Post by timholycross on Feb 12, 2022 9:04:40 GMT -5
I assume this T&G article is not limited to Massachusetts. The shortage clearly exists in my officiating sport, soccer; which is not mentioned in the article. Football too, I bet.
"It was steaming hot inside Coaches Pavilion in Shrewsbury as longtime boys’ basketball rivals St. John’s and Wachusett Regional met for the first time in two years earlier this month.
And it wasn’t just because the thermostat was set at a saunalike level.
The fans in the stands amped up the intensity, yes, with their cheers, but, just as frequently, with the diatribe directed at the three-man officiating crew. Seemingly every call was dissected, debated and, if it wasn’t to their liking, dissed by parents, students and other assorted onlookers.
It made one wonder why anyone would want to be an official.
“Not me,” said veteran referee Brian Callaghan, who worked the game, “but I hear a lot of people complain about it. The stuff on the floor, between those lines, is awesome. And the coaches are included in that, obviously.
“But the fans are going to want what they want and I don’t really listen to that. I hear it. Obviously, I hear it, but are we good with the kids?”
Still, the verbal – and, in some cases, physical – abuse is one of myriad reasons why a shortage of high school sports officials exists in Central Massachusetts, throughout the state and across the country. And it’s an unwanted trend that shows no signs of subsiding.
(While this is an across-the-board problem with few, if any, sports not being impacted, the T&G focused on basketball, hockey and indoor track for this story as it’s the winter season.)
Referees Dean Packard, left, and Tony Fraioli officiate a basketball game at Uxbridge High in January.
The ranks have rapidly thinned
The numbers don’t lie.
Worcester-based Board 26 of the International Association of Approved Basketball Official is one of four boards in Central Mass., the others located in Fitchburg, Marlborough and Milford.
A couple of years ago, it had an email-distribution list containing upward of 250 members. The current membership stands at 170 with 90 – or just 53% – active, working officials.
Bob Schese, who's in his 21st season as supervisor of officials for hockey in Central Mass., has 80 available officials, 40 of whom he termed “core” guys. Five years ago, it was 120 and 100.
The Central Mass. Track & Field Officials Association had 53 dues paying members in October, down from just over 100 before the pandemic. That number increased slightly, to 57, in December.
“It poses some (staffing) problems for sure,” said Chris Woods, who has served as president of the CMTFOA for more than a dozen years and noted he worked a few meets last spring where he was the only official on hand.
Typically, there would be two and occasionally three officials along with the coaches from both teams overseeing outdoor track meets. Six to nine are needed for indoor meets.
Tom McCarthy, a longtime member of Board 26 who has 24 years of experience assigning officials for Mid-Wach League girls’ basketball, has never seen a winter like this when it comes to staffing games.
“I’ve got guys doing JV/varsity doubleheaders that you never saw in the past,” McCarthy said. “The only doubleheaders anyone ever did were middle school in the afternoon because they’re relatively low-stress, low-key, learning experiences for the kids.
“But you get into the high school level, the competition is a lot higher and it’s not the ideal situation to have two guys doing two games in one location in the same night. It’s not good for anyone.”
Referee Dean Packard officiates a basketball game at Uxbridge in January.
Pandemic has accelerated decline
The decline in officials was a brewing issue before COVID, but it’s reached the boiling point since the spring of 2020.
“The pandemic has really taken the wind out of a lot of officials, their want and desire to still stick with it,” Board 26 President Dean Packard said prior to a week in which he would officiate four boys’ basketball games in five nights.
“We’ve seen a tremendous drop in numbers since the onslaught of COVID because it produces a whole different environment to refereeing. And that in itself has been a real difficult dance that we’ve worked through.”
Many officials originally planned to take a year off for health and safety reasons, but decided to make it permanent when they realized they didn’t miss working nights and weekends. That in turn has created cases of burnout, leading some overworked officials to also hang up their whistle or starter’s pistol.
AAU and travel basketball have also contributed to the exodus as some officials can work multiple games in one day or over a weekend, leading to a hefty payday while making a single road trip. The college ranks have also become alluring, particularly in hockey, where the pay is better and face masks aren’t required.
“So, yeah, that factors into it, why we’re down at the high school level,” Schese said.
The officiating ranks used to be dominated by teachers and administrators – Callaghan and Packard, for example, are principals at Westborough High and Charlton Middle School, respectively – but their numbers have diminished as after-school responsibilities have increased over the years.
“Teachers can’t just walk out of the building anymore when the bell rings,” McCarthy, a credit manager, said. “That’s just the reality of the situation.”
While the pool is now more diversified with officials coming from all walks of life, the end of the workday for those with 9-to-5 jobs can conflict with the start of competitions, the majority of which fall into the 4:30-5 p.m. slot for junior varsity and 6:30-7 p.m. frame for varsity.
“It’s a challenge depending on the type of profession people have and their availability,” Woods said.
Matt Bardsley officiates Friday night in Holden.
Anyone can become an official
Becoming an official – all ages and genders are welcome – is a relatively simple process, although it goes without saying that becoming a good official generally comes with experience.
To receive certification in basketball, one must attend 10 weekly classes that last 60 to 90 minutes apiece and get a minimum of 40 out of 50 yes/no questions correct on a written test.
A passing grade in track is also 80% on an open-book exam while it’s 80% on a closed-book (45 of 50) and 90% (45 of 50) on an open-book test in hockey, which has aspiring officials participate in a classroom seminar and an online module program that teaches fundamental skills.
Passing a background check and completing a state-mandated, online course on concussions are also required for all officials. Additionally, hockey officials who are at least 18 must complete the United States Olympic Committee SafeSport training program.
A love of the game is a given. That’s something that keeps George Valery on the basketball court.
“I don’t know if I would put this in print because my cohorts might say to me it’s not the right thing to say, but I would probably do these games for free” said Valery, a 58-year-old retired court officer and the veteran secretary/treasurer for Board 26. “I love the game that much.
“Being involved in athletics all my life, giving back. It’s almost like a rush when you’re out on the court. I love it, and the day that stops, the day that I didn’t think that I would do the games for free is the day that I quit.”
Matt Bardsley officiates Friday night in Holden.
The payoff is pretty good
Of course, officials are paid. And, at first glance, well.
They receive $90 for varsity basketball, hockey and track competitions during the regular season; $66 for junior varsity basketball and hockey games. (Postseason contests are higher and increase by the round.)
Those are recommended fees set by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, ones that will increase by $3 in each of the aforementioned sports beginning with the 2022-23 school year.
However, officials are responsible for covering their own expenses, including transportation, uniform, shoes, and dues among other things, along with paying federal and state income taxes.
That adds up, not that everyone is counting.
“With training, fees, equipment, someone can be $400 in the hole before they start,” Schese noted. “But I think a lot of the guys nowadays around here that are really stepping up aren’t necessarily doing it for the money. There is some love in the game.”
And, as a side note, all isn’t equal as a basketball game rarely lasts two hours while an indoor track meet generally goes at least twice as long as it involves six to nine teams.
The pay, though, is the same.
“I still feel sometimes like there’s a little bit of an inequity and I think that’s part of the challenge for the MIAA,” Woods said. “They can’t set the fees too high because the schools are ultimately the ones paying it.
“But to attract people who want to do the profession of officiating, that’s the challenge. Trying to make the compensation attractive enough, but working within the budgets of schools. It’s tricky for sure.”
That said, some leagues and schools deviate from the MIAA recommended fees. The Mid-Wach League, for instance, pays officials double the going rate because it recognized the lengthy time commitment.
Jim Nadeua officiates Friday night in Holden.
More work needed to solve problem
Everyone from the officials’ organizations to athletic directors to the MIAA is united in the understanding there is a serious shortage of folks willing to enforce the rules on game day and it’s a problem that needs solving
What’s lacking at the moment is an organized, focused approach, although those interviewed for this story all mentioned increased promotion would be a good place to start.
“Well, I think a lot of it can be done with better marketing,” Packard said. “That’s something we can improve upon there. The shortage isn’t only regulated just to basketball. It’s across all officiating platforms.”
That’s an area the MIAA, which does not directly train officials, could help coordinate with its 377 members, whether it’s placing posters in schools, using its student ambassadors to spread the word or more prominently displaying its “Becoming an MIAA game official” link on its website.
Woods has firsthand experience that grassroots recruiting works. The former longtime Fitchburg cross-country and track coach was officiating at a meet recently at his alma mater and looked around at his fellow officials.
“And they were all people who ran for me,” Woods said. “I recruited them when they were in high school, to get into it, and they didn’t necessarily officiate right away, but they’ve come back in.
“To me, that’s one of the best ways, to actually go after some of your own kids that you coach. And it was working.”
Anyone interested in becoming an official is welcomed with open arms, but there is certainly a heightened focus on bringing in young adults in an effort to diversify what, generally speaking, are seasoned groups.
“The age factor is concerning,” Woods said. “When I go to the (track) meetings that we have, and I’m 63, there aren’t too many people younger than me sitting in that room.”
Retention, not recruitment, plagues hockey
Meanwhile, hockey’s situation is uniquely different from basketball and track.
The sport doesn’t lack for those wanting to officiate, but the pipeline of new talent doesn’t flow like it should as many newcomers become disenchanted while working youth leagues as they gain the needed experience to make the jump to high school.
That is not, Schese surmised, primarily because of the high-profile incidents of an adult attacking a referee inside or outside the rink that invariably pop up on the local – and even national – evening news.
Rather it’s the unending and merciless riding by adults of every … single … thing … an official does or does not do.
“It’s, ‘You missed an offsides; you missed a tripping call and everything else,’ ” Schese said. “It’s the badgering that doesn’t warrant a bench minor penalty or a parent being ejected from the rink.
“It’s the constant week-in and week-out nitpicking where the kid goes, ‘I can go work at Stop & Shop and no one is standing above me nitpicking everything I do.’ The problem is not in recruiting, the problem is in retaining.”
And, of course, there’s the bashing on social media.
“You can only take so much before you say, ‘I’m out of here,’ ” Schese said.
In October, Massachusetts Hockey, the local governing entity of USA Hockey, said it was down about 900 officials from prepandemic levels with the biggest reason for those skating away being harassment by adults and players, as well.
To that end, the MIAA, in conjunction with the National Federation of High School Associations, has actively campaigned to replace criticism of officials with civility.
The future of officiating
Ten candidates took the Board 26 annual basketball officiating class in October. The group included one female who was also one of two candidates who were at least under 30, if not 40, years old (ages aren’t divulged).
Auburn High senior Kaitlyn Callahan is an honor-roll student, student council president, a unified basketball and unified track partner, plays clarinet in the marching band and, now, a basketball official.
"I’ve always enjoyed the game of basketball,” said Callahan, who played the sport until she entered high school, where she opted to pursue different interests. “And I just wanted to be a part of basketball after I graduated high school and have something I could do and continue to improve at.”
Callahan was inspired to become a referee by her mom, Laureen, who has been officiating high school basketball games for the past seven or so years. (For those wondering, approximately 2% of the officials on Board 26 are female, well below the national average of about 14%.)
“It was part of the influence of me going into it because I was able to see a little bit of behind the scenes prior to actually taking the course,” Callahan said. “And she encouraged me all along the way to take the class and continue on with it.”
Callahan doesn’t turn 18 until July, so she is currently limited to officiating middle school games. She’s gotten around with assignments in Littleton, Millbury, Shrewsbury, Westborough and West Boylston, working girls/boys doubleheaders while paired with a veteran referee.
Expectedly a tad nervous in her debut, Callahan quickly settled in. Her focus is on doing her job and honing her craft, but she also hopes to serve as a role model.
“I think as females see more females out on the court officiating it might get their interest more,” Callahan said. “I remember when I used to play basketball, I didn’t see many female officials, but that never crossed my mind. I was just like, ‘Oh, OK.’ ”
Callahan will head to Framingham State in the fall to study elementary education but plans to keep officiating for Board 26. As for the parents and players, well, so far, so good.
“For the most part I’ve found them to be very good,” Callahan said. “Not as bad as I thought it was going to be, not as bad as my mom was trying to prepare me for. She was trying to prepare me for the worst, but I have not encountered that.”
Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @richgarventg.
"It was steaming hot inside Coaches Pavilion in Shrewsbury as longtime boys’ basketball rivals St. John’s and Wachusett Regional met for the first time in two years earlier this month.
And it wasn’t just because the thermostat was set at a saunalike level.
The fans in the stands amped up the intensity, yes, with their cheers, but, just as frequently, with the diatribe directed at the three-man officiating crew. Seemingly every call was dissected, debated and, if it wasn’t to their liking, dissed by parents, students and other assorted onlookers.
It made one wonder why anyone would want to be an official.
“Not me,” said veteran referee Brian Callaghan, who worked the game, “but I hear a lot of people complain about it. The stuff on the floor, between those lines, is awesome. And the coaches are included in that, obviously.
“But the fans are going to want what they want and I don’t really listen to that. I hear it. Obviously, I hear it, but are we good with the kids?”
Still, the verbal – and, in some cases, physical – abuse is one of myriad reasons why a shortage of high school sports officials exists in Central Massachusetts, throughout the state and across the country. And it’s an unwanted trend that shows no signs of subsiding.
(While this is an across-the-board problem with few, if any, sports not being impacted, the T&G focused on basketball, hockey and indoor track for this story as it’s the winter season.)
Referees Dean Packard, left, and Tony Fraioli officiate a basketball game at Uxbridge High in January.
The ranks have rapidly thinned
The numbers don’t lie.
Worcester-based Board 26 of the International Association of Approved Basketball Official is one of four boards in Central Mass., the others located in Fitchburg, Marlborough and Milford.
A couple of years ago, it had an email-distribution list containing upward of 250 members. The current membership stands at 170 with 90 – or just 53% – active, working officials.
Bob Schese, who's in his 21st season as supervisor of officials for hockey in Central Mass., has 80 available officials, 40 of whom he termed “core” guys. Five years ago, it was 120 and 100.
The Central Mass. Track & Field Officials Association had 53 dues paying members in October, down from just over 100 before the pandemic. That number increased slightly, to 57, in December.
“It poses some (staffing) problems for sure,” said Chris Woods, who has served as president of the CMTFOA for more than a dozen years and noted he worked a few meets last spring where he was the only official on hand.
Typically, there would be two and occasionally three officials along with the coaches from both teams overseeing outdoor track meets. Six to nine are needed for indoor meets.
Tom McCarthy, a longtime member of Board 26 who has 24 years of experience assigning officials for Mid-Wach League girls’ basketball, has never seen a winter like this when it comes to staffing games.
“I’ve got guys doing JV/varsity doubleheaders that you never saw in the past,” McCarthy said. “The only doubleheaders anyone ever did were middle school in the afternoon because they’re relatively low-stress, low-key, learning experiences for the kids.
“But you get into the high school level, the competition is a lot higher and it’s not the ideal situation to have two guys doing two games in one location in the same night. It’s not good for anyone.”
Referee Dean Packard officiates a basketball game at Uxbridge in January.
Pandemic has accelerated decline
The decline in officials was a brewing issue before COVID, but it’s reached the boiling point since the spring of 2020.
“The pandemic has really taken the wind out of a lot of officials, their want and desire to still stick with it,” Board 26 President Dean Packard said prior to a week in which he would officiate four boys’ basketball games in five nights.
“We’ve seen a tremendous drop in numbers since the onslaught of COVID because it produces a whole different environment to refereeing. And that in itself has been a real difficult dance that we’ve worked through.”
Many officials originally planned to take a year off for health and safety reasons, but decided to make it permanent when they realized they didn’t miss working nights and weekends. That in turn has created cases of burnout, leading some overworked officials to also hang up their whistle or starter’s pistol.
AAU and travel basketball have also contributed to the exodus as some officials can work multiple games in one day or over a weekend, leading to a hefty payday while making a single road trip. The college ranks have also become alluring, particularly in hockey, where the pay is better and face masks aren’t required.
“So, yeah, that factors into it, why we’re down at the high school level,” Schese said.
The officiating ranks used to be dominated by teachers and administrators – Callaghan and Packard, for example, are principals at Westborough High and Charlton Middle School, respectively – but their numbers have diminished as after-school responsibilities have increased over the years.
“Teachers can’t just walk out of the building anymore when the bell rings,” McCarthy, a credit manager, said. “That’s just the reality of the situation.”
While the pool is now more diversified with officials coming from all walks of life, the end of the workday for those with 9-to-5 jobs can conflict with the start of competitions, the majority of which fall into the 4:30-5 p.m. slot for junior varsity and 6:30-7 p.m. frame for varsity.
“It’s a challenge depending on the type of profession people have and their availability,” Woods said.
Matt Bardsley officiates Friday night in Holden.
Anyone can become an official
Becoming an official – all ages and genders are welcome – is a relatively simple process, although it goes without saying that becoming a good official generally comes with experience.
To receive certification in basketball, one must attend 10 weekly classes that last 60 to 90 minutes apiece and get a minimum of 40 out of 50 yes/no questions correct on a written test.
A passing grade in track is also 80% on an open-book exam while it’s 80% on a closed-book (45 of 50) and 90% (45 of 50) on an open-book test in hockey, which has aspiring officials participate in a classroom seminar and an online module program that teaches fundamental skills.
Passing a background check and completing a state-mandated, online course on concussions are also required for all officials. Additionally, hockey officials who are at least 18 must complete the United States Olympic Committee SafeSport training program.
A love of the game is a given. That’s something that keeps George Valery on the basketball court.
“I don’t know if I would put this in print because my cohorts might say to me it’s not the right thing to say, but I would probably do these games for free” said Valery, a 58-year-old retired court officer and the veteran secretary/treasurer for Board 26. “I love the game that much.
“Being involved in athletics all my life, giving back. It’s almost like a rush when you’re out on the court. I love it, and the day that stops, the day that I didn’t think that I would do the games for free is the day that I quit.”
Matt Bardsley officiates Friday night in Holden.
The payoff is pretty good
Of course, officials are paid. And, at first glance, well.
They receive $90 for varsity basketball, hockey and track competitions during the regular season; $66 for junior varsity basketball and hockey games. (Postseason contests are higher and increase by the round.)
Those are recommended fees set by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, ones that will increase by $3 in each of the aforementioned sports beginning with the 2022-23 school year.
However, officials are responsible for covering their own expenses, including transportation, uniform, shoes, and dues among other things, along with paying federal and state income taxes.
That adds up, not that everyone is counting.
“With training, fees, equipment, someone can be $400 in the hole before they start,” Schese noted. “But I think a lot of the guys nowadays around here that are really stepping up aren’t necessarily doing it for the money. There is some love in the game.”
And, as a side note, all isn’t equal as a basketball game rarely lasts two hours while an indoor track meet generally goes at least twice as long as it involves six to nine teams.
The pay, though, is the same.
“I still feel sometimes like there’s a little bit of an inequity and I think that’s part of the challenge for the MIAA,” Woods said. “They can’t set the fees too high because the schools are ultimately the ones paying it.
“But to attract people who want to do the profession of officiating, that’s the challenge. Trying to make the compensation attractive enough, but working within the budgets of schools. It’s tricky for sure.”
That said, some leagues and schools deviate from the MIAA recommended fees. The Mid-Wach League, for instance, pays officials double the going rate because it recognized the lengthy time commitment.
Jim Nadeua officiates Friday night in Holden.
More work needed to solve problem
Everyone from the officials’ organizations to athletic directors to the MIAA is united in the understanding there is a serious shortage of folks willing to enforce the rules on game day and it’s a problem that needs solving
What’s lacking at the moment is an organized, focused approach, although those interviewed for this story all mentioned increased promotion would be a good place to start.
“Well, I think a lot of it can be done with better marketing,” Packard said. “That’s something we can improve upon there. The shortage isn’t only regulated just to basketball. It’s across all officiating platforms.”
That’s an area the MIAA, which does not directly train officials, could help coordinate with its 377 members, whether it’s placing posters in schools, using its student ambassadors to spread the word or more prominently displaying its “Becoming an MIAA game official” link on its website.
Woods has firsthand experience that grassroots recruiting works. The former longtime Fitchburg cross-country and track coach was officiating at a meet recently at his alma mater and looked around at his fellow officials.
“And they were all people who ran for me,” Woods said. “I recruited them when they were in high school, to get into it, and they didn’t necessarily officiate right away, but they’ve come back in.
“To me, that’s one of the best ways, to actually go after some of your own kids that you coach. And it was working.”
Anyone interested in becoming an official is welcomed with open arms, but there is certainly a heightened focus on bringing in young adults in an effort to diversify what, generally speaking, are seasoned groups.
“The age factor is concerning,” Woods said. “When I go to the (track) meetings that we have, and I’m 63, there aren’t too many people younger than me sitting in that room.”
Retention, not recruitment, plagues hockey
Meanwhile, hockey’s situation is uniquely different from basketball and track.
The sport doesn’t lack for those wanting to officiate, but the pipeline of new talent doesn’t flow like it should as many newcomers become disenchanted while working youth leagues as they gain the needed experience to make the jump to high school.
That is not, Schese surmised, primarily because of the high-profile incidents of an adult attacking a referee inside or outside the rink that invariably pop up on the local – and even national – evening news.
Rather it’s the unending and merciless riding by adults of every … single … thing … an official does or does not do.
“It’s, ‘You missed an offsides; you missed a tripping call and everything else,’ ” Schese said. “It’s the badgering that doesn’t warrant a bench minor penalty or a parent being ejected from the rink.
“It’s the constant week-in and week-out nitpicking where the kid goes, ‘I can go work at Stop & Shop and no one is standing above me nitpicking everything I do.’ The problem is not in recruiting, the problem is in retaining.”
And, of course, there’s the bashing on social media.
“You can only take so much before you say, ‘I’m out of here,’ ” Schese said.
In October, Massachusetts Hockey, the local governing entity of USA Hockey, said it was down about 900 officials from prepandemic levels with the biggest reason for those skating away being harassment by adults and players, as well.
To that end, the MIAA, in conjunction with the National Federation of High School Associations, has actively campaigned to replace criticism of officials with civility.
The future of officiating
Ten candidates took the Board 26 annual basketball officiating class in October. The group included one female who was also one of two candidates who were at least under 30, if not 40, years old (ages aren’t divulged).
Auburn High senior Kaitlyn Callahan is an honor-roll student, student council president, a unified basketball and unified track partner, plays clarinet in the marching band and, now, a basketball official.
"I’ve always enjoyed the game of basketball,” said Callahan, who played the sport until she entered high school, where she opted to pursue different interests. “And I just wanted to be a part of basketball after I graduated high school and have something I could do and continue to improve at.”
Callahan was inspired to become a referee by her mom, Laureen, who has been officiating high school basketball games for the past seven or so years. (For those wondering, approximately 2% of the officials on Board 26 are female, well below the national average of about 14%.)
“It was part of the influence of me going into it because I was able to see a little bit of behind the scenes prior to actually taking the course,” Callahan said. “And she encouraged me all along the way to take the class and continue on with it.”
Callahan doesn’t turn 18 until July, so she is currently limited to officiating middle school games. She’s gotten around with assignments in Littleton, Millbury, Shrewsbury, Westborough and West Boylston, working girls/boys doubleheaders while paired with a veteran referee.
Expectedly a tad nervous in her debut, Callahan quickly settled in. Her focus is on doing her job and honing her craft, but she also hopes to serve as a role model.
“I think as females see more females out on the court officiating it might get their interest more,” Callahan said. “I remember when I used to play basketball, I didn’t see many female officials, but that never crossed my mind. I was just like, ‘Oh, OK.’ ”
Callahan will head to Framingham State in the fall to study elementary education but plans to keep officiating for Board 26. As for the parents and players, well, so far, so good.
“For the most part I’ve found them to be very good,” Callahan said. “Not as bad as I thought it was going to be, not as bad as my mom was trying to prepare me for. She was trying to prepare me for the worst, but I have not encountered that.”
Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @richgarventg.
