believe in what he’s doing and are willing to break out of the “pay your dues” mantra in order to give his students chances.

Just like the NBA and Division I officiating scenes, the class is becoming noticeably diverse. Last fall, nine of the 26 students were women.

“As young people see more diversity, and more people who look like them on the courts, it only helps to grow the talent pool,” said Camille Jackson, a program and UCF alumnus who now works at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in nearby Daytona Beach.

Jackson is proud of the connections and friendships she made and noted the compassion and humility of staff embedded within her a sense of place, and a desire to give back.
“It’s a big family,” Jackson said.

Which leads us back to Acevedo. He is 5-foot-11 and never even played varsity at his Miami-area high school. He chose UCF as his parents agreed a change of scenery would be valuable as he grew into an adult. He had no idea about officiating until he realized he needed a job. A friend saw a flyer at the rec center.

Acevedo credits a personal drive and enjoyment of the game. But he quickly notes that support and “being in the right place at the right time” have led to his startling ascent.
A once-timid freshman, who was shoved by a frat player, he learned quickly “how bad something can go.”

But it certainly can get better, under the right guidance.
“It’s probably the type of program that is needed everywhere,” said the godfather Rutledge. “There’s a well-known shortage of officials just about everywhere, and (Florida) is no different. But what Jim has done is to create such a nurturing place, one that extends well beyond the campus.”

It led to Acevedo being part of a showdown of local elites. A far cry from the frat boys.
“Just the way those elite players carry themselves,” Acevedo said. “It was amazing.”
Acevedo will soon graduate and has sights set on law school. He’s even been able to consult with a regular “Referee U” instructor, who has given him insight on how to manage that kind of career — even through a couple of intense years of schooling.
“I have no intention of letting go of the whistle,” Acevedo said.

Wilkening points out Acevedo’s potential, and apparent fast track, which led him into an enviable 32-minute position to earn $110 and see what some of the best Florida high schools have to offer the game. Still, Acevedo gave himself a seven out of 10 for his overall showing.

Growth can be had, to be sure. And it’s definitely likely thanks to Wilkening, UCF and a dense spiderweb of opportunities and connections.

“Our goal is to help identify officials and get them in the right places,” Wilkening said.
Jason Franchuk, Carbondale, Ill., officiates high school and junior college women’s basketball. 

The post Referee U appeared first on Referee.com.

On the back and left shoulder of every NFL game official is a key identifier — a uniform number. When officials join the league, assigning them a number is a very early order of business.

The number — worn by NFL officials since 1942 — gives the official an identity beyond the black-and-white-striped shirt. Ask any NFL official and there will likely be a story on how he or she obtained the number or some other personal connection to the digits. It also serves as another way to know which official ruled on a particular play when assignment details are not readily available or recalled by memory.

“You know who’s assigned to the game, but it does save a step,” said Dean Blandino, NFL vice president of officiating from 2013-17. “If someone sent me a play, while I knew who was assigned to the game, it was immediate in identifying the official.”

Numbers worn in the NFL have included 1 all the way to 142, with some exceptions.
In the first Super Bowl — then known as the NFL-AFL Championship Game — three officials represented each league. Each of the officials’ numbers ended with 0 and the backups’ numbers ended with 1. Thus, referee Norm Schachter was number 10, umpire George Young was number 20, head linesman Bernie Ullman wore number 30, line judge Al Sabato sported number 40, field judge Mike Lisetski was assigned number 50 and back judge Jack Reader was number 60.

But it wasn’t always that simple.

Beginning with the 1979 season, the NFL flirted with an eventual failed experiment — duplicate numbers assigned by position. That season, the NFL assigned numbers by position, predominantly from 3 through 20, excluding 13. So, with seven game officials across multiple positions, but not on the same regular-season crew, could there ever be a problem?

In back-to-back Super Bowls, number 7 caused a problem for the NFL. Fred Silva and Al Conway both wore number 7 during the regular season and were assigned to Super Bowl XIV. Fortunately, Silva wore a black hat as the referee and Conway wore a white hat as the umpire, but they wore identical numbers during the game.

Head linesman Tony Veteri Sr., line judge Tom Dooley, back judge Tom Kelleher and field judge Fritz Graf all wore number 7 during the 1980 season and were assigned to Super Bowl XV. Instead of doubling down on the previous year’s debacle, Kelleher was the only number 7 during the game, based on his seniority. Veteri, Dooley and Graf were given different numbers for the game. Veteri wore 8, Dooley wore 10 and Graf wore 17.
The experiment ultimately would be short-lived and most officials went back to unique numbers for the 1982 season.

“WE’LL SAVE A SPOT FOR YOU”

Retired down judge Ed Camp wore number 134 and did so proudly despite stereotypes of it being a bottom-of-the-barrel, triple-digit number.

“I was crushed,” Camp said when he learned of his number assignment when he joined the league. “But it’s grown on me.”

Camp did not hold the highest number, however, as Pete Morelli sported number 135. Only field judge Dave Warden and back judge Perry Paganelli have worn higher numbers in the history of the league. Warden wore number 137 during the 1998 season before switching to number 27 for his final four seasons, while Paganelli wore number 142 in 1998 and switched to number 46 after that season.

As if to molify him, Camp was told 134 is only 100 digits away from longtime referee Gerald Austin (34), who was assigned to three Super Bowls.

“We’ll save a spot for you,” Camp said he was told by college officiating peers when he told them his NFL number assignment. “You’ll be back.”

Camp, in the league since 2000, was assigned as the down judge for Super Bowl LIII — never returning to his former NCAA stomping grounds.

Now, after Camp’s retirement at the end of the 2021 season — culminating with his third assignment as a Super Bowl alternate — Robin DeLorenzo wears number 134 after being hired into the NFL for the 2022 season.

DeLorenzo referenced Camp as her first mentor in the New Jersey Football Officials Association North (NJFOA) in a Facebook post when Camp was slated to work the 2022 AFC Championship game as the down judge — presumably his last assignment before being selected as a Super Bowl alternate two weeks later. DeLorenzo met Camp on the first night of her cadet class in an effort to become a high school football official in New Jersey.

“Throughout my college career, there are always three calls that go out when I get a promotion or a special game: my parents, Tom (DeLorenzo’s husband) and Ed Camp,” DeLorenzo said in the post.

“Between the cadet classes every week where (Camp) would show us hours of film, to the study sessions, to coming to our games, to showing up to clinics to share his experiences. The man dedicated his whole life to football and making sure the NJFOA North (and other groups) had the most prepared officials around!” she wrote.

THE OFFICIAL BEFORE ME

When Jerome Boger joined the NFL in 2004, he was fortunate enough to choose his number — initially picking number 109 from a batch of unassigned numbers. But another number caught his eye — 23.

That’s because it previously belonged to Johnny Grier, the NFL’s first Black referee. Boger and Grier developed a bond and Boger shared a wish with Grier.

“JG, when you retire, I want you to tell me so I can tell the office I’d like your number,” Boger said he told Grier in 2004.

Two years later, that wish came true when Boger wore number 23 beginning with the 2006 season. “He’s always been special to me,” Boger said of Grier.

“When there is a request, we would certainly honor a request where we could,” Blandino said of his tenure. That was not the case under all NFL officiating leaders, however, as others merely assigned numbers.

Blandino said the process is a bit “random.”

Boger said he continues to enjoy his number as a tribute to Grier but said the number carries added meaning when talking with players.

He said he’ll seek out players on the field wearing the same number as his during the pregame and share a moment, usually saying, “I’ve worn this number for 15 years. Hopefully, you can do the same.”

That conversation, Boger said, is another avenue to have a human conversation with players before everything gets crazy.

Boger’s son, Tra, was hired into the NFL for the 2022 season and wears number 2. Jerome and Tra become the first father-son duo to work in the NFL at the same time since Steve and Brad Freeman were onfield officials through the 2019 season. Steve Freeman opted out of the 2020 season and subsequently retired.

OFF LIMITS

While no numbers have officially been retired by the NFL, some administrators have given certain numbers a “cooling-off period” after a retirement or transition.

When Al Riveron joined the league office after the 2012 season, Blandino said the league would not assign his former number 57 unless Riveron felt there was an official deserving. Since Riveron’s departure from the field, number 57 had not been worn until the 2020 season, when it was assigned to field judge Joe Blubaugh.

That has not always been the case as referees like Jerry Markbreit and Jim Tunney, working a combined seven Super Bowls, did not see their numbers — 9 and 32 respectively — put on hold.

For the longest time, numbers 1 and 13 were kept on the shelf. Under Blandino, then-incoming field judge and now referee Scott Novak was assigned number 1 and incoming down judge Patrick Turner was assigned number 13.

“My birthday is 13,” Blandino said of his birthdate. “It hasn’t been unlucky for me.”
Sixty-nine, however, remains off limits allegedly due to its sexual connotations.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

A number of family members have been selected to officiate in the NFL — some concurrently and others years apart. Some family members have had the opportunity to honor their family history in the NFL by wearing a number “in the family.”

Walt Coleman spent his entire career as number 65. When Walt IV joined the league in 2015, he wore number 87. But following Walt’s retirement after the 2018 season, Walt IV was able to change to number 65, which continued a family tradition dating back to 1989 — the longest such streak in NFL history.

The Baynes family has a similar legacy, but not continuous. Former side judge and line judge Ron Baynes wore number 56 throughout his career. When Baynes’ career came to a close after the 2000 season, number 56 sat vacant until 2008. That’s when Allen Baynes, Ron’s son, joined the NFL and number 56 became a perfect fit.

But when Rusty Baynes, Ron’s other son joined the league in 2010 as a line judge, he was out of luck, since Allen already captured the “family number.” Rusty secured a nearby number, 59.

Jim Quirk Sr. spent more than 20 years in the NFL as a line judge and umpire wearing number 5. But in the 2009 season, with Quirk no longer in the league, John McGrath switched from number 120 to 5.

That led to an interesting conversation when Jim Quirk Jr. was hired into the league. Initially, Quirk Jr. wore number 63, but toward the end of McGrath’s career. McGrath said to Quirk Jr., “When I retire, you should take this number back.”

And that’s exactly what happened. Quirk Jr. has worn number 5 since the beginning of the 2017 season, when McGrath left the field.

The post Take a Number appeared first on Referee.com.

major League Baseball umpire Alfonso Márquez was driving April 21, 2005, to an early season game in Tampa, Fla., when he got the news. His close friend, 37-year-old NHL linesman Stéphane Provost, died in a motorcycle accident at about 3:30 a.m. in Weston, Fla. Earlier that night, Márquez, Provost and friends had gotten together at the Hard Rock Cafe after Márquez’s crew worked a game in Miami.

“We were very close,” Márquez said. “Not only did we wear the same number, 72, but we were both immigrants to the U.S., and Stéphane and I both loved motorcycles. We hit it off immediately. I even took his motorcycle for a ride that night. I thought the person who called me was kidding. It was a very hard day.”

Years after his friend’s death, Márquez keeps one of Provost’s NHL striped shirts in his equipment trunk and has hung the shirt in his umpiring locker at every stadium he worked. And in the center of his chest protector, there’s a 72 patch NHL officials wore to honor Provost.

Márquez says Provost’s death was one of a number of incidents over the intervening years that indicated to him he needed to make some significant changes in his life. At 28, in the last month of the 1999 MLB season, he had achieved his goal of making it to the major leagues. He was hired full time a few months later, and he was a highly regarded umpire.
But problems off the field were looming. Fellow crew members and friends had told him on more than one occasion that he was drinking too much. They feared he might get a DUI and lose his MLB job or end up in other trouble.

“This was definitely another piece in the puzzle. It made me reflect a bit. It was part of it,” he said. “I was a ‘I would have a drink every day’ type of guy.”

But it would be another four years before Márquez made the decision to stop drinking once and for all.

“I’ve known Fonzy for 30 years,” recently retired MLB umpire and crew chief Ted Barrett said. “It’s been a long relationship. He’s my best friend.

We do a lot of things together.

“It got to a point where I kept thinking he would hit rock bottom. He never did. He just kind of kept going. And, you know, I feared for a couple of things. No. 1, that he loses his job. Or he’d turn up, you know, dead or in jail somewhere after a night of drinking.”

Barrett, an ordained minister who retired from MLB after 28 years on the field to pursue his calling as a minister, gave Márquez an ultimatum, telling him the friendship was over unless he stopped drinking.

“I finally got to the point where I had enough,” Barrett said. “And he’s not listening. He’s not going to listen. And he’s going to end up in a bad spot.

“But it was because of his wife, Staci. She never gave up on him.”

Eventually, Márquez saw the light and knew he needed to make some changes. But it didn’t come easily.

“I’m stubborn, hard-headed, and set in my ways,” he said. “I wasn’t ready to admit a lot of things. We always feel these things aren’t going to happen to you, and I was lucky enough to be able to say, enough is enough. I need to stop.”

Márquez says his decision to give up alcohol also came with a spiritual awakening that has brought him to a contentment he had never felt before and recognition things needed to change.

“I started thinking about the sacrifices my family made to come to this country, the amount of time, effort and sacrifice it took for me to get to the big leagues, and all the blessings that came with that — my wife and three children were all going to be put in jeopardy,” he said.

“It would have been very stupid of me to put all of that in jeopardy by continuing to keep drinking. It was actually controlling my life. So I just had to step away and quit drinking.”

Coming to America
Of all the MLB and Triple-A umpires currently working, Márquez may have had the most difficult road to achieving the highest level in his chosen field.

He was born into poverty in 1972 in the tiny pueblo of La Encarnación in the Mexican state of Zacatecas.

At age 7, his father, Antonio Márquez, made the decision to seek a better life in the U.S. and moved to California, leaving the family behind for a year and promising to bring his wife, Hermelinda Márquez, 8-year-old daughter Cecilia, and Alfonso to the U.S. as soon as possible. Alfonso also has an older sister, Aurora, who remained in Mexico and lives in Guadalajara.

Another sister, Hermelinda, named after his mother, was born in the U.S. after the family settled here.

“He worked for a year to save some money and pay for us to come up here,” Márquez said, recounting the story of how he arrived in the U.S. “We got on a bus and rode it for two days to Tijuana.”

He recalls the family spent the night in a “nasty hotel” before continuing the journey with the help of a “coyote,” who was paid to smuggle the three across the border into Southern California.

“We just started moving toward it and hiding,” he said, recalling the events of that extraordinary day. “Every so often, the Border Patrol would cruise by and kind of shine the light and spotlight, and we would just hide. Then I got to the point where I guess my sister and I got a little tired. So he came and picked us up one under each arm, and away we went.

“I remember coming up to a huge chain-link wall or a fence, and there was a hole. We were put through that hole, and we were trying to walk in the dark. I do remember being scared, not knowing where I was, and I just knew that we were going to go see Dad.”
But they still had a long way to go once they got to the U.S.

“We got to this house, and it got dark. And I just remember the coyote saying, ‘Just crawl on the floor and find an open spot. And tomorrow morning, we’ll go the rest of the way,’” Márquez said, emphasizing every detail of that trip. “We slept on the floor in the house, woke up the next morning and there were a bunch of people in that house.”

A few days later, the family was reunited in El Monte, Calif., east of Los Angeles.

“We hadn’t seen him for a year, and I just remember we were dropped off there, and my dad was there, and life began in the United States. This was back in 1978,” he said. “I wasn’t even 8 years old.”

The family relocated to Fullerton, where his dad was a gardener and his mother worked as a seamstress. Márquez didn’t speak English, but he was anxious to learn, and the school was bilingual.

Márquez says he was a good student and he learned a valuable lesson about integrity when he got caught cheating while in a class at Nicolas Junior High School.

“There was this teacher, Mr. Jim Schlotthauer, a history teacher I really liked. He was awesome, but I got caught cheating on one of his tests,” Márquez said. “He threw me out of his class. But I wanted to stay, and he made me carry a card stating I was doing good and attending classes. Every teacher had to sign it, and I became a straight-A student and went to high school, taking honors classes.”

A few years ago, the 40-year veteran teacher and Márquez reunited when Schlotthauer, who was still at the school, invited Márquez to speak at his old junior high.

“We’re very proud of Alfonso,” Juan Fonseca, Fullerton School District’s community liaison, said. “After he was done speaking to the class, he stuck around and talked one-on-one to the students, signed autographs and was very friendly.”

A Fire Ignited
In both junior high and later at Fullerton High School, Márquez was a member of both the basketball and baseball teams. And it was there he first became interested in officiating because of a play during a summer league game when he was 12.

“I hit an inside-the-park home run but I missed second base,” he said, recounting that moment. “They appealed to the base umpire. Ken Avey was his name. He’s since passed. They appealed, and he called me out.”

Rather than argue the call, Márquez made a point after the game to find Avey and politely get an explanation of the rule.

“He was in the parking lot afterward, and I started asking questions about how he saw the call, what he was looking for, the rule and about umpiring,” Márquez said. “I was interested, and I thought if I do that in the summer, I can make a little money.”
Márquez was hooked.

His mentor, Avey, encouraged him and helped get him started with the local association.
“I started with the little guys, the tee-ballers, and then onto Fullerton Pony League. The inside-the-park home run was on the first field I ever umpired a game on, Amerige Park,” Márquez said. “I knew once I finished high school, I knew umpiring was it. I enjoyed it a lot. I was trying to find ways to raise money to go to umpire school.”

Umpiring money and a loan from Larry Cawhorn, an older umpire with whom he became friends, gave Márquez just enough money for a round-trip plane ticket from California and tuition for the Joe Brinkman-Bruce Froemming Umpire School in Florida in the winter of 1993.

“Larry gave the money to get to the school,” Márquez said. “Between my uncle and Larry, I was able to get tuition, the flight and pay for the meal plan at school.”

Brinkman, now retired, said Márquez was a diamond in the rough on the backfields in Cocoa Beach, Fla., home of the umpire school Márquez attended.

“He was one of those guys who showed promise right in the beginning,” Brinkman said. “He had a knack for it. He got our interest, and he’s proved it as he’s one of the better umpires now in the big leagues.

“He really wanted it. He realized there was an opportunity, and he put that extra effort into it. He went the extra mile.”

But Márquez’s dream was nearly derailed at the beginning of the trip to Florida.
“Two days in the school, I almost went home,” he said. “I didn’t have any money, not an extra penny. And I went to the wrong field and the instructors started giving me a hard time, and I thought I should just go home.

“I met a guy, a classmate named Scott Nelson, and he said, ‘Let’s go to Denny’s and go eat and study the rules. I have a car and a credit card.’”

Nelson and Márquez would work some MLB games together in 2001, 2002 and 2003 when Nelson was a Triple-A call-up. Nelson would umpire 69 major league games before being released. The two remain friends.

Márquez finished strong enough at umpire school to be promoted to the Umpire Development Program’s extended camp and appeared to be on a fast track to being promoted.

He spent six-and-a-half years in the minors, working in the Arizona Fall League, Arizona Instructional League, Northwest League, Midwest League, California League, Southern League and Pacific Coast League before getting the call to the Show.

“I was lucky, blessed, it was basically one year at every level, and I kept getting promoted,” he said. “I got to Triple-A and then the fall league, and when I got to my first major league spring training, Marty Springstead, the American League supervisor of umpiring, said an umpire was ill and they needed me for games in Arizona.”

This was before MLB’s decision to merge the umpiring staffs from the two separate leagues into one, under the supervision of the Commissioner’s office.

“The next year, I got hired by the National League,” Márquez said. “The American League was interested, but when all that stuff went down in 1999, the National League hired me.”
That “stuff” refers to the ill-fated move by the umpires union to stage a mass resignation in order to force negotiations with MLB for a new labor agreement. In all, 57 umpires submitted their resignations during the season, and the leagues replaced 22 of them with Triple-A call-ups, some of whom are still on the field today.

Welcome to the Show
Márquez worked his first MLB game on Aug. 13, 1999, in the second game of a doubleheader between the Montreal Expos and Colorado Rockies.

“I was in Colorado Springs when they said we should go to Denver for my first big-league game, and my first game in the big leagues was behind the plate,” he said with pride.

He worked 30 games that season and joined the staff full time for the 2000 season.

Márquez has quickly cemented his reputation on the field as one of the game’s leaders, and he’s respected by his peers.

“In the final evaluations, I always told my instructors, ‘Is this student someone you’d want to go on the field with?’ Alfonso is that type of umpire,” Brinkman said.

Márquez and veteran crew chief Larry Vanover were together for four seasons, with Márquez serving as Vanover’s No. 2 man on the crew the final two seasons, a position that in most cases results in that umpire eventually leading his own crew.

“I like Alfonso as a person,” Vanover said. “I think he’s a really good umpire. He is as solid as they come, day in and day out.

“I didn’t know him, and we were kind of thrown together. The office was trying to match crews and they called and asked how about Alfonso Márquez as your No. 2. We were put together, and we had a great year. We got along off the field and we worked together very, very well. He knew what I was thinking and I knew what he was thinking. It was very positive and we stayed together for several years.”

In 2020, Márquez got the opportunity to lead his own crew. At 47, he left Vanover’s crew and was named a crew chief, becoming only the second Hispanic person to hold that honor, following longtime crew chief Rich Garcia.

In a wonderful marriage with his longtime wife, Staci, their children grown, and beginning his 24th MLB season, Márquez has amassed a significant resume that promises only to get better if he stays healthy and on the field for another decade.

At the end of the 2022 season, he had umpired 2,766 regular season games and 105 playoff or special event games, including four World Series (2006, 2011, 2015 and 2021), six League Championship Series (2003, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2022), 11 Division Series (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021), as well as the 2006 and 2018 All-Star Games.

By comparison, retired veteran umpire Gerry Davis worked 152 playoff or special event games. Joe West, baseball’s all-time total games leader, had 135 postseason or special event games.

Márquez has already been recognized by the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in Monterrey, which has an exhibit to honor his MLB accomplishments.

Barrett says if Márquez does continue umpiring for another decade, he could put together a body of work that puts him among the all-time greats of the profession.

“Alfonso is a guy who deserves all the accolades that he gets and the ones he’s going to get,” he said. “I think one day we might all be sitting with him at Cooperstown when they enshrine him (in the Baseball Hall of Fame).”

Circle of Friends
Now an American citizen — he went through the citizenship process in late 2021 — Márquez still returns to his native Mexico on a regular basis. He sometimes takes along his MLB colleagues, including Barrett, to lead umpiring clinics and teach amateur and professional umpires on the finer points of the game.

“Fonzy represents not just Major League Baseball and his family but the whole country of Mexico and especially where he’s from down there in Zacatecas,” Barrett said.

Márquez remains very close to his extended family. Before COVID, before MLB umpire rooms were highly restricted after games, it was not unusual to see friends and family members meeting with Márquez and planning events with him, especially in Los Angeles or Phoenix, where he now lives full time.

Ironically, when he and Staci were looking to move into a neighborhood, they found a house near the Barrett family, and they’re now not only best of friends but live nearby.
“We do a lot of things together, and we ride motorcycles together. We’ve got a group of guys we ride with, and we do that together. So we see each other quite a bit,” Barrett said.

“We’re like a family, and now that I’m retired, and I’m not traveling as much seven months of the year, I think we may actually see each other more.”

Márquez also works with Barrett on Barrett’s Calling for Christ ministry. He also volunteers in the umpires’ nonprofit charity UMPS CARE, which provides numerous programs for organizations from youth-based charities to visiting VA hospitals.

Márquez’s friends said his marriage to Staci, his faith, his decision not to drink and his determination to always push himself harder have put him in this position of leadership.

“He’s really in the top tier of the profession now, in terms of what he is doing on the field, in terms of how he handles himself. He’s really in the top echelon of the profession,” Barrett said. “He’s at the top of the top.”

And for Márquez, the journey is not something he takes lightly. He understands things could have turned out much differently than where they are.

“I’m very fortunate. I don’t take what I have for granted, what this country has given me, Staci, my family and of course, my faith,” Márquez said.

Dan Ronan is a Washington, D.C. journalist who is the Managing Producer/Senior Reporter at Transport Topics and a news anchor on SiriusXM Radio and all-news WTOP-FM. He is a retired NCAA baseball umpire and a small-college and high school basketball referee. 

The post FONZY appeared first on Referee.com.

A late May MLB game between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals pointed out the challenges ESPN, Fox and the regional sports networks have when it comes to projecting their image of the umpire’s three-dimensional strike zone on a flat television screen. Plate umpire Gabe Morales called pitcher Miles Mikolas’ 3-2 sinker ball four.

The St. Louis broadcast onscreen graphic showed it as a ball. However, if you were watching the New York Mets feed it showed the pitch as a strike. The same pitch, two different results on TV.

“The image on TV is not accurate,” retired MLB umpire/crew chief Dale Scott said during an interview with Referee in Baltimore. “In this case something was not right. I do not know where they are getting the data and how they are setting it up. And there is no way they are accurate on the high and low pitches.”

That disparity and the recent addition of websites, such as umpscorecards.com — which tracks every MLB game and then assigns its score to an umpire’s performance on balls and strikes, but without the benefit of training or umpiring experience — is adding to the controversy.

“The umpiring at the MLB level is probably better than it has ever been,” retired MLB Vice President of Umpiring Mike Port told Referee. “Yes, someone is going to have a bad game and it makes it into the media and onto social media. It happens. But I have seen players swing and miss, drop fly balls and make baserunning mistakes more frequently than umpires miss pitches or calls. But now it is all on social media; it is what people perceive.”

“I am so glad I was not on social media when I was on the field working. It is just brutal out there,” remarked Scott. “People see these scores posted every day on social media and they say this guy sucks.”

And it is that perception Port and Scott believe is unduly raising questions about the judgment, expertise and credibility of highly trained MLB umpires, when it seems that anyone who has ever sat in the Bob Uecker cheap seats and has a Twitter account believes they can call balls and strikes better than an MLB umpire, who, on average had nine years of experience in the minor leagues before joining the MLB staff.

“Before someone is promoted to the Major League staff they will put in a long apprenticeship, nine or 10 years,” Port said. “That is equivalent to what it takes to become a neurosurgeon. Major League Baseball is in a newfound search for perfection, when in fact they should be pursuing excellence. You weave into that the old storyline that umpires are bad, we have to ‘fix’ the umpires.”

The best place to start when discussing the professional baseball strike zone is the official MLB rulebook.

“The official strike zone is the area over home plate from the midpoint between a batter’s shoulders and the top of the uniform pants — when the batter is in his stance and prepared to swing at a pitched ball — and a point just below the kneecap,” the rulebook states. In order to get a strike call, “part of the ball must cross over part of home plate while in the aforementioned area.”

The five-sided home plate is 17 inches wide, and the 2.86-to-2.94-inch diameter Rawlings baseball needs only to pass over any part of the plate in the strike zone to be called a strike.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
But the strike zone is not an end zone spray painted on a wall of a school building. It is an idea or concept with a rulebook definition that has been modified countless times over the years. Port, Scott and others say because of better training and video systems that did not exist years ago, the strike zone is much more uniform now than it was a generation ago when old-school umpires believed almost every pitch had the potential to be a strike. Veteran 1980s and ‘90s NL arbiters such as Lee Weyer, Frank Pulli and Eric Gregg were known for their exceptionally wide, but lower, strike zones, while others, especially in the AL, had reputations for strike zones resembling a shoe box, narrow on the corners and much more vertical.

Umpires must also consider the diversity in the size of MLB players from the giants like 6-foot-7 Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge to Houston’s 5-6 second baseman José Altuve. Some batters stand upright. Others are crouched. Some are as close as possible to the plate. Some are a bit farther away and umpires are being asked to make split-second decisions on 100-mph pitches with diabolical movement and spin not seen in prior generations.

The day after an MLB umpire works the plate, he logs onto the MLB Zone Evaluator system that tracks every pitch and notes every pitch called correctly, the ones labeled incorrect and then assigns a percentage score to the game. Port, Scott and other sources say MLB’s ZE system also considers a two-inch buffer zone on the corners of the plate to take into account the width of the baseball and the fact that a pitch that “nicks” the corner and is not fully on the plate should be called a strike. So, the strike zone can be at least 21 inches wide.

“If I work the plate on a Thursday night, I get my evaluation the next day on a Friday and a technician and a supervisor will have reviewed the data manually,” Scott explained.
Over the last 20 years MLB has been through several video evaluation systems for its umpires. The league says each one is better than the one it is replacing. ESPN first began using its K-zone system back in 2001.

Unlike the boxes or 3-D graphics seen on TV, an MLB employee resets the strike zone for each batter and after the game evaluates the borderline pitches before submitting the final score to an umpire supervisor for review and then to the home-plate umpire. Scott says during a regular game it is not uncommon to have five to eight pitches reviewed by the staff because they were so close and it is typical that half of them will be ruled in favor of the umpire, increasing his correct call percentage one or two points and raising his overall game average.

The umpire’s union also created a Zone Enforcement committee to double-check calls it believes are incorrect and file appeals to have the scoring of pitches reviewed.

In 2021, roughly 30 percent of the pitches appealed, including those in which a pitcher either misses his spot and the ball ends up in the strike zone or the catcher mishandles the pitch and it crosses the plate, were overturned.

The 2022 season was just weeks old when the first umpiring controversy erupted during the April 25 nationally televised ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game. Umpire Angel Hernandez ejected the Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber after a close pitch was called strike three. Twitter and the announcers in the booth had a collective meltdown.

After the game, video showed numerous angry fans were waiting for Hernandez’s vehicle, hurling insults at him as he left Citizens Bank Park.

The next day Umpscorecards.com offered its take on Hernandez’s performance, claiming the veteran umpire scored an 88 percent accuracy rate. Another partisan site, Phillienation.com, cited a second source, @umpireauditor, and said Hernandez missed a staggering 19 pitches and scored an abysmal 85.3 percent. Wrong.

While MLB does not publicly release an umpire’s plate scores, the next day retired umpire Joe West just happened to be a guest on Chicago sports radio station WSCR-AM, the Cubs’ flagship station. West gave the hosts some insight into MLB’s ZE system, and he said Hernandez had scored a very solid, much higher 96.12 percent accuracy rate.

“They need to sync the strike zone that they’re grading him in public media to the strike zone they’re grading him in baseball,” West said on WSCR. “I called Angel and talked with him, and the office said he scored a 96 and the media are saying he scored an 85. You cannot have two different strike zones. If they are all the same, I have no problem, but if the discrepancy is between 85 percent and 96 percent, I have a real problem with that. He is getting a raw deal here.”

John Kramer of Atlanta knows quite a bit about umpiring and broadcasting. Kramer is a former minor league umpire. He’s also a retired college baseball umpire who worked as a crew chief in the SEC and ACC, including during an ACC tournament. He worked five NCAA Regionals and one Super Regional. For the past 45 years he has been a fixture at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, Turner Field and Truist Park as the Braves’ public address announcer, a radio engineer/producer for visiting MLB teams and working in the stadium’s television control room. He has observed the ESPN K-zone and video strike zone on the regional sports networks, and he says the strike zone you see on TV or on social media is not the one on the field.

“In Atlanta, we had an IT programmer who came to me and said, ‘Can you depict what the strike zone would be, if I put it on the screen?’” Kramer said. “He read the rulebook and had the strike zone all the way up to his chest and way too low. I kept working with him to get it closer and closer. But if you do not have someone with umpiring experience, standing over his shoulder helping him set it up, it will not be right. At ESPN and the regional sports networks there is a graphic artist, and each creates a different version of the strike zone. Each network has a different version. There is no standardization and until there is, it is useless.”

But while Kramer says the different versions of the strike zone are useless, each day an estimated 250,000 Twitter followers of UmpireScorecards.com anxiously await the previous day’s games and the site’s review of the 15 umpires who are calling balls and strikes each night.

The Twitter account and website were co-founded by Boston University computer science and statistics major Ethan Singer and Penn State University undergraduate Ethan Schwartz. Singer says their website uses a wide variety of calculations, including Monte Carlo algorithms and collision geometry to create what he says is “interpretability, validity, practicality and fairness” to determine a call’s accuracy. UmpScorecards uses data from MLB’s game tracking program Statcast that is available in real time at MLB.com.

“We report the data to the best of our ability,” Singer told Referee. “There is some extra leniency. We want to make sure no one gets penalized for incorrect data. But we did not add a plain buffer zone, as MLB has done. I think we do fill a void and the combination of posting on Twitter and our graphics have been the key to our success.”

Singer says his website has been modified numerous times to try to make it fairer to the MLB umpires and there is less reliance on raw data to determine if a pitch is called correctly or incorrectly.

Singer admits that being an MLB umpire and calling balls and strikes is one of the toughest jobs in sports.

“A baseball is moving at close to 100 miles per hour with unbelievable movement and your view is restricted and it is kind of an inhuman task,” Singer said. “One of things we have enjoyed the most is highlighting and showcasing to people how good umpires are. I do acknowledge how difficult a job they have.”

Earlier in the season on Umpscorecards.com, the median umpire rendered a correct call on 93.5 percent of pitches. Eight umpires were averaging at least 95 percent accuracy and 94 percent consistency.

Southern California’s Lindsey Imber is the founder of Closecallsports.com, a website devoted to MLB rule interpretations, coverage of ejections and other umpiring issues. She says technology is significantly improving MLB umpiring; however, she is worried that many of those so-called hobbyists who have created the umpiring websites and the media members who promote them as 100 percent accurate do not understand the game’s nuances and the difficulty of umpiring in today’s social-media-saturated society.

“We think computers are infallible because that’s what we’ve been taught to believe,” Imber said. “Therefore, we expect human umpires to be perfect because if the computers can judge balls and strikes, then humans should be able to do it. And if the computer is that good, you sense where this is going with the whole robo-umpire argument.”

Imber believes MLB’s 2013-14 decision to add video review to fair/foul, safe/out and some other calls means the old-school, manager-to-umpire argument after a close play at second base is gone forever and the only thing left to argue about is the occasional weird play and now balls and strikes.

“The media lost its ability to highlight arguments on regular plays because of instant replay. They get fixed by New York. So now everything is highly concentrated on balls and strikes, check swings and non-renewable plays,” she insisted.

Since MLB does not make its individual umpiring data available and considers that information to be akin to an employee’s confidential job evaluation, it is unclear if its scores are higher or lower than those being published by the various social media websites. However, based on the interview West did with the Chicago radio station, it can be surmised the MLB scores are higher.

According to ESPN, MLB breaks down pitches into three categories: “correct” calls, “acceptable” calls within the so-called buffer zone and “incorrect” calls. In 2021 by MLB’s calculations, the umpires on correct and acceptable calls were 97.4 percent, measuring the plate 21 inches wide, which includes the 17-inch plate and the two-inch buffer zone. The highest-rated umpire graded out at 98.5 percent and the lowest at 96 percent.

“We don’t know how accurate these on-screen strike zones are, but they have become reality to baseball fans,” Scott said.

After spending an entire career in baseball as a player, team executive and MLB executive, Port realizes there is an information vacuum, and the media and fans want more information about the quality of the job umpires are doing. But he believes the hobbyists who have created these websites and manage them daily are doing the game and umpires a long-term disservice.

“Major League Baseball, given the resources it has both financially and timewise, has gone to great lengths to develop the very best systems they possibly can,” Port said. “Now some fellow sitting in his basement charting pitches eating day old hot dogs, I doubt he is qualified to evaluate balls and strikes watching a game on TV. On TV you have no appreciation for depth perception and often the camera angles are different.”

Port also blames the television networks and media for creating a controversy and stoking the fires.

“Certainly, the media is an eternal aggravation to me when they talk about a pitch or a play,” he said emphatically. “Ninety-nine times out of 100 they will say he apparently, he missed the pitch, but they have the benefit of endless replays and endless time. Make a decision and call it and drop the ‘apparently.’ The umpire on the field must decide in an instant.”

Dan Ronan is the associate editor and business reporter at Transport Topics, ttnews.com, and he is an anchor on SiriusXM satellite radio.

The post SQUAWK BOX appeared first on Referee.com.

By Tim Yonke

In what could be a blueprint for women seeking to become officials and climb up the ranks of their chosen sport or sports, five prominent female officials were featured as a panel on the topic “Doors Opening Wider: Women in Officiating” – as part of the 2021 NASO Sports Officiating Summit @ Home.

The panel consisted of Amanda Bender, Missouri Valley Conference college football official as well as Division II basketball referee; Maia Chaka, the third female hired by the NFL as an on-field official; Kelly Dine, NCAA Division I baseball umpire; Kaili Kimura, NCAA Division I women’s basketball and volleyball official; and Sara Woods, college and semi-pro basketball referee. The conversation was moderated by NASO board member Dana Pappas.

Listening to these impressive women it quickly became clear that while their paths are varied, their resolve to make it to the heights of officiating in what has been predominately a male profession are uniform.

The session panelists were candid with stories about the unique experiences they faced on their climb.

The Road Less Traveled
In getting to the NFL, Chaka had to clear many hurdles.

“Obviously, my path has been very difficult because I’m the only one that looks like me,” remarked Chaka, the first black woman on-field official in the league.

She began working high school games and credits her crew with constantly pushing her to work up to the next level. After her first year of working high school football they started teaching her college rules and college mechanics.

To get to the NFL, Chaka said she received that final boost from some constructive criticism.

“I would say the most pivotal moment I believe was in 2017. I was already in the NFL program for about four seasons and it felt like I hit a plateau. I wasn’t getting the feedback I needed to grow,” she said.

“I was walking off the field of one my preseason games, and I was working with Chuck Steward who was our replay official that game. He walked off and told me, ‘You’re so close, but you have so much work to do.’ And he says if you trust me, and you just listen to everything I’m going to tell you, I promise you that I’ll help you try to reach your goal of getting to the National Football League.”

Steward told her she needed to find a Power Five Conference to work and that meant leaving her Virginia Beach, Va., home and heading west.

“So, my opportunity came by following the tutelage of Chuck and just following him blindly.”

As a college umpire, Dine’s unique path began out of necessity.

“I started officiating because I was coaching baseball. My boys were really into baseball initially when they were young. So I became their head coach, and I coached for more than 10 years,” she said.

“As the two older ones were moving into age groups we started to hear some whispers from the other side about the mom that was coaching. I was thinking about other ways that I could stay in the sport if I left coaching, and umpiring just seemed to be it.

“So we were walking home from a baseball practice one day, and there was a Little League field next to us where the two teams were ready to play and there was no umpire. And I told my son ‘tell Dad I’ll be home later.’ And I went over there and picked up an old mask and a balloon protector and put it on, and the bug bit. I’ve been an umpire ever since.”

Life Balance
Being a wife, mother and a sports official can be a real balancing act.

“It really takes a lot of planning and understanding how to balance your work and your life, your personal life. It impacts so many more people than just you,” remarked Woods.

“I think it’s important to have goals and objectives. Have a blueprint. Understand how to navigate your way through the system. It’s not as intuitive as we all think it is, you just go and you get a whistle and you get out there on the court or the field.

“It’s how to look the part, it’s how to navigate your career, how to communicate with people. There’s a lot more to it off the court and off the field than just what you do between those lines. So I think it’s very important to just have a plan in place and just chip away at it.”

In addition to being an NCAA Division I baseball umpire, Dine’s also a registered nurse, biomedical science teacher and a former lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. She provides an unusual perspective.

“For me it’s a blessing to have a life partner, my husband, who supports me 100 percent in what I do and sees me as an equal and wants to support my endeavors exactly like I want to support his endeavors,” she noted.

“In a large family like we have, communication is key. It’s being able to sit down and talk about who was traveling where, who was taxi driver for that weekend, sitting down with my sons and talking to them about some of my desires and some of my goals. Initially I did feel a little bit guilty as well. I thought, ‘You know, I’m a mom, I’m a wife, and how can I be out there for myself?’

“We all need to have that enjoyment for ourselves in order to be able to turn around and give it to others. And so being able to show my sons that the baseball field is not only a place of joy for me, it’s my therapy time, and it’s my away time. That I think is healthy in showing your children that they need that in their life, too, and that’s part of that balance.”

While she isn’t married, Bender said trying to maintain a full-time job, officiating and life in general can be a struggle.

“Everybody’s got different things that they need to balance,” said Bender. “I don’t think I’ve actually found that balance yet, but I do strive to do a better job.

“I have to tell myself not to feel guilty if I spend the night and go have dinner with my mom and I’m not in the rule book. And I have to remind myself not to feel guilty that I took a night off from thinking or studying or talking about whatever sport that may be.”

Where to Turn for Support?
The panel agreed that succeeding in a male-dominated field is challenging but it’s made easier with a support system.

“I really turned to my mentors, the people that brought me up in this,” said Kimura, who was an outstanding collegiate volleyball player. “When times were getting tough, or I just needed a pick-me-up, they would be the ones that would inspire me to go a little further.”

For Woods, she found inspiration from the success of a colleague, veteran basketball official Lisa Jones.

“I had just finished my first year and I was frustrated. I didn’t really have a lot of mentors. Really wasn’t sure the direction to go in,” remarked Woods, who recruits, develops and mentors perspective and current officials through her Big Game Officials program.

“I went to watch the NCAA tournament in St. Louis and when (Lisa Jones) stepped out on the court I was like ‘Wow.’ You know, her comportment, everything about her was just jaw dropping. And my husband said, ‘You know what, you could do that.’”

In almost any profession a person often needs a little help on his or her way to the top.

Dine found her support attending as many umpiring camps as she could.

“I got in my first college camp, and Scott Taylor who is the Division II NCAA coordinator of umpires at the time came up to me at that camp, and he said you have the potential to be a college umpire, stick with it. All it took was just hearing that,” Dine said.

“And, man, I just started working harder and harder, attending camps and clinics and games and here I am. It’s nice to have those people that recognize that it doesn’t matter what gender or what color you are you can succeed.”

For Bender, it’s all been about friends.

“I’m lucky that I have a great fan base of friends that can help. And that’s the one thing that I really love about officiating is the friends that I’ve met and people that I would have never met,” Bender remarked. “They’ve been through the same thing so they understand. And it’s nice that these people become your family because they do. It’s a great family, a great network.”

Words of Advice
When it came to scaling the officiating ladder, the panelists had some salient tips.

“Officiating is a very political game and especially when you’re trying to climb that ladder and you want to reach your goals. That was something that I had to learn,” noted Chaka, whose climb to the NFL began back in 2007.

“When you become a student of the game and you actually really start to apply rules and philosophies, and you watch other officials work and you compliment other officials and you pick up good things that other officials are doing and you start to work them into your repertoire, you really start to understand what it means to be successful and how to grow,” she noted.

“That should be your driving force. (You need) to engage and to ask questions with the higher ups and people that you’re going to these camps and clinics with. That’s how you build genuine relationships because they see your interest in the game.”

Added Kimura, “And being patient in the journey is huge. Like understanding that there are a lot of things we can’t control, but doing our best to go strong with the things that you can control.”

Attaining knowledge of your sport is a vital key.

“I think the more you know the rules the more comfortable you feel on the court, on the field,” suggested Bender. “Going to camps, going to clinics, and taking in as much knowledge as you can is important. It’s going to get easier. It just takes time.

“Remember that some people move faster than others, and I think it’s just as much work and time as you put in will move you up quicker one way or the other.”

As the athletic manager for the city of South Bend, Ind., Parks and Recreation Department, Bender is utilizing this role to start a basketball referee class.

“My goal is to help close the gap on shortage of officials, strongly recruiting females and hoping to be that mentor for them,” she said.

Because the journey often features highs and lows, Dine said, “Don’t ever give up on yourself even when others may give up on you.”

The 2019 Little League World Series home plate umpire and crew chief added, “Failure is simply in teaching terms not trying. Take that idea of failure and erase it from your mind. Because if you stumble all it is is a learning experience. That’s going to help you get better. Just keep pushing.”

Tim Yonke, of North Aurora, Ill., is a freelance writer and award-winning journalist.

The post Doors Opening Wider appeared first on Referee.com.

While the risk of something happening is low, knowing what to do if you are attacked is something that should become second nature for all working officials.

While more than 20 states now have laws that classify sports officials as a protected class under the law, and more states have pending legislation, officials themselves must know what steps to take after they have been assaulted. There are civil and possible criminal law matters that need to be considered and your immediate actions after you’ve been attacked will play a critical role in future legal proceedings.

Escape the Danger Zone

As soon as possible, get yourself to a place where you can gather your wits and be in a defensive position, recommends personal safety expert John Correia, owner and founder of Active Self Protection, whose self-defense videos on YouTube are watched by millions of people around the world every month. If the attack happens in the parking lot or outdoors, a safe place could be your car — lock the doors behind you. There also could be safety in the officials’ locker room if you can get there. You might need to run to a security post or lock yourself in a bathroom. There is also often safety in numbers, so getting to a location with other people or referees might be the best option. If you cannot get to a safe place, try to put a barrier between you and the attacker(s) and try to establish distance while making as much noise as possible to attract the attention of others who may be able to provide assistance.

“Being an official is an honorable thing,” Correia said.

“Unfortunately, you get noticed when things go wrong. So, try to head off things by proactively communicating with teams and coaches throughout the game so they humanize you. Because when people don’t see you as a person, then they are much more apt to do you harm. That’s a part of de-escalation, escape and avoidance; making sure you are more than just a uniform. You’re a person.”

Because officials work in a variety of ever-changing transitional spaces, Correia said it is vital they are always aware of their surroundings. That way, if something happens, they can escape. That includes knowing where exits are in case of an emergency, where security is to deal with problem fans and who oversees the event.

Call the Police

While this might seem obvious, many crimes go unreported, which means there is no official record of what took place. That includes crimes involving assaults on officials. Reporting the crime protects you in any future litigation and allows for the authorities to conduct a proper investigation. While reporting the incident to a school district or the person in charge of the event is fine, when a crime has taken place, you need to take the initiative.

“Generally speaking, whoever calls the police first is the one who is viewed as the victim when the officer shows up on the scene,” Correia said. “So once you’re out of the ‘danger zone,’ immediately get on the phone with 911 and tell them you have been attacked. Hopefully, if you are immobilized after an attack, someone will call on your behalf. Tell the police as much as you can about the person who attacked you.”

It is also important to note that filing a criminal complaint is a necessary first step if you plan on suing your attacker at some point. It is also required for NASO members who are making an insurance claim on the NASO Assault Protection Program. This program provides coverage for certain legal fees, medical expenses and game fee loss resulting from an assault.

However, the opposite is also true. If someone calls the police on you after an altercation, Correia recommends the opposite approach. Tell the police as little as possible until you speak with an attorney.

“The legal system is not built for regular people to navigate,” Correia said. “Thinking that you understand the law is a great way to wind up in jail.”

Identify Witnesses

Depending on where your assault took place, there could be zero to dozens of witnesses. Many assaults on sports officials happen in the moments after the contest ends or during the competition. In these cases, it is likely the assault was witnessed, perhaps by a fellow official. While individuals from the public at large might be reticent about talking to you after seeing what happened, they will often hang around. You should make mental notes so when the police arrive, they can ask for witnesses or approach them. Try to remember identifiable marks on prospective witnesses: gender, race, hairstyle, color of clothes, where they were located at the time the attack took place, etc.

In today’s world, many people are recording confrontations on cellphones. This means someone may have video of the attack. This is something prosecutors can subpoena or your personal attorney can also gather. Also, if the attack happened in a parking lot or inside of a facility, most of these places have surveillance cameras and the police or your attorney may have access to the footage.

Find a Good Lawyer

In the realm of personal injury law, assault is defined as “a purposeful act by one person that creates a fear of imminent harmful or offensive contact in another.” When it is made the subject of a civil case, it is known in legal terminology as an intentional tort.

The findings in a criminal case (a guilty or not guilty verdict, a plea agreement, and any findings of fact) can sometimes be used as evidence in a civil case under a doctrine called collateral estoppel.

“If someone assaults you, it’s almost certainly going to be considered a crime, and chances are the assailant is going to get charged with a criminal offense, especially if you’re cooperative with law enforcement,” said attorney David Berg. “You should wait until the criminal trial is over before filing a civil lawsuit to see what happens in the criminal trial. If a motion (in the civil case) is granted for partial summary judgment to liability, then the only issue you will need to address in the civil case is your damages. You would not need to relitigate the issue of liability, since it’s essentially been established via the criminal conviction.”

The simple fear of harmful or offensive touching is usually enough for an assault to have occurred; if the touching occurs, the physical contact is usually considered a battery in civil law, although both claims are often made together.

While you might think you have an airtight case, remember the person you are suing is going to have an attorney, too, according to Berg. And that attorney will have his or her client’s best interest in mind, not yours.

Those who are NASO members get assistance in locating an attorney in their area who can help with their case. If you are not an NASO member, check for recommendations in your area. Look for an attorney who specializes in personal injury.

Notify Others

Your assigner and conference supervisor should be one of the first people you contact after the police. Assigners can work with the appropriate bodies to make the environment safer for the next officials who will have to work at the site where your attack took place. Notifying your supervisor is also an important protocol if criminal charges are filed or there is a civil suit involved as one of the first questions that will be asked after an assault in the workplace is was your supervisor informed, according to Berg.

Go See A Doctor

If you were physically assaulted — shoved, kicked, punched, etc. — seek the treatment of a medical provider as soon as possible. Your first reaction might be, “I’m OK,” but like people who have been involved in car accidents, the result of the body being traumatized might not show any initial symptoms. Going to a doctor and explaining what happened gives health care providers the information they need to start a physical examination of you, according to personal injury attorney T. J. Grimaldi of Tampa, Fla.
“The first step after any form of assault is to seek medical attention,” Grimaldi said. “Even if you’re unsure about the extent of your wounds. Many problems don’t show immediate symptoms, and you could put your life at risk by avoiding medical care.”

Seek Mental Health Treatment

Your mental health can also be affected after being put through an emotional situation like physical threats or attacks.

Signs that should cause you concern are things like panic attacks, nightmares, an inability to sleep, change of mood or loss of appetite. Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression are also possible results of being attacked. These are serious medical conditions that can be diagnosed and treated only by a mental health professional.

Seth J. Gillihan, Ph.D., is a clinical assistant professor of psychology in the psychiatry department at the University of Pennsylvania. He said talking to someone about the event, like a family member or friend, is a good start.

“Whatever the source, trauma leaves its imprint on the brain,” Gillihan said. “If you find that you’re struggling to recover from your trauma, don’t hesitate to seek professional help.”
Keep a Paper Trail

Start a journal and folder to keep all documents of the incident at hand, Grimaldi recommends. Details should include the time and place of the attack, what was said or done to you and by whom. Include the first time you called the police and if you didn’t call 911 yourself, note who did, and be sure to get a copy of the police report, including the report number.

If you were physically assaulted, document your injuries with photographs and/or video. This will provide evidence in both your criminal and civil cases. Find someone who has a good camera and ask him or her to take the photographs for you. This provides an additional witness to the injuries you incurred. Try to get these images as soon as possible after the attack and you can continue to take these images in the days and weeks ahead to show how long it took to heal from your attack.

“After creating written and visual documents on the assault, you can return to these notes when you meet with police and prosecutors,” Grimaldi said. “The written record reduces the likelihood that you won’t remember a key detail or convince yourself that the situation was different than you thought.”

When corresponding with your assigner or the person at the school who you first notified about the attack, do it via certified mail. Copy and keep all future corresponding material with all parties involved related to the incident. If you were treated at a medical facility, keep all medical bills and insurance claims.

Social Media

Do not talk about your case on social media. The more details you give, the more the attorneys involved in your case will use it against you. Media silence is the best policy.
Be Persistent

Remember you are not only standing up for yourself, you are standing up for the entire officiating community. You want to create a safer environment for the next woman or man who is assigned a game at the location of your attack.

You might be pressured to drop the charges or the pending litigation. That is a personal choice. However, remember the decisions you make about your case will have ramifications for other officials as well. All officials have a right to work in a safe environment. Pursuing legal action will help ensure everyone who dons the stripes in the future does so in a safe setting.

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The project began as an effort by NASO to explore how data might be used to improve the officiating industry. It was intended to be a project that cracked the door open to data collection and hinted at what information might be discovered.

However, as fate would have it, the officiating world did not want the door to be subtly cracked open. Officials are ready to have their voices heard, not just in the future, but now.

And now, NASO is ready to reveal collected data to the officiating community with meaningful visuals. As might be imagined, the door that has been swung open through this survey will provide the opportunity to explore many officiating topics for a long time to come.

The charts above show the average ages of officials in each sport. The line across the inside of each box shows the median age of officials in that sport. The box represents the range of ages of the middle 50% of the officials in each sport with the upper and lower hinges showing the upper and lower age limits of that middle 50%. The fact that some officials are significantly younger than most of the officials in a sport, or outliers, explains why the mean age is lower than the median age.

Note: The mean age is the sum of all of the participants’ ages divided by the number of respondents that answered this question. The median age is the middle value of all of the ages when the ages are put in order from youngest to oldest.

Important note: When officials are filtered by gender, ethnicity or age, the trends in responses remain very similar. This means that officials as a whole, no matter what group they might be categorized into, have similar views on what types of action should be taken to incorporate more officials from underrepresented groups into the officiating ranks.

With 57.02% of respondents feeling sportsmanship is getting worse, we have a clear indication that action must be taken to improve sportsmanship. Unfortunately, even among the 57.02% that feel sportsmanship is getting worse, a substantial percentage heckle (14.61%) and publicly criticize (11.13%) other officials.

The chart shows the ages and years at which officials began officiating. The colors indicate how many officials joined the ranks at each age and year intersection. The red shows the lowest concentration of officials, with orange, yellow, light green and dark green each incrementally showing higher concentrations. This chart tells a story with the clear pattern of higher concentrations of officials starting the avocation at older ages with the advancing years.

Visit NASO National Officiating Survey Website

The National Sports Officiating Survey was made possible by the National Association of Sports Officials and sponsored by Peopletrail.

Special thanks to Continuus Technologies for providing technical support, and to  ArbiterSports and the National Federation of State High School Associations, along with the dozens of state high school associations, sports governing bodies, college conferences, leagues and associations for their efforts in distributing the survey.

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Milan High School, enrollment 161, defeated the favored Bearcats of Muncie Central, 32-30, to win the 1954 Indiana state basketball championship. Plump’s shot with three seconds left cemented the Milan Indians’ place in Indiana basketball history. No school its size had ever won the state title before that March 20 game and no school that small ever would again. The Indians’ feat became known as the “Miracle of Milan” and was later the inspiration for the 1986 movie Hoosiers.

Following the 1954 championship game, veteran referees Cyril “Cy” Birge and Marvin Todd had no idea how significant the last-second upset they had just officiated was or would become to Indiana basketball and the state. “When the game was over, of course, we went straight to our dressing room, which was underneath Butler Fieldhouse (now Hinkle Fieldhouse),” said Birge, 88, from his home in Jasper, Ind. “We could hear them celebrating up above. We knew a big school got beat by a small school, but we didn’t think anything of it. That happens every once in a while. We just got dressed and went home. Then later on it mushroomed. People still talk about it yet and how many years has it been?”

It’s been 50 years since those two veteran referees patrolled the biggest upset in Indiana history. Todd, who passed away several years ago, was a longtime high school basketball official from Fort Wayne, Ind. Birge officiated basketball 34 years as a high school referee and worked as a college official from 1941 to 1970, including nine years in the Big 10. Both officials had twice been assigned to state prior to 1954.

“I worked some big games in the Big 10, but it’s not nearly like high school. College just doesn’t have that high school hysteria,” said Birge, who was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995 for his efforts as a Jasper player and noted referee. For the Milan-Muncie championship match-up, “Hoosier Hysteria” was at an all-time high as 14,000-plus fans packed into Butler Fieldhouse, and tickets were being scalped for up to $50.

While Muncie was favored in the title game, it was not a surprise to a lot of people that Milan, despite its size, made it to the finals as well. Milan entered the postseason with a 19-2 regular-season record and made it to the semifinals the year before, losing to South Bend Central. Under the leadership of Coach Marvin Wood, 26 years old at the time, Milan won its first eight games in the 1954 tournament by at least eight points before facing Muncie.

Indiana high school basketball at the time was known for its “racehorse” style, pushing the ball up and down the floor, but Birge recalls much of the opposite for the 1954 title game. The game was a slow-down “cat and mouse” affair, with Milan spreading their offense and stalling for long periods of time, especially in the second half.

“The tension was there, but as far as up and down the floor, we didn’t have to run nearly as much as we were used to,” said Birge. “But the tension was there even moreso, I guess, because it was something we didn’t do that often. It was unexpected, but that was Milan’s only way of staying close.”

Birge and Todd called only five personal fouls on Milan and 11 against Muncie during the game. And there were seven turnovers, three against Milan and four against Muncie. Offensively, Milan only took 29 shots in the game, hitting 10. Muncie attempted 42 shots and made 11.

“A lot of people thought that it was an easy game to officiate because of the low score,” Birge said. “But it wasn’t. There was mental pressure all the time that you were going to miss something, that your attention might get lax because of the slow game.”

Birge and Todd made the adjustments they needed to call the game, and later found out that they made some history of their own that day. They received a letter a week after the game, stating that for the first time ever, not a single complaint about the officiating was filed in the Indiana High School Athletic Association office after the finals. With the eyes of most of Indiana fixated to the ballgame and its slow-down nature, every call was likely magnified more than in most games, making the absence of complaints even more significant.

Milan led, 23-17, at halftime, but Muncie came back and tied the game, 26-26, by the end of the third quarter. Early in the fourth, Muncie hit two free throws to pull ahead. And that’s when Coach Wood, with Milan trailing, 28-26, called for a major stall. Milan’s Plump literally held onto the ball, without moving, for four minutes and 13 seconds at center court.

“You had to be alert, but then you got to thinking, ‘Did he dribble or didn’t he?’” said Birge. “Because if he did, then he couldn’t dribble anymore on a double dribble.”

Ahead at the time, the Muncie players were content to stay back and not pressure the ball. Plump eventually took a shot and missed with a few minutes left in the game. Muncie got the rebound but turned the ball over and Milan’s Ray Craft made a basket to even the score at 28-28 with 2:12 remaining. Both teams scored once more to knot the score at 30-30.

Milan then had the ball with less than a minute remaining and Plump held the ball again, letting the clock wind down. With 18 seconds left, Milan called a timeout to set up a final shot.

That’s the part in the Hoosiers movie where fiction dissolves into fact, according to Birge. Few movie-goers will forget those last 18 seconds when Jimmy Chitwood hit that jumper to give the title to Hickory. Just as Birge won’t forget those final seconds in 1954 when Plump held the ball at the top of the key, made his move and hit the “shot heard ’round the world,” giving the state title to the underdog Milan Indians.

“When Bobby had taken the ball, he hadn’t dribbled yet, and someone said he traveled,” said Birge. “But he didn’t come close to traveling. He just took a long step as he dropped the ball. That’s when he took a couple of dribbles over to the side and then shot.

“I was under the basket when the ball came through. The ball hit the floor, Muncie picked it up and the gun went off. They didn’t even have time to throw it in. It was that close.”

Plump’s game-winning shot put small-town Milan on the map. The Milan Indians’ upset victory is still heralded as “the greatest sports story in Indiana history.” And Birge feels proud to have been a part of it.

“You’re never going to have that happen again,” said Birge, “because you’ve got four different classes here now. The bigger schools don’t play the little schools anymore. Looking back, I can see just how big it was.”

Longtime Indiana basketball referee Cy Birge makes a call early in the historic “Miracle of Milan” state high school championship game in 1954. That game served as the basis for the much-loved film Hoosiers.

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I was officiating with a rookie partner (who had great potential) on a middle school championship basketball game. Perfect pairing of referees — the up-and-coming new official partnered with the varsity veteran, working a big game as eighth grade girls sought to be crowned the ultimate winners of their league.

One coach had been with his squad a very short time and took them quickly to this new height.

The other coach was a longtime seasoned veteran, having been with his school for more than 20-plus years.

One little catch. That veteran coach was also a lifelong basketball and football official, who also happened to be my association’s supervisor of referees.

The game was close. Since my partner was pretty raw, I expected some possible issues from the newbie coach during the game, as everyone knew the opposing coach might think he had an “in” with the very officials he placed on this contest. Instead, the very opposite happened.

I was challenged from the second quarter onward by my supervisor, who decided to make this some odd sort of officiating clinic for me. I was nervous enough already, working a game my boss was coaching, and working with a first-year official who was being provided his own set of concerns from the get-go.

Rules were being questioned by my boss. My partner’s actions were brought up to me via this coach’s conversations. Then the coach harangued me about the other team reaching in the late third quarter, and he asked a trick question and I fell into his trap.

“Are you gonna call them for reaching or no?” he questioned.

I was frustrated. How could my own assigner, a basketball official his entire life, be treating me like this?!?

“No!” I responded. I regretted saying it immediately.

“Timeout!” he said. I granted the request.

In the huddle, loud enough for everyone to hear, the coach/my referee supervisor says, “OK girls, go ahead and reach all you want, the ref said he won’t call it!”

And he owned me.

I didn’t T him. I didn’t call the coaches together to chastise his behavior, I didn’t warn him, or any of the other solutions that came to me that night, well after the contest.

“In Kentucky, we always say folks like to wear a lot of hats, and sometimes those hats are hard to take off,” said Chad Collins, who is well aware of that. He is a longtime soccer coach (he guides U-11 girls) and is not only a collegiate soccer official, but is the state administrator for all soccer referees. You don’t get certified in Kentucky without Collins’ approval.

My supervisor couldn’t just wear his coaching hat during that game. I left the court frustrated and angry and so upset with myself. I did a horrible job for my partner (who ended up quitting just a year later), I did a lousy job for those kids, and worst of all, I didn’t treat one coach as fairly as his counterpart across the table.

Collins understands the challenge. “I know dozens of coaches who officiate who are a model of sportsmanship on both sides of the whistle, but it’s the few who cross that line or use their titles to their advantage that make it difficult across the board,” he said.

I know I mentioned a dichotomy of opinion, however, and in researching this article, found it rather quickly.

For all of the personal stories of coaches and officials who crossed the line, there were some administrators who felt this should be a non-starter. Bob Gardner is the executive director for the NFHS. His instinctive reaction was this: “I really don’t feel this has any bearing on either coach or official,” he said. “Each game is unique and it unfolds as it does. I think this is way overanalyzing something that is not an issue. We should be disgusted by all coaches who act out.”

Gardner has seen it all in his many years of sport service. He has been involved in high school athletics as a teacher, coach, athletic director and administrator.

“My perception is that as a general rule, coaches who officiate do it well,” he said. “They understand the importance of being in position and working hard.”

Collins agrees with the essence of that statement, saying, “I agree, and I think it puts everybody in an interesting situation. Coaches who are also referees know the line and when they cross it … they are very aware, since they know the rules better than most. But I’ve seen many examples of coaches who also officiate who routinely cross the line.”

“It’s impossible to take off one hat for another completely. In my case, I hold myself to a higher standard.”

— Joan Powell

Joan Powell has 40 years experience as a volleyball official, has coached, and is also an administrator as the five-term president of the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO). She’s not only seen it all, she is the one taking the phone calls.

“There is a brotherhood/sisterhood among officials,” Powell said. “Those who wear both hats know what it is like to work in both arenas. Because those coaches who also officiate have felt the wrath of any angry coach, you would think they would empathize with their brothers or sisters. But, for some reason, we have coaches who puff up and take officials on because they want to show up the officials with their knowledge.”

That’s certainly not the expectation. Across the board, everyone contacted for this article agreed with Powell’s initial observation: “The expectation should be one of respect — shown by both parties — especially those who coach with an officiating background.”

Indeed, many coaches turn to officiating in order to help their coaching abilities. Russ Wilcox is the girls’ basketball coach at Woodsville (Vt.) High School. As a JV coach he wanted to learn more about the game, so he traveled some distance to complete an eight-class course in 2000 to certify as an official. He followed that up with some oncourt whistle blowing for some JV games until he decided to devote himself full-time to coaching.

Twelve years later, after achieving his head coaching dreams in Woodsville, he retook the course and hit the hardwood in stripes. Speaking to the Valley News, Wilcox said it was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

“It immediately makes you a better coach,” Wilcox declared, after officiating a boys’ basketball game in Vermont. “You understand what the officials are looking at. Instead of focusing all my negative attention on the officials, I focus my positive energy on my team.”

“Often in conversation with an official I am able to ask questions which make them think and realize that I know their trade.”

— Todd Jahns

Again, there’s that ideal. Todd Jahns, who is the boys’ basketball coach at Kettle Moraine Lutheran (Jackson, Wis.) High School, has been coaching for 28 years, but has been officiating even longer, tackling Little League games since the age of 16 (way back in 1982).

“I do feel I need to hold myself to a higher standard as a coach because I officiate,” he said. “As a coach who officiates I would never berate, yell at, or try to show up an official — one, because it lacks professionalism and, two, it does no good.”

The brotherhood of officials isn’t lost on Jahns. “I see many of the officials I work with in the sports I officiate, and if I were a coach that antagonized and yelled at officials, it would be tough to work with and be in partnership with those officials later on the field,” he said.

Jahns has officiated across the spectrum, beginning with baseball and softball, before ending up on a football crew, together since 1992. They have worked three Wisconsin high school state championship games, and their bond goes deeper than that of many family units. While that makes Jahns a better coach, it also gives him the insight on how to ask questions of an official that lets the referee know Jahns is no cuckoo coach just looking for a leg up with the whistle.

“I recognize more quickly if an official is mechanically sound, in position, knows the rules,” he said. “Often in conversation with an official I am able to ask questions which make them think and realize that I know their trade.”

Unfortunately, at times, Powell noted, that knowledge can also lead a coach to let the official know in no uncertain terms about their personal experience on the court — and use that power structure to try and intimidate or sway the referee on their game. It can be quite intimidating for a fourth-year person working as a down official when the coach is a longtime national volleyball referee who has worked many major college games.

Most officials can withstand the questioning (or arguing) of a judgment call, but when the coach stands and informs the official that a rule has been clearly missed, and the coach knows that because they practically wrote the rule, it can put any official on wobbly knees for the rest of the game. Very recently, Collins faced that option.

“I had two games this past weekend, both where we could have protested and had it upheld,” Collins said. “In the first, we had a penalty kick called for us, shot was made, but the defensive team came into the area before the ball hit the net. The rules are pretty clear — the action continues if a goal is made, and the penalty is called if the penalty kick is missed. In this case, the referee penalized the defense and insisted on a re-kick. When questioned, the referee said it’s a new rule. I said, ‘It’s a new rule since the game just began?’ Naturally we missed the replayed kick.”

His second game went even worse. “One of the other players punched another girl,” he said. “This is U-11 soccer, so it’s surprising for it to happen, for a girl to just wind up and punch another girl. Easy call. The referee stopped the game, but only issued a yellow card! His response was, ‘They’re kids.’ Of course, to me as an official, I thought, ‘That’s why it should be a red — to teach them the proper rulings now.’ Luckily the other coach sat the young lady, which was great sportsmanship and let me know that kid was in good shape.”

Collins could easily have pulled the “I’m an official” card right then and there. Instead, he used his knowledge and station as the NFHS Soccer Rules Committee chair to promote the correct set of steps to follow once the games were complete, following the protocols so the officials would learn from their mistakes.

Remember Gardner’s words? “We should be disgusted by all coaches who act out.”

Collins had the opportunity and the means and didn’t act upon it.

Jahns has had such opportunities as well and instead turns within, asking only the right questions to let the official know he is a knowledgeable coach, without trying to pull the “I wear stripes” card.

Powell, too, has held herself to a higher standard, concerned about upsetting the reputation of all officials placed in a position of authority as a coach.

“I would hope that (all) coaches feel they are held to a higher standard — forgiving the errors of your players and officials — unless it becomes habitual and unfair,” she said. “I never received a yellow card in 32 years of coaching, because I held myself to a higher standard.”

Still, it happens, all too often.

Collins has removed himself from officiating any games involving a certain collegiate coach because of the way that coach acts during games, making certain all the officials on his games are aware that he is also a high-level referee.

While my supervisor and I are now partners, as he has become my mentor of more than 20 years, the game he “worked me” described earlier still sticks in my craw to this day.

It wasn’t so much his actions that upset me, as much as how I allowed the stripes hidden underneath his coaching jacket to intimidate me on the court. I imagine the feeling goes both ways, when a coach sees another coach in stripes on their game, knowing full well they’ll likely see each other over a plate of chicken wings in the near future, discussing coaching strategy.

“I think it puts everybody in an interesting position,” Collins said. “It’s impossible to take off one hat for another completely. In my case, I hold myself to a higher standard, so I’m never going to come unglued on the pitch, but it doesn’t mean I’m not going to have a difficult discussion with a referee. I just have to hold myself to a higher standard.”

The ego is a powerful thing. Many a coach is known for lacking impulse control when it comes to arguing a call, but when you add ego to the mix? The normal “you missed that one!” can quickly become “I’m a better coach than you and I’m a better official than you!” Now the quandary is in place — if it’s just a coach popping off, we are trained to control the bench (while still allowing for the emotions of the game to come through within reason).

What do you do if it’s a fellow brother or sister in blue or stripes? Especially if it’s someone with more experience than you, or in my case, a mentor and supervisor.

That’s when we have to check our own egos, because the situation can go either way, from “You are not better than me!” to “Oh my gosh, he’s so much better than I am, I can’t throw him out, he probably got the play right.”

It comes down to this: When you are a coach, you have one job. It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor in real life, or a cop, or a fireman. Unless there’s a need for CPR, crime stopping, or fire prevention, you are just a coach. Keep your discussions to the game at hand, to the play, to your team.

And vice-versa. If you’re an official who has had wings with the coach as an officials association member in the past, everything up to that play is history. Forgotten. You also have one job — apply the rules, control the benches and players, and most of all, yourself.

The ego goes in your back pocket. Past history or other “hats” you might wear stay in the car. Do your job no matter who is in front of you. Do it the same way every time.

Who can argue against that?

Not the coach, not your supervisor, and certainly not the person in the mirror. No matter what hat that person is wearing.

The post Officials Who Coach appeared first on Referee.com.

Chances are, your dressing facilities were spartan at best — if they existed at all. Officials working in the COVID-19 era should be prepared for a return to their roots as schools and governing bodies create new protocols in an effort to minimize risks to athletes, coaches, spectators and officials.

NASO has released a 13-point plan entitled “Getting Back to Officiating Sensibly” which provides reminders for officials who choose to work during the
pandemic. It can be found at NASO.org.

What follows are suggestions for officials who are working in environments that may lack dressing facilities or other amenities they may be used to.

Be aware that state and local regulations regarding social distancing, the number of people permitted at an event and the use of masks, etc., will vary from one jurisdiction to another. Officials should be aware of the restrictions that apply in the locale in which they are working.

Have your PREGAME MEETING IN ADVANCE, via Zoom or some other means. If your crew members are traveling separately, arrange to park near, preferably adjacent to, each other.

COME TO THE GAME DRESSED IN YOUR UNIFORM. In many places, there won’t be the usual access to changing facilities.

You’re likely better off LEAVING PERSONAL ITEMS IN YOUR CAR instead of taking them with you to the field or court.

If there is time for a pregame conference on site, KEEP IT SHORT and hold it away from areas where players are warming up.

If you have a bag with you, STAKE OUT AN AREA where you and your partners can get to them if you need them, but where they won’t get mixed up with similar bags belonging to players and coaches.

BRING YOUR OWN WATER or other drink with you.

The pregame meeting with coaches and captains should be limited to ONE CAPTAIN FROM EACH TEAM.

MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING when possible. It may be permitted to adjust your mechanics as much as possible while still officiating the contest properly.

AVOID HANDLING PLAYER EQUIPMENT such as bats and catchers’ masks unless the equipment becomes a hazard. Since you probably won’t have a place to change,

BRING ALONG A JACKET or something you can quickly throw over your uniform for a more discreet exit. In fact, it might be a good idea to linger even less than usual after the game, especially if there were controversial calls.

The post Return To Play appeared first on Referee.com.

ll sports officials are potential targets for criticism. When we don a striped shirt and pick up a whistle, we understand criticism comes with the job. “Call it the same both ways,” is a common refrain. “That was horrible,” is another. Sometimes the remarks get pointed and personal; someone will tell us, “You are an absolute disgrace.” We hear the comments, do our best to ignore them and soldier on. But when do the comments and criticisms become something more, something potentially dangerous? Is it when someone follows us to the parking lot and berates us? Is it when someone in a near-empty gym yells, “I ought to kick your ass”?

Over the past several decades some states have enacted legislation dealing with the physical assault of officials, but legislative threats to deal with verbal intimidation have largely been lacking, unless that intimidation is coupled to physical assault.

However, that mindset is starting to change. Lawmakers in several states are wrestling with the question and considering legislation that would make it illegal to harass sports officials on the youth through college level.

One state has already enacted such legislation. In June 2019, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill into law that specifically addressed the harassment of sports officials. The new law took effect in August that same year. It defines harassment as “verbal or non-verbal behavior by the offender that would cause a reasonable person to be placed in fear of receiving bodily harm.” The maximum penalties include a fine of $500 and up to 90 days in jail. In addition, an offender must perform 40 hours of community service work and participate in a court-monitored anger management or similar program.

State Sen. Cameron Henry (R-9) brought the bill to the floor in the Louisiana Senate. In remarks to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) he made it clear the measure was not an attempt to stifle criticism of officials.

“This bill isn’t to prevent a parent to express concerns about a call they feel is wrong or invalid,” he said. “We understand a parent will always protect their child and express concern if they feel their kid has been robbed of a play or an opportunity to win the game. The problem begins when the concern turns into a threat of violence and could jeopardize the safety of the officials or others.”

Paul LaRosa, president of the Louisiana High School Officials Association, says the organization joined forces with the LHSAA to build support for the measure among lawmakers. Concerns about sportsmanship fueled the effort. LaRosa said there were concerns about problems at youth/rec league events.

“There were a growing number of incidents where parents and fans at kids’ games were engaging in inappropriate behavior,” he began, “that caused officials and other parents to say, ‘This is out of control.’”

Legislation like the Louisiana statute has been proposed, and in some cases introduced, in several other states. While the language of each measure varies, the intent is similar: to offer officials protection against those who might threaten them or their families, while at the same time making a distinction between what is constitutionally protected free speech and what is not.

In general legal terms, harassment is defined as a verbal encounter or confrontation as opposed to assault, which involves a physical confrontation or an attempted one.

The Wisconsin legislature considered a bill that would make harassing sports officials a crime punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and up to nine months in jail. However, it failed to pass.

In January, a bill was introduced in the Kentucky state House that would classify the intimidation of a sports official as a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail. It passed 92-4 in the House, but failed to get out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The bill said a person is guilty of intimidation of a sports official when they, directly or indirectly, make any threat to a sports official “with the intent of causing them to commit, make or delay any act, decision or determination regarding a sports contest.”

The same legislation would also have made assault of a sports official a Class A felony, as opposed to a misdemeanor, with a maximum penalty of one to five years in state prison.

The Hawaii legislature is considering revisions to the state’s assault statutes that specifically prohibit the assault of someone acting as a sports official and terroristic threats against an official; terroristic threat being defined as a threat to cause bodily harm. The latter would be considered a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.As of this writing, the measure was being considered by that body’s Judiciary Committee.

The measures being debated in the various venues have received some bipartisan support from legislators. The final version of the Louisiana bill passed unanimously in the state Senate and garnered only a single negative vote in the House.

In Pennsylvania, State Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik (D-45) found several co-sponsors for a bill that would address the harassment of officials that she plans on introducing in the fall session. Rep. Kulik represents a district in suburban Pittsburgh. Her proposed bill would amend a section of the Pennsylvania Crimes Code to include a section pertaining to the harassment of sports officials. Sports officials would be defined as not just a game official but also table personnel, a game manager, athletic director or anyone else responsible for enforcing rules and regulations at an athletic event.

Kulik is intimately familiar with the harassment issue; she is married to a longtime football official who at one time also was an assigner. Her son also officiated football for a time.

She assisted her husband with the logistics of assigning until she was elected to the Pennsylvania House in 2016 and no longer had the time to do so. Following her election, her husband gave up his assigning duties.

“I have talked to many sports officials,” Kulik said. “I have seen them physically assaulted. I’ve seen a lot of situations and heard of a lot of situations where sports officials have been harassed.”

Like LaRosa, Kulik is particularly concerned with how incidents of harassment of officials impact the participants in the games in which they occur.
“Most of the games have children involved,” she points out. “And we’re teaching our children that it’s OK to blame the referee, yell at the referee, harass the referee.”

Kulik emphasizes she is not trying to place restrictions on free speech.

“You’re still going to be able to sit in the stands and say, ‘Hey ref, that was a bum call,’ or, ‘Hey ref, get a pair of glasses.’ Nobody is taking your right of free speech away from you,” she said. “Our aim is to prevent somebody from following an official to the car after the game and verbally harassing them.”

She added the sports environment must get to the point where officials are not being threatened with violence, verbally harassed incessantly or having police escorts to cars because someone is threatening them. Kulik’s proposed legislation is a long way from becoming a reality and bills formally introduced around the country must be navigated through the legislative labyrinth in each state.

But the new law now in place in Louisiana has had an impact and has resulted in a new protocol for high school officials in the state. LaRosa says the idea is to head off potentially volatile situations before they reach a flashpoint.

“The bill, in our minds, created more of a responsibility for our officials to be professional and to do certain things to avoid situations where this law would come into play,” LaRosa said. “So, what we instituted was a more rigorous process of pregame administrative meetings with the administrative people at games, where everyone understood who is responsible for what, security, etc. That is something that we were probably a little lax on in the past. We really emphasize the importance of our officials meeting with the right people before the game and making sure everyone understood their responsibilities, specifically for security. I think the bill helped us sell that to our officials. Everyone understands we’ve got something on our books now where people can actually be arrested and no one wants that.”

Areas of concern still remain. In 2013, two members of LaRosa’s local association requested assistance from a law enforcement officer to deal with a crowd-control situation on the sideline — and wound up being arrested themselves (12/13 Referee). Since then, LaRosa has made it a point to let game administrators address any onfield event that occurs outside the team boxes.

Then there is the question about how security issues after a game should be addressed.
“We had a crew of officials go to their cars,” LaRosa began. “There was a security guy available. They got to their cars outside the gates getting ready to leave and a guy shows up and he is threatening to blow my brains out. As officials, how do we manage that situation? We still have this issue of what’s appropriate security for officials. When does it start? When does it end? We’re still kind of struggling with that piece.”

That struggle LaRosa describes is ongoing. The issue of verbal harassment/threats toward officials is not going away anytime soon. Some of the bills now being considered may become law. Others will die in their respective state legislatures. The fact these types of bills are being introduced is a reminder that these types of threats do happen, but having them debated is an encouraging sign that there are individuals within and outside the officiating industry willing to stand up and say, “These kinds of comments will not be tolerated.”

A Societal problem

The concept of dealing with threatening speech, i.e. harassment via legal statute, is a concept NASO Founder and President Barry Mano says is a recent phenomenon.

“The harassment thing was brought to us,” he said. “It’s not something that we went out and tried to export. It was really imported.” Louisiana was the first state to address it with legislation and then other states made similar efforts.

“I know that Wisconsin got involved and so that really brought us into the mix because we’re here in Wisconsin,” Mano said. “I think it’s coming out of the reality that sports fans are engaging in more harassment of sports officials, especially at the youth level, and also in some measure at the high school level.”

Mano believes the increase in harassment incidents is due in part to societal issues.
“I think we’re brash or louder than we have been historically,” he said, “and I think we have a developing disdain for authority figures, so referees get swept up in that.”
Mano believes the increasing use of video review is a factor as well. “The use of that technology at the upper levels has the unintended consequence at lower levels of people wanting to have what they feel is an incorrect call redressed,” he said. “We see that, we hear that.”

Paul LaRosa, who heads the Louisiana High School Officials Association, says verbal abuse of officials throughout the state increased in the aftermath of the controversial non-call near the conclusion of the 2018 NFC Championship Game that fans believed cost the New Orleans Saints a Super Bowl trip.

“If they were going to a basketball or baseball game, they were going to take out their frustration on the officials,” he said. “I don’t know if I can point to any single thing beyond that. It just seems like there was this growing mentality that people feel, ‘I have the right to express my opinion.’ Which is OK, but now it’s following people to cars and threatening to kick their butts. That’s not OK.”

The post Harassment Halt appeared first on Referee.com.

Palumb flew into Fort Wayne, Ind., on Thursday, March 14, not knowing how his weekend would turn out. He was selected as one of the officials to work the D-III Final Four, either the semis Friday night or the championship Saturday night. But he also wanted to officiate the elite lacrosse game Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.

Jim Haney, the NCAA D-III men’s basketball national coordinator of officials. was sympathetic. “We gave him the option to work Friday night in the semis.”

Fate would make the decision.

“It would have been good to work Friday night, then head over Saturday to Columbus for the lacrosse game,” Palumb said, “but due to the storm, the lacrosse game got canceled because the Denver team couldn’t get a flight out.” The flexibility offered by Haney demonstrates the nature of how D-III athletics funnels down to officiating, offering opportunities and working with the officials to develop their careers while balancing other life issues.

It’s the big time. It’s just not on TV. The games have the intensity you’d expect in a Duke-North Carolina matchup, but the players are not as big or tall, and the crowds a bit smaller. That doesn’t stop the coaches, players or officials from enjoying reaching the Final Four, a goal regardless of whether it’s D-I, D-II or D-III.

Thursday Night Lights

The officials selected to work the D-III Final Four arrived in Fort Wayne by car and plane the afternoon of March 14, were greeted by Haney, and then given the weekend’s itinerary. First stop after catching some zzzzz’s or handling remote work from their hotel room was a Thursday night social to meet their fellow officials, and then hear an opening prep from Haney.

They hailed from across the United States: Kyle Bowen, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Jimmy Googas, Slingerlands, N.Y.; Reece King, Lynnwood, Wash.; Jake Linder, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Tony Meeks, Suitland, Md.; Mike Palau, Whitestone, N.Y.; Palumb; Tim Smith, Hoboken, N.J.; Shane Staggs, Paoli, Ind.; and Bryan Washer, Radcliff, N.Y.

King had the longest haul to Fort Wayne, taking the red-eye from Seattle to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on Wednesday night, then a 7 a.m. flight to Fort Wayne on Thursday morning.

His D-III journey started with a game between Pomona-Pitzer and Texas-Dallas two weeks prior at Whitman College in eastern Washington, a four-and-a-half hour drive from his home. About an hour before the game, while driving to the arena, he hit a large bird without knowing it. It was only afterward that he found it splayed into the front grill of his car. “I drove all the way home with it there,” he said with a laugh.

King is used to long travels. He also officiates D-II, and that takes him to Alaska and Canada, along with lengthy drives through Washington, Oregon and Idaho. “The conference pays for flights when you go to the schools farther away,” he said.

The hard part for King at the Final Four, he said, was getting used to the three-hour time difference (Fort Wayne is on East Coast time). “I lived in Chicago, so I’m used to coming back, but it’s an extra hour time difference,” he said.

Haney opened the Thursday evening preparation session with the 10 officials, congratulating them on representing the class of 2019 and cautioning them, “Be careful who you associate with while you’re here. Be careful on social media. It can come back to haunt you at the worst possible time.”

There is a skybox dedicated just for officials in the Fort Wayne arena. When not on the court, it serves as their home away from home, designed to keep them away from any fans or outside interactions. With 12 cushioned seats, the suite “is for us, no friends, no family,” Haney said. “You’re representing all of us,” he said of the dress code.

“Postgame is back here,” Haney said of the prep room in the Holiday Inn Express across the street from the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. “When it’s time to work, we’ll work. When it’s time to play, we’ll play. We want this to be about the experience, not just about work. We want you to enjoy the experience from start to finish and be ambassadors for the 2020 class of officials, telling them how great it was.”

Three officials in the room headed into this Final Four after experiencing their own high a few days earlier, working the NAIA D-II championship game in Sioux Falls, S.D.: Bowen, Washer and King.

Before discussing the selection process, Haney had a short story to tell about his daughter coming to a game with him that he was scheduled to officiate at St. John’s University, when Mike Jarvis was coaching. Jarvis, who coached at several D-I schools, told Haney’s daughter, “I’ll sit you here behind the bench. I won’t yell at your dad. He’s a good ref, but I can’t promise you I won’t yell at the other two guys.”

The room laughed at Haney’s recollection, before he weighed in on the selection process. Based on location, he looked for neutrality. In other words, if officials had seen any of the schools at the Final Four, he looked for officials who had not worked their games.

Supervisors and observers also play a big role in the process. League supervisors must be on board with where officiating is headed in D-III as a whole, both when it comes to rules enforcement and helping officials improve.

The “10 Best”

Haney opened Friday morning again congratulating the officials as the “10 best. Take full advantage of this opportunity.”

He went through logistical issues, including precision timing. Seven of the nine game officials had used it (Googas and King had not), and Haney gave a quick tutorial to them: “Just referee the game. Don’t be concerned about the battery pack. We have backup.”

After handing out the assignments, Haney coached his officiating team to focus its attention for maximum impact in the upcoming games. Staggs was the R in game one, Christopher Newport vs. Swarthmore, with Bowen as U1 and Washer as U2. Palumb was the R in game two, Wisconsin-Oshkosh vs. Wheaton, with Meeks as U1 and Googas as U2. For the championship game Saturday evening, King served as the R, with Palau as U1 and Smith as U2.

The first crew grabbed a shuttle Friday at 4:15 p.m. for the 6 p.m. tipoff. Haney wanted the crews there an hour-and-a-half before game time. He went through logistics on the national anthem, timing and where the teams will stand.

There would be two-minute timeouts, and Haney told the officials to use that time wisely. With the ability to go to the TV monitor, he explained that when ruling on the restricted arc on a block to make sure to point to the arc for emphasis, “so you can go to the monitor.” He reminded Linder that part of his task as the alternate for all three games was to monitor this (see sidebar on pg. 24).

“The expectations are that you’re here for a reason. It’s not a different game, just a different venue,” Haney said.

Six Focus Areas

Six key areas were covered by Haney as he prepared his crews for Friday night.

Focus on four minutes at a time. Control each four-minute segment. Adjust. Timeouts will be two minutes, so you’ll have time to talk then.

Call the rules as written. Use the videos created by J.D. Collins, the NCAA national coordinator of D-I men’s basketball of officiating, as a guide on what to call. “You’ve done this all year long,” Haney said. “We will decide how they play, they will adjust. I don’t want to see anything different from how you’ve been calling it throughout the season. They know what’s coming.”

Deal with the coaches. Don’t let an unsporting act go by without at least a warning to the coach or player involved. Recognize bad behavior. Don’t allow coaches to run up and down the sidelines. Enforce the coaching box. Enforce the bench standing on every play. “We will have a dialogue with coaches and listen,” Haney said. “We won’t ignore them. But we won’t have a dialogue on every play.”

Trouble spots. “We will have post play,” he continued. “Don’t allow the defense to use physicality to their advantage. Pick it up early. Call the first foul, whether that’s on the offensive player warding off or the defender holding. Incorrect calls are when we’re not getting the first foul.”

Screens and cutters. The guards tend to run their defender through screeners. Pay attention to the screen and its legality and what the defenders are doing to the cutters. “If he’s knocking him off his path, it’s a foul,” Haney said. “If the defender runs through the screener, it’s a foul.”

Rebounding. The trail and center must be involved and step down. Watch the second lane space during free throws for the player pushing down. Get wide.

“Do your third. If everyone does their third, the games will go well,” Haney encouraged the crews. “Most importantly, remember you are under the microscope. Have fun. It’s OK to smile. You deserve to be here. Be proud of your effort. I’ll be proud of you. You may never have this opportunity again. I never did. I’m living it through you guys. Be ambassadors for next year.”

NAIA D-II Redux?

Just a few days earlier, Bowen, Washer and King had officiated the NAIA D-II championship game in Sioux Falls, S.D. From there, it was quickly head home, then off to Fort Wayne. “It’s been a whirlwind. You don’t expect the opportunity, and to get both so close together has been amazing,” Bowen said.

At Sioux Falls, the officials got great support from staff similar to the D-III experience. “We were told just to go out and officiate, and that’s what we got here, too. We got to enjoy a couple of cold ones afterwards and get to enjoy the experience,” he said.

At both locations, Bowen and the other officials must meet, get to know each other and then work games with new officials. It’s a challenge. “This time of year, I call it developing blind trust,” Bowen said. “You may know the guys or not. When you step on the court, they’re my brothers. The NAIA was run and gun. The D-III is also a running game, but they run more of their own set plays.”

After his semifinal, won by Swarthmore over Christopher Newport, 70-63, Bowen said the first four minutes of the game were critical. “It’s so important,” he said. “Seeing whether the teams are in a zone or playing man. Do they run and gun? Do they shoot in the first five seconds they get to the frontcourt?

“We need to be the helpers in the game, figure out how the teams will play and adapt. At this level, you need to let the guys play as much as they can. For the tournament, our goal as officials should be doing what we can for the game and student-athletes. Be fair and don’t be bigger than the game.”

Players, fans and coaches should see the passion and energy from the officials at the tournament, Bowen said. “We need to be consistent, fair and show we care about the game,” he said.

Washer, too, enjoyed both the Sioux Falls and Fort Wayne experiences. “It was a blast. I had two really good partners at both sites,” he said.

“That’s the best part,” Bowen agreed.

“The friendships are such a big part, both here and at the NAIA,” Washer said.

Both nodded their heads in agreement each stating that they’d added nine brothers in Fort Wayne (10 officials working) and 11 in Sioux Falls (12 officials worked the NAIA D-II championships).

Humbled and Honored

The D-III officials not only enjoyed their games, but the opportunity to be part of the weekend. Here are some of their comments after hearing about their selection:

Palau: “When Jim called and provided the great news, I was filled with a feeling of joy and excitement. I quickly then turned my attention to the Northeast snowstorm ahead of me to get home safely to my soon-to-be wife 7 hours later. To say we take the good with the bad in this profession is an understatement.

Palumb: “Thrilled. Such an honor to get the opportunity.”

King: “Humbled and honored to represent my conference. Only 4-5 officials have previously worked the D-III Final Four from the Northwest.”

Smith: “Excited. Very happy that my assigners have confidence in me.”

Bowen: “Girlfriend is going to be upset. But, wow, what an opportunity.”

Googas: “I didn’t believe Jim when he called. I try to have an answer for everything, but didn’t know what to say. It means a lot to have this opportunity.”

Best Pregame Advice

The officials were asked to share some of the best pregame advice they’ve gotten. Here’s a sampling:

Meeks: “Be a good partner, have fun and never be bigger than the game.”

Bowen: “Just like the shirts we wear, keep it black and white.”

King: “Enjoy each game and crew. None of us know which game will be our last.”

Haney was pleased with the crews, relating stories from coaches about the improvement in officiating in the tournament the past two years. But we’ll let Wheaton men’s basketball coach Mike Schauer tell it in his words:

“This was the best officiated tourney I’ve ever been in,” he said. “It’s not even close. The system in place and the work Jim’s done have made a big difference. You see the difference in the caliber of officiating. There was great officiating in all five games we played.”

Though the officials finished up their “last” game of the NCAA D-III Final Four that Saturday night with Wisconsin-Oshkosh defeating Swarthmore, 96-82 (after Wisconsin-Oshkosh beat Wheaton on Friday night in the second semifinal, 104-85), it’s likely it won’t be the last for any of them down the road. They’ve been identified as some of the top young officials throughout the country at the D-III level, and several already have some D-I games on their schedules.

Who knows? We may see them on another Final Four years from now. If not, they’ll remember the D-III Final Four weekend, a shared experience with their brothers, and a powerful and positive event filed away in their personal memory banks.

The post An Inside Look at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four appeared first on Referee.com.

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A 15-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, Kennedy, who holds the rank of commander, had previously been deployed for overseas duty five times.

For the most part, the timing of previous deployments coincided nicely with his second passion: football officiating.

Since 2016, Kennedy has been a football official in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. He is currently a back judge, although he has worked all over the field during his high school and college career. He is also the training coordinator for the Southeastern Football Officials Association, the local association that officiates high school football in the Hampton Roads-Tidewater area of Virginia.

But his sixth deployment, one that would come on short notice, wouldn’t time out quite as well for overseeing football officiating training. That training typically started in early May and ran until August, when scrimmages began.

Assigned to the U.S.S. Kearsarge Amphibious Readiness Group, Kennedy found he would serve aboard ship in the Middle East from the end of 2018 until July 2019.
It looked like the deployment would mean no involvement with officiating training until he returned.

Or would it?

To keep his officiating knowledge sharp and to pass the time, Kennedy brought along his football rulebook and game/instructional films.

Aboard the ship, he quickly developed a rapport with several sailors who would be serving with him. “Early on, I talked to a lot of the guys, and I found most of them liked football,” he said. “More than a few said, ‘I’d like to learn how to be an official. It might be something I can do when my service commitment is up.’”

In April 2019, Kennedy decided to test the proverbial waters for interest in officiating classes. Using the football officiating materials he brought along and the Battlefields to Ballfields (B2B) training program, he ran two introductory presentations on football officiating. The B2B program helps get veterans involved with officiating.

Twenty-one sailors and Marines came out for those introductory classes.

The strong initial interest led to an eight-week shipboard training program.

Meetings were held Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon in the ship’s classroom. Naval ships generally observe Sunday mornings as “holiday routine” that allows for church services, personal time, etc. “But in 5th Fleet, the workweek is Sunday through Thursday as ‘the weekend’ in most Middle Eastern countries is Friday and Saturday,” Kennedy said. “So the ship moved our ‘holiday routine’ to Saturday mornings until noon. This way, most ship activities were already kept to a minimum and prevented other required ship events from conflicting with our classes.”

“We broke the classes up into different phases of the game,” he said. “We started everyone off with game administration, then covered the pre-snap phase, then the run-play phase, pass-play phase, kicking-game phase, and covered all the mechanics and rules that were associated with each phase.”

The last hour of each Saturday morning class involved a review of game film.

“The biggest thing I tried to get across as they watched the tape was how officials positioned themselves, how they moved,” Kennedy said. “Now, we obviously weren’t able to get out on a field, but seeing the video at least gave them a feel for what goes on out there and how to apply the mechanics we were reviewing in the presentations.”

In between classes, participants would take part in testing on the rules.

“Guys would test each other, emailing questions back and forth from the weekly tests from the material we reviewed the week before,” Kennedy said, noting everyone excelled in the rules.

Fifteen sailors and two Marines finished all eight weeks of the class, which wrapped up in June 2019. When the ship pulled into Jordan, a flag football tournament was set up, giving the new officials an opportunity to put their training into action.

“Our class got to work flag ball,” Kennedy said. “When they started out, some were a bit timid about the rules and having to officiate in front of their peers. These were the same people that they ate, slept and worked with for the last seven months. But by the end of the tournament, they really were managing the game, and the players and coaches really respected the role they held as football officials. It was really great to see them grow on the field as officials.”

A week later, a second flag football tournament was held.

“Everyone had a blast,” Kennedy said. “The tournament was a success.”

Kennedy said he is proud that so many class participants stuck out the entire training and many started officiating high school football upon their return. Eight of the students applied for and received B2B scholarships.

“We are going to see some good (officials) down the road just from this class alone,” Kennedy said.

The post Aweigh Games appeared first on Referee.com.

I met him after the 2009 Ft. Hood shootings. I was contacted by layers of military personnel stating names and varying ranks/titles asking if I would be willing to share my post-traumatic education and awareness message as part of their healing journey. When General Cone called, he never said his rank. It was simply “Bob, this is Bob Cone at Ft. Hood, we need your help.” Bob and I had numerous conversations after that first phone call. He brought me to Iraq and Afghanistan to visit his troops. He wrote the foreword for my book, Surviving the Shadows … A Journey of Hope into Post Traumatic Stress. He was the kind of man most men hoped they could be.

He provided leadership lessons without holding class. Bob Cone was Humble, Authentic, Brave, Intentional, Tenacious … take the first letter of each of those words and you have the word HABIT. Bob Cone had leadership habits. He died all too young at 59 of cancer. My wife, Billie, and I attended his Arlington funeral. An amazing tribute to a fallen warrior and hero. I visit Bob at his final resting place every time I am in our nation’s capital, section 34 grave 135. His leadership lessons continue even in death, because on that grassy hill to his left is a Private and to his right is a Sergeant. True leaders make Humble, Intentional, Authentic decisions and are with their troops, not above them or away from them. And the etched words on his gravestone “Leadership is a Privilege” remind us of the privilege we have to be leaders in our spheres of influence, like local and state officiating organizations.

I speak for every member of your NASO board in saying, thank you for the privilege of serving and we look forward to a successful year as we go toward Alabama for the 2020 Summit.

Stay healthy, stay safe and take care of each other!

Bob Delaney is a retired NBA referee and former NBA vice president referee operations/director of officials. Currently he is the SEC special advisor officiating development/performance. He is also an author, speaker and consultant with the military, law enforcement, sports teams and corporations. NASO presented him with the 2003 Gold Whistle Award and a Great Call Award in 2011. n

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“We’re definitely supportive of the great work that our officials are doing, and we’re also really aware of the critical mass issue that we’re facing,” said Niehoff, the new executive director of the NFHS, during an opening exchange of pleasantries.
Below are some of the highlights of our 30-minute conversation, in which Niehoff — who in August became the first female to lead the NFHS — addresses how her time as executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CAS-CIAC) has prepared her to work with officials at the NFHS level, and what must be done to bring and keep more officials in the NFHS fold.

Have you ever officiated, and if so, what was your experience?

I have never been an official that would have the black-and-white stripes on. Certainly as a coach you’re in a position where you’re officiating scrimmage play. I’ve officiated some scrimmages for things, but I’ve never worked in the capacity of a trained official.

Since you haven’t officiated, how do you get up to speed with how the NFHS works hand-in-hand with officials?

Really, just having been in a state association position, we had a terrific relationship. Our officials association was actually in our office building, so for the last eight years working at a state level, I was really getting to know the business of the NFHS and the role of the officials’ efforts within NFHS, and the importance of how the officials’ world functioned from state-to-state relationships, even with Arbiter and things like that. In the last eight years in particular, I’ve gotten to learn how the NFHS works with (the officiating) world.

You have an extensive background on the coaching side of high school sports. What would you say was your reputation with officials when you were a field hockey coach?

I think my reputation with the officials was very good. I was very intentional about paying attention to my own modeling for the players, for the fans. I was very clear in my communications with players and fans and colleagues within the school community, that the officials were another team on the field and were doing their job and they deserve respect. I modeled that. It doesn’t mean that I was afraid to ask them a question if I disagreed or had a question about a call, but if I did so, which was rare, it was either at a naturally scheduled break, or a whistle, or something like that, so I could explain to the kids this was their perspective on something. They saw positive communication. As an athletic director, as a school principal, I enforced positive behavior in the fans, players, and always made sure that officials had what they needed, and that they were thanked, and that they were paid on time. I made sure that their experience with our players, with me as a coach, with our school, was a positive, and that they would come back again if they had the opportunity.

One of the biggest challenges in the world of officiating is how we get people interested in officiating and staying with it. What do you see as the NFHS role in officiating, particularly in the areas of recruiting and retention?

I can tell you that it is one of our biggest priorities right now. There is a critical mass issue, even in sports where you think there never would be. We’re hearing from state associations that they’ve had to move football games to Thursday nights in some cases just so they can field their crew for Fridays and Saturdays. We recognize that the scheduling of games is becoming a challenge now in many sports.
In the last year in particular, we’ve embarked on formal initiatives, recruitment campaigns, and we’ve invested significant dollars in establishing these campaigns. We are seeing some return on investment, but certainly not the level of return that we’re hoping for. We’re working with state associations to encourage them to initiate programs to attract new candidates. We’re seeing some states looking at folks returning from the military, or in human services where they may have flexible schedules. So we’re really trying to partner with organizations, with our states, and invest our time and effort, messaging and money in creating campaigns to recruit and retain officials in all sports.

How do you improve recruiting and retention of more women and minorities into officiating?

We have to go out to places where we can identify potential candidates, physically introduce ourselves to them, engage them in opportunities to try out the whistle, and then we need to support them. We need to make sure the experience is positive, we need to provide mentorship and support better than we do now, and I think we have to work with our current officials associations in a positive way to say, “You’re our boots on the ground out there, we need you to go out and find them and give them the experience.”
I know in some places we hear reports where assigners, for example, go back to the well for the same people. The same folks have done state tournaments for 20 years. We’ve got to grow the people and give them opportunity so that they stay in the profession, and when they’re ready, they can have a tournament game.
So we need to change the culture a little bit. We certainly need to go out and find them, and keep them. And we need to market this, we need to promote the faces of the minority candidates engaged in the profession already, and get them out in front of people, and have them out there telling their stories.

You’ve been a member of an NFHS rules committee, so you’ve seen the rulesmaking process from that side. What have you been able to glean from such a role when it comes to relationships between rulesmaking at the NFHS level and the officials?

The perspective of the official is critical to how rules are developed, the content, how they’re written, and the language, based on an interpretation issue. If (officials) can really add a voice, their perspective, it provides us insight with how well a rules manual can be interpreted with consistency, understood with consistency, implemented with consistency, and how the relationship then between coaches and teams and officials during a contest can be smooth, based on how well we understand the rules. It all goes right back into that committee room when we’re thinking about changes to rules. We absolutely have to have (the officials’) perspective.

How do we make sports officiating a better experience at the high school level?

Some of the things that we’ve heard from officials groups are that we’ve got to make sure that the environment in which an official is working is a positive one. There are a lot of elements to that environment. First and foremost you’ve got to have your contest scheduled, and if they show up somewhere they’re at the right place. We’ve got to make sure that our schedules are developed with integrity and good thought, and certainly that the information sharing with officials is accurate and timely. Secondly, obviously if they arrive at a contest they know where they’re going. They’ve got the appropriate facility in which to change or work with their colleagues. Perhaps there’s some refreshments there, there’s some hospitality. The site coordinator is there, they’re introduced to the coaches, anything that they would need in terms of implementing their job in the contest is there, equipment is intact. So all of those elements to run an event. And then during the contest itself, the first and most important priority is that the coaches and players are there, the coaches and players are positive, their behavior, their interaction with the officials is positive, and right after that comes the fans. We’ve got to have fans demonstrating positive behavior, and that means that schools have to have rules in place, clearly communicated sportsmanship expectations, and the school staff at the contest to support and uphold the rules and make that environment for the officials a positive one.

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The veteran official was certain he had it right the night before in Philadelphia, when he made the pivotal call in what is perhaps the most memorable game in collegiate basketball history. There was no question in his mind that Christian Laettner’s shot against Kentucky in the East Regional championship game had started its ascent a fraction of a second before the Spectrum clock expired.

Now if only Clark could be confident that the dozens of disgruntled Kentucky fans who had boarding passes for that flight to Cincinnati were as satisfied as he was. Clark estimates that at least 80 percent of the passengers on that plane were Kentucky fans, based on their apparel and personal effects, and he really didn’t care to have his presence revealed.

Just as Clark started to feel secure while cruising at 50,000 feet, he heard a voice from the passenger seated next to him.

“You were one of the three officials yesterday, weren’t you?” the man asked.

“Yes sir, I was,‘‘ a reluctant Clark softly answered.

“You had that last-second call, didn’t you? Well, I’m a reporter and we were laughing at you on press row just before that last play. We were watching you during the timeout and you kept twitching your head. You must have really been nervous.”

In reality, Clark was being professional to the extreme during that game of epic proportions. And he was rewarded with what remains the most fulfilling moment of his 22-year career as a major-college basketball official. His moment in history was set up when Kentucky’s Sean Woods arched a 13-foot shot over Laettner’s outstretched hand that banked into the basket with 2.1 seconds left. After trailing, 79-69, with 7:40 remaining, Kentucky had taken a 103-102 lead on Woods’ basket and it appeared that the defending national-champion Blue Devils were finished.

Suddenly, Clark was all by himself in a deafening arena as a national audience watched in frenzied anticipation. The crew also included Tim Higgins and Charlie Range, but the incredible weight of the game rested squarely on the shoulders of this school psychologist who lives in Sharonville, Ohio.

“When Woods made that shot, I realized I was in (the center) position,‘‘ Clark said. “I just started thinking what may transpire here. So I was standing there at midcourt – they had called a timeout – and I was thinking, ‘I may not be able to hear this horn,’ because, at that time, we couldn’t go to replay like we can today.‘‘

Perspiring so profusely that he was literally catching the sweat rolling off his face in his hands during that last timeout, Clark mapped out his strategy.

“I said, ‘I’ve got to program myself to look at the clock,’” he said. “I programmed myself and I said, ‘OK, release, clock.’ I said, wherever they release it from – and I thought it would be near midcourt – I had to program myself to look at the clock above the backboard. I couldn’t see the clock directly above.

“I kept saying, ‘Release, clock, release, clock.’ I also said, ‘No matter what, don’t call a foul unless they have to put him into the hospital.’”

And with each time he repeated “release, clock,” Clark mechanically moved his head from the anticipated spot of the shot to the clock until it was instinctive.

So much for the comical nervous twitch those on press row assumed they were seeing during that television timeout.

Expecting Grant Hill’s unguarded inbounds pass from the far endline to be lobbed to Bobby Hurley at midcourt, Clark instead saw a perfect full-court heave sail over his head to Laettner near the far free-throw line.

Leaping for the pass, Laettner dribbled once, faked right, spun left and ascended for his moment in history. After making all nine of his field-goal attempts and all 10 of his free-throw attempts at that point, Laettner struck again, making a game-winning 17-footer as time expired.

And Clark couldn’t have been more prepared.

“Laettner gets the ball and turns,” Clark said. “I’m watching for a travel, fouls, whatever. He releases the ball and I say, ‘Release, clock’ and I go right to the clock. And I thought, ‘My gosh; it’s good! There’s two-tenths of a second.’ There’s no travel, no foul and I kind of relax. I say, ‘Everything’s OK,’ not dreaming that the ball is going to go in.

“I look over at the scorer’s table and they’re all standing up. I see a couple of guys who have got their arms out like, ‘Is it good or is it not good?’ I wave it good and pandemonium breaks out. I go into the locker room and Tim sits down, he’s got his arms folded – he’s cool, calm and collected anyway – and he says, ‘Tom, was it good?’”

Clark never doubted himself. During his flight the following morning, he sensed an obvious disappointment about Christian Laettner’s shot among the Kentucky fans on that plane, but he did not hear anyone grumbling about his call.

And then, about six weeks after that game, Clark received a package from Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski in the mail that totally convinced him that he came through in the clutch that night.

“What transpired was, a friend of mine knew Coach Krzyzewski down there,” Clark said. “And what happened is they had a picture of this shot. And on it, it’s written, ‘Dear, Tom, I’m certainly glad you got this one right – Coach Krzyzewski.’

“Guess what’s on the clock? The shot is from the end zone, the ball is fractions out of his hands and you see me glancing at the clock. Guess what’s on it? Two-tenths of a second.”

Range added, “We always say every game is a very significant, major, important game and you just approach it that way. But this game, golly, if you had to approach it on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the highest, this is a 10-plus.”

Higgins, a man of few words, said so much in his typically succinct style.

“When I left the game,” Higgins said, “my wife was sitting in the car and I said to her, ‘I think that’s as good of a game that has ever been played.’”

The post The Shot appeared first on Referee.com.

Experienced officials are often asked to mentor men and women who are just beginning a career in officiating. It can be a daunting task to take on. Before you agree to mentor a fellow official, it is a good idea to know what it takes to be a mentor and how good mentors do it.

Mentoring a new or inexperienced official is not just a nice thing to do, it is also a way to better yourself as an official. When you go over the fundamental concepts of things like rules, regulations and techniques, you further ingrain them into your own psyche while you are schooling your student.

“I think becoming a mentor is vital for experienced officials,” said Red Cashion, retired NFL referee and two-time Super Bowl official. “Teaching others is the best training for both the mentee and the mentor.”

When you go over the more subtle aspects of the craft like appearance, attitude and networking, you not only share knowledge with someone who needs it, but you also remind yourself of things you need to do to be at your best. It is a great way to hone your own game even after decades of work.

“Mentoring helps me stay sharp as a referee; it also helps me open up as an individual,” said Rachelle Jones, an NCAA D-I women’s basketball referee. “I do my best to lead by example and I would never tell an official to do something that I don’t do myself. Whether it is teaching at a clinic, phone conferencing or getting on the floor with you to watch you work, I like to teach the way I like to be taught.”

Mentoring others involves its own set of skills and techniques. Here are some tips on what effective mentors do, what they cover and how they go about it.

Teach Patience

Effective mentors not only have patience with their inexperienced students, they also do their best to impart the importance of patience to their mentees. Whether it is patience involving their ability to call the game correctly, or the progression of their career, knowing how to give time is crucial.

“Pretty much the first thing I go over with someone is what it takes to be a really good official and a lot of it is patience and the willingness to learn,” said Jack Miles, a high school baseball and softball umpire in Michigan.

Patience may be a trait that is easier to talk about than it is to practice. Inexperienced officials often don’t have a realistic view of what success will take or even what success will look like for them. Good mentors know how to let them know to be patient and to appreciate where they are — not where they are not.

“I explain to young refs that they have to be willing to be patient and take each day’s experience and use it as growth,” said Angie Lewis, an NCAA D-I women’s referee. “Along the way you have to learn to be successful at the level that you are at the time. It is important to be the best official you can be at any level before you start reaching for the Final Four. Experience is your best teacher and you need patience to make sure that you are excelling at the level you’re at, not always looking for something else.”

Self-disclosure may be your best tool for teaching about patience. In today’s world many young people grew out of the “Everyone-gets-a-trophy” mentality and they don’t understand why they aren’t moving along as fast as they could. The answer isn’t to blast them across the room for their sense of entitlement (as much as you might want to), but rather to calmly and patiently share with them a dose of reality on how your career progressed.

“I use myself as an example,” said Mike Koren, an educator and high school basketball referee in Wisconsin. “I have been officiating 39 years and I have never gone to a state tournament. This year I got my first-ever sectional game and it took me 39 years to get that game. I’ve never had problems filling a schedule and I’ve always been able to work. Working games is not the problem. It took me a lifetime to get to where I wanted to go. When someone says, ‘Look, I’ve been working two years, why aren’t I getting those varsity games?’ I say, ‘Just be patient, it will happen.’”

Dealing With Criticism

With officiating comes criticism. It can’t be avoided but despite the obvious nature of that, many new officials are left distraught over what they hear from supervisors, peers, coaches and fans. A good mentor knows how to coach a student through the criticism and make it a learning opportunity, while minimizing the blow to the mentee’s ego and avoiding damage to an already insecure mindset. It takes a delicate but direct approach.
“You have to look at the positives,” Miles said. “Your mentee could be the worst official in the world, but you can always find things they did well. Try to not dwell on, for example, if a baseball umpire in the second inning doesn’t come up the line, with no runners on, but they did it every other time, you don’t need to evaluate that.

“We sometimes have a tendency to evaluate, or mentor, looking for all the things they do wrong, but I bet you could always find the things they did right. When you’ve pointed out what they did right it makes it easier for them to stomach the criticism you might have.”
It is also important to know when to offer advice and when give an inexperienced official a little break. You don’t have to go over and over every mistake. Too much criticism can be discouraging.

“Be careful of over-advising them and take care not to get them mixed up,” Cashion said.

“Too much over-advising can get in the way of that.”

That ability to balance the negative with the positive criticism is essential but it is imperative that you let them know where they need to improve. It is something that may not be easy for everyone in the mentoring role — it isn’t always fun letting someone know about their shortcomings. A good mentor knows that pointing out the challenging areas that need improvement is where real growth can be attained.

“I think you have to work with an official and let the official go through a game. When the game is over, do a thorough discussion,” Koren said. “You might want to take a particular play that they could’ve handled differently and say, ‘Is there another way you could have handled that? What was the advantage or disadvantage of the way you handled it? Was that call necessary at that time?’ Talk them through it. What you have to do as a mentor is work with the inexperienced officials. Especially at the lower level, let them make a mistake and then talk about it. Talk them through it, analyze the situation, and ask them how would they do it differently.”

The key is not coming out with a laundry list of errors, but rather setting up the process of self-examination through discussion. If officials can figure it out for themselves with a few well-placed, open-ended questions from their mentor, the interaction is so much more powerful than if the mentor takes a dictatorial stance.

Dealing With Younger People

If you have been at your game for decades, mentoring a 20-something official might bring you challenges that have nothing to do with the court or the playing field. The millennials, as they have come to be known, sometimes approach life, work and drive differently than baby boomers. A failure to recognize that can lead to frustration for the mentor and an erroneous assessment of the mentee’s commitment and motivation. Different does not necessarily mean not as good, so when you approach a young person, realize and accept they are from a different time.

“I try to be understanding,” Lewis said. “I try to let them know that it’s not just about being a referee — it’s the whole package. I talk to them about staying the course and considering the commitment they’re going to make to make this part of their life. It isn’t just about being on the court. It is about managing your time, your career and where it all fits in with your family. It is important for them to understand what officiating means off the court.”

Mentoring inevitably involves pointing out where someone could have done something better. That is as much art as it is science, especially with some young people. If you play the hard guy, many will miss the message and leave the interaction with hurt feelings. With a little bit of your own attitude adjustment you can avoid that pratfall.

“I try to make it very clear that I am not criticizing them as a person but instead breaking down the officiating situation so they can learn from it,” Miles said. “I make that very clear and I also let them know how I’ve learned new things 20 or 30 years into my career. I let them know about things I just learned that week or even that day. All of it makes it easier for them to hear.”

It is not about sugar coating everything but rather realizing where a young person may be when it comes to their emotional maturity and their ability to hear what you’re trying to say. Make no mistake, the fundamentals still count and regardless of what generation a group is in, there is no fast track that excuses an official from experience.

“A young official needs repetition,” Cashion said. “They need to get as many reps as they can, whether that is spring games, officiating practice or whatever. It is important to let them know repetition trains them to see things they’ve never seen before. You want them to learn that it is important to start to think about the play before the play happens. You get that through repetition.”

Teach Nuances

One of the harder aspects of mentoring is instructing an inexperienced official on what doesn’t show up in any rulebook or manual. The nuances of the games are tricky and present challenges when teaching exactly how to get a feel for some of the finer points of the game.

“There is stuff that doesn’t fall into the rulebook that referees have to know about,” Miles said. “When I see a referee call a foul 50 feet away from the ball with eight seconds to go in a game where one team is winning by 40, then it is time to have a talk. Then I try to talk them through the process of making good decisions.”

Much of officiating comes down to the desire to be the best you can be and the same holds true for mentoring. The ability to get the nuances of your game across has a lot to do with how much you bring to the role of mentoring in the first place. Just being at it for a long time isn’t enough.

“Someone who’s going to be a mentor ought to be qualified to do it and that means much more than being a competent official,” Cashion said. “You have to want to do it and you have to be able to have more interest in the other person than yourself.”

Take your time and go at the mentee’s speed, not your own. Everyone learns and gains experience at different speed and you need to remember that and apply it. Know that you will need to say things more than once for it to sink in. You also might have to do more than just talk. You might have to show them through your example or video.

“I teach the ‘PIE’ theory,” Lewis said. “I try to get people to understand you have to have people skills, integrity, exposure. … First impressions are lasting impressions so carry yourself accordingly.”

Tom Schreck is a writer and professional boxing judge from Albany, N.Y.

The post Coach ‘Em Up appeared first on Referee.com.

“If you want to do something unique that sets you apart, something that will make you feel good about yourself, take the leap into officiating.”
— Mike Pereira, Fox Sports football rules analyst and former NFL vice president of officiating.

“Officiating is a perfect way to stay involved in the game. Provides a service for the community, plus it puts extra money in the bank!”
— Rick Force, baseball umpire at various levels, including Division I. He is the president of the New Hampshire Baseball Umpires Association.

“Wisdom, knowledge, endurance, patience, love of sport. You got those traits? We need you. Become a sports official. Today.”
— Julian Tackett, commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association.

“Best seat in the house! Great way to be intimately involved in a sport, its growth and to engage with others who love it as much as I do!”
— Katy Meyer, deputy executive director of Professional Association of Volleyball Officials and a longtime volleyball official.

“I never would’ve been able to go the places I’ve been, meet the people I’ve met or have the amazing memories I do, if not for officiating.”
— Joe Sullivan, a National Collegiate Hockey Conference official, was a product of the USA Hockey Junior Development Program and a referee for both the ECHL and AHL.

“Officiating allows me to remain part of the sport I love. I’m afforded opportunities to travel, and have created lifelong friendships.”
— Tracy Hart, 2014 and ‘15 Women’s College World Series softball umpire.

“Officiating can enhance your life! It is challenging, potentially rewarding and helps to create lifelong relationships. It might be for you!”
— Jim Corpora, Atlantic Coast Conference football official and Centennial Conference coordinator of football officials.

“Become an official! You keep looking forward to the next game long after your playing days are over. It’s a lifelong way to stay in sports.”
— Mark Uyl, NCAA Division I baseball umpire, college football official and the Michigan High School Athletic Association assistant director.

“It’s the most thrilling and rewarding part-time job you will ever have!”
— John W. Adams, former NCAA national coordinator of men’s basketball officiating.

“Officiating is a great opportunity to develop valuable qualities for life. It teaches you strength, leadership and integrity.”
— Juan Guzman, Professional Referee Organization soccer official who has been refereeing MLS games since 2011.

“Start officiating for a surprising journey that includes growth, friendships, financial gain, travel, fun, and you give back to the game.”
— Penny Davis, NCAA Division I women’s basketball referee.

“Being an official gives you the best seat in the house. You give back to sports you played and watched. Without officials, it’s just recess!”
— Clark Sanders, associate executive director of the Oregon Athletic Officials Association.

“Game official is often a thankless job, but if you’re diligent in your growth, it’s a vital way to ensure the application of rules stay current.”
— Hansen Leong, USA volleyball official.

“Stay involved in the sport you love, develop life skills that will last forever. Challenge yourself. Start officiating — the sky is the limit.”
— Terrence Miles, NFL back judge.

“Officiating has allowed me to have the best seat in the house and to be a part of the best team on the floor.”
—Garrick Shannon, NCAA Division I men’s basketball official.

“If you love softball, I cannot think of a better secondary occupation than umpiring. The benefits are boundless.”
—Lurline Hamilton, coordinator of softball officials for the Atlantic Sun, Big 12, Conference USA, Southeastern, Southland and Sun Belt.

“Officiating is a rewarding experience — being an integral part of a game and knowing every decision helped make it a success is a great endeavor.”
— George Wescott, NISOA president.

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Why Officiate?

“It is the best way in the world to stay with the sport you already love!”
— Roland Wiederaenders

“Don’t do it for the $$$, but for the love of the game!”
— Harald Lester Bainer Jr.

“It’s the most fun you can have with your pants on.”
— James T. Trossbach

“Get paid for your workouts!”
— Alex Pufhal

“Are you a player, former player or a fan? Be a part of the game with the best seat in the house, and be paid to be there. Become an official.”
— Ralph J. Hunter

“In love with the game? Get in the game! Grow with the game.”
— Michael Jordan

“Nirvana with a whistle.”
— Brian Holliday

“Nothing more rewarding than to see the youth in your community develop through sportsmanship from youth sports to high school. #rewarding”
— David Poplin

“Give back to the game(s) you love, make lifelong friends, have a little pocket change and keep yourself in shape. Do it!”
— Brian Eaves

“Great way to give back to the sport that taught me valuable life lessons.”
— Brian Trettin

“It’s the closest thing to playing! You will master the 4 Cs of officiating. The competition, the conditioning, the camaraderie and the cash!”
— Ray McDonald

“For the two hours you’re on the field or court, nothing else matters.”
— Frank Odeh

“Join the number one team in football; at every final anywhere in the world there is a team in stripes.”
— Lee Taylor

“Being an official is the second closest thing to being God himself.”
— Shanon Grasso

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