22 Fort Lupton Press
LOCAL
December 1, 2021
SPORTS Not many white hats these days Athletic programs seeking official help for high-school games BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
It’s a national crisis, according to Karissa Niehoff, the executive director of the National Federation of High Schools. “It” is the shortage of officials to work high-school games. The problem is worse because of the impacts of coronavirus. Adam Laubert, former operations director for Herd of Zebras, a group that tries to find and train prospective officials, said some game officials don’t want to retire. A basketball official in semi-retirement said fan abuse is a problem. But he thought another issue was lack of qualifications to work varsity-level games which, he thinks, contributes to an often-cited reason for a lack of officials - fan abuse. A retired CHSAA baseball official blamed three things -- lack of involvement by the Colorado High School Activities Association, a lack of recruiting and retention efforts and low pay. Whatever the reason, a lack of game officials was a problem even PAID ADVERTISEMENT
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Veteran CHSAA football referee Bob Pace signals a holding call during a playoff game between Mountain Vista and Legacy at Five Star North Stadium Nov. 6. PHOTO BY STEFAN BRODSKY
before the pandemic and before certain officials didn’t want to hang up their whistles. Niehoff said in some cases, games have had to be moved and sports programs canceled. “We need more people to consider officiating high-school sports,” Niehoff said in a video presentation. “Parents need to appreciate the time and sacrifice and devotion that officials make to ensure high-school sports are available to our nation’s youth.” Pay and travel time One issue is the rate of pay. Salaries for the state’s officials depend on the sport. In baseball and basketball, each member of a two- or three-person crew earns $62.42 per game. In field hockey, the fee is $58.26 for each of the two officials. In volleyball, the fee is $50.98 for each of the two varsity-level officials and $39.02 per official for a junior-varsity or “C” team match. In Texas, high-school football officials are paid $105 to $185 per game, depending on attendance and travel distance. Baseball umpires there earned $85 in travel stipends for the first game and $70 for subsequent games in 2019. In Colorado, the travel stipend increases to $10 per game next year.
According to retired CHSAA umpire Dan Weikle, who worked statelevel playoff games during many of his 46 years as a certified baseball official, the pay for an umpire in 1964 was $10 per game. “If you extrapolate that out, that’s $88 today,” he said. “We get paid $62. The pay hasn’t kept up with inflation. In 1975, when I started, the pay waas $25 ($118 in today’s dollars).” Ray Garza is a former basketball player, former basketball coach and a basketball official in transition. He’s not signed up to work games this season but keeps his referee togs at Riverdale Ridge High School just in case. His issue with pay came in two parts – travel time and the hour before varsity-level games. In the case of a varsity level basketball game, Garza had to be in the gym an hour before scheduled tipoff time. Then there’s the time it takes to get to a gym. In some cases, thanks to traffic, it can take an hour. Garza’s problem isn’t necessarily with the travel time. It’s the hour before the game begins that’s unpaid “What job asks that?” Garza said. “If they could build in something, $10 for gas would be a step. Basketball officials get $48 but no pregame fee.” Game officials are independent contractors; by law, they cannot form a union. Weikle said state’s schools pay CHSAA a fee, part of which goes toward running officials’ associations. “It’s not in CHSAA’s best interests to give us a raise,” Weikle said. “They want to make officials’ pay cost-effective for all the schools.” Recruiting and retention At one time, CHSAA offered training to prospective officials. That’s not the case anymore. Weinkle said even an appearance at a high-school career day would help. Weikle said CHSAA was “good to him” during the time he served as an official. “I don’t have an ax to grind. The system worked for me. I worked
state championships in football, basketball and baseball,” Wrinkle said. “CHSAA does nothing to support high-school athletic officials. They leave it to the sports officials’ jurisdictions. CHSAA has a direct connection to the schools, which could do more to get the word out needing more officials. That could pave the way for us to get into the high schools. We could hit as many kids as we could and may get 12 or 15 to stick.” Representatives from CHSAA could not be reached for comment by press time. Dealing with abuse Public address announcers read a statement from the Colorado High School Activities Association that encourages proper ways to support the players and game officials. Niehoff agreed during her video presentation. “We need players, coaches, parents and other fans to be respectful to ensure that those individuals who are currently officiating continue to do so,” Niehoff said. “Cheer positively for the student-athlete and not criticize the officials. The profession is tougher than we might think.” Garza took it a step farther. “Some officials need to be at the middle-school level. But we have such a shortage of officials,” he said. “Some just aren’t ready for the high school level. It’s tough officiating. And if you’re not prepared, it causes frustration among the spectators. Some can’t keep up with the pace. We need bodies to fill the void. But some aren’t working to be better at their craft.” Weikle said his problem wasn’t with high-school fans and coaches. His issue was with summer league organizations. “CHSAA handles the coaches well,” he said. “The summer leagues and organizations treat the spectators and parents as clients. And as they say, the customer is always right. If the organization comes SEE OFFICIALS, P24
Emotional day for Andrews’ letter-signing ceremony BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
There was a little more to Bryce Andrews’ letter-of-intent signing party at Fort Lupton High School Nov. 19 than just well-wishes, applause, signing for college and snacks. Andrews was overcome with tears, so much so that his stepmother, Chaundra Bell, stepped in with a pat on the shoulder and a well-timed embrace. Andrews, who signed to play basketball with the Kangaroos of Austin College in Sherman, Texas, lost a brother to suicide. That prompted his desire to be a psychologist. “Anyone I can help through therapy, that’s my dream,” Andrews
said. “It’s a huge day. I’m glad everyone is here. I’m glad I’m here. I never thought I’d be in this situation. I never thought I’d be playing basketball to this day. It’s unfathomable. “My mom left at a young age,” Andrews continued. “It was just me, my brother and my dad. My brother passed away. There were days when I wondered what I would do. I was mad at the world. I turned that negative energy into something positive, and it worked out. Basketball was a home away from home. It’s a stressfree place. It was my sanctuary. “My dad and basketball. That’s what I had.” Andrews was born in Texas. His father came to Colorado because of work. “The culture is different. It’s an
hour from my sister, my nieces, my grandmother,” he said. “It felt right. It was the right place to go. I want to be a psychologist or a therapist (he wants to minor in kinesiology), and they have the right program. It’s a great place to go.” Principal John Biner said he didn’t know Andrews particularly well. “One thing I will tell you is he’s an outstanding young man,” Biner said. “People visit with him because he attracts people. He’s a great student. The leadership he shows is welcome.” Athletic director Cora Lanter said Andrews got the opportunity for college sports because of his academics and commitment to schoolwork. SEE SIGNING, P26
