Help wanted: referees to get back in the game

Visiting any business involves walking by a “Help Wanted” sign. Sports o ciating is facing the same human capital shortage across the United States. While sports o cials don’t wear Help Wanted signs at games, maybe we should. Nonetheless, we need sports o cials to o ciate games and keep our young people involved in high school athletics.

Without sports o cials, Friday night high school football and varsity basketball or soccer games could be in danger of slipping away.

Many things in our world are changing too fast. We need to keep educational-based athletics one thing the students, families and communities can depend on happening. Because of o ciating shortages, we are seeing what was a community xture of high school football, Friday Night Lights, become ursday Night Lights and Saturday Afternoon Sunlight to get the games covered by referees. Moreover, myself and other referees work high school games in New Mexico, Colorado and Utah to

GUEST COLUMN ensure the studentsathletes can play. e fraternity of sports o cials travel to games not because we get paid big money – we don’t – but because we aspire to facilitate an elusive perfect game. As a football o cial colleague states, sports o cials pursue perfection and excellence – life lessons that we can bring to our careers and our families. Great o cials share a commitment to the students-athletes, coaches and families. Furthermore, we serve a game that has likely been in our blood for years.

K. Kevin Aten

important lessons experienced by our young people who are building character and workplace skills. We take pride in knowing we o ered young people wholesome, educational-based athletics with memories that last a lifetime.

After all, without o cials, we are just runninga recess scrimmage!

We work every contest to ensure students-athletes realize lifelong learning and lessons that grow from grit, hope and tenacity. We also teach that fumbles and fouls in life happen, and we can succeed despite these momentary interruptions and obstacles. At all levels, o cials are arbiters of fair play and role models for hard work.

When my fellow o cials and I nish a game, we often speak of the

C. Richard Powell

April 25, 1931 - February 5, 2023

Dr. C. Richard Powell, who practiced dentistry for more than 50 years in Evergreen, Colorado, died February 5, 2023, in Minnesota. He was 91.

Known as Dick to his friends – and Baba to his children, grandchildren and most of their friends – his memories faded over the last few years as dementia took its toll. Blessedly, some things couldn’t be erased and always brought a spark of recognition and a smile. Foremost among them were his wife and love of his life, Helen, who predeceased him in 2015; his children, even if it was just recognizing their faces; and the Kansas Jayhawks.

A people person without peer, Baba found and made friends wherever he went. Whether it was in and around Evergreen, where he and Helen settled in 1961 and where he treated generations of patients at his o ce, rst on Main Street, and later on Bu alo Park Road. Or while visiting any of his children, from Montana to Kansas City, North Carolina to Minnesota. If we ever lost track of him (and trust us, we lost track of him a lot. In the neighborhood. At the grocery store. At the Mall of America.), we were sure to nd him deep in conversation with a new friend, most likely a fellow KU fan, breaking down that year’s team.

Dick Powell was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1931, the youngest son of Dr. John F. and Lois Cole Powell of Council Grove, Kansas. After graduating from Council Grove High School, he attended Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri, before enrolling at the University of Kansas in Lawrence at the start of his junior year. His KU years were the source of great memories, and stories. Living behind the old Dairy Queen (and being among the only people in town who could get DQ in the winter); leading his Air Force ROTC ight to parade; watching Clyde Lovellotte’s Jayhawks win a national championship in 1952. We heard them all.

In 1955, he married Helen Elizabeth

Sport o cials serve alongside a group of fellow o cials who read, study, watch and work out to be ready for the next challenging game assignment. We want to be ready for your son or daughter’s next big moment on the eld or the pitch, too. is basketball season marks my 38th year as a three-sports o cial, a combination of basketball, football and soccer. I have been fortunate to work multiple state championships. O ciating has opened numerous doors, personally and professionally. My other referee colleagues and I fear, with this acute shortage, we are on the verge of closing doors for our young people and our communities.

Let’s keep Friday Night Lights on Friday. Let’s ensure our communities and our children have competitive games and learn lifelong lessons.