USTA-Referee-Magazine-March-2025

SOFTBALL

USA SOFTBALL NEW RULES

FOOTBALL

CLEAN HANDS

SOCCER

THE 4TH OFFICIAL

ALL SPORTS

GET WHAT YOU WANT

BASEBALL

VOLLEYBALL

CHEST TO THE BALL

R2 CHECKLIST

MARCH 2025 // REFEREE.COM

RIGHT THE REPORT

EJECTIONS INCARCERATION CAMP P. 52

GAP COVERAGE P. 36

BASKETBALL

YOUR INTEGRITY QUESTIONED? KAILI KIMURA

ON THE GO

P. 18

your voice member since edition 1976 $6.95 Cover_0325.indd 1

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CONTENTS

MARCH 2025 Volume 50, No. 3 Issue 581 20

FEATURES 20

COURTS OF APPEAL Excelling at the highest level of one sport is extremely difficult. Kaili Kimura does it in two sports.

36

HELP ALONG THE WAY How do we support officials in the journey through officiating?

52

MAKEUP GAME While incarcerated during World War II, JapaneseAmericans played baseball at Manzanar. In 2024, a California league returned to mark the field’s restoration.

72

EJECTION REPORTS We provide some tips to make your next ejection report a less-painful process.

SPORTS 12

ON THE COVER Michael Lloyd Renton, Wash.

24

Age: 65 Occupation: Retired USAF Master Sergeant

MARK MYERS (COVER), COURTESY OF PAVO (KIMURA), COURTESY OF SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLIC BROADCASTING. ©2023 SDPB | TIM TUSHLA (SOCCER)

Officiating experience: 36-year high school basketball official in Washington, Maryland and Japan. Has refereed numerous boys’ and girls’ state basketball tournaments and championship games, including the Washington state 2024 girls’ 4A championship game. Also officiates high school girls’ volleyball.

30

44

BASKETBALL

Integral Integrity: Know Which Type of Questioning Is Out of Bounds; Got Your Back, Jack; Three Holes in Three-Person

SOCCER

May the 4th Be With You: The Importance of the Fourth Official; Delay Tactics; Show of Authority

COLUMNS 4

PUBLISHER’S MEMO

6

THE GAG RULE

8

FOOTBALL

It Comes in Handy: The Clean Hands Principle Explained; Judging Catchable vs. Uncatchable Passes; Is That a Touchback or Safety? It Depends; When Giving Is Better Than Receiving

BASEBALL

Strings Attached: Perfecting Chest-to-Ball Mechanics; Breaking the Plane; The Hidden Data of Umpiring; Attack the Slot

56

SOFTBALL

64

VOLLEYBALL

74

ALL SPORTS

Officiating Life

Letters: Standards; They Get It; They Said It

FOR THE RECORD

80

LAW

81

CLASSIFIEDS

THE NEWS

Former NFL Referees Tunney, Hamer Die; MLB, Umpires Tentatively Agree on New CBA; Several Cases of Assaults Reported; Shortage Captures Media Attention

42 PROFILES

From Stay-at-Home Mom to Trailblazing Official; ‘I Used to Hate That Word’; Mexican Representation

70

78

GETTING IT RIGHT

MIAA Flips for Officials; Women Making Waves in NFL; Violet Takes the Field

82

Professional Soccer Playoff Assignments; CFL Playoff Assignments When Ball Turns to Brawl; Fight Protocol Examples Camps/Clinics/Schools; Equipment/Apparel; Leadership Resources; Training Resources

LAST CALL

Owed to Joe: “Every time I step on a football field, I think of the many lessons he taught me and the examples he set for me ... I owe it all to this one special man who made sure I got better every time we spoke.”

SOCCER HIGHLIGHT THIS MONTH

Changing the Conversation: New USA Softball Rules Allow Communication Devices; Shades of Gray; De-fence-less; The Time Between Make a List, Check It Twice: R2’s Mental Checklist to Keep Match Flowing; Sub Conscious; U Can’t Touch This Goal to Go: What It Takes to Get What You Want; Kids’ Games Are the Fountain of Youth; It Takes a Team to Run a Game

At higher levels of soccer, including NFHS, USSF, NCAA and FIFA, the referee and assistant referees are sometimes accompanied by a fourth official.

FOR MORE, GO TO PAGE 24

Find Referee Magazine on Facebook and follow RefereeMag on X

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PUBLISHER’S MEMO Watch the video at referee.com/pubmemo

Chief Strategy Officer/Publisher Barry Mano

Officiating Life It was 10:30 at night, Oct. 20. I had just laid down in bed and was still fully awake. My wife, Jean, had finished up in her bathroom and had come bedside. Right at that time I noticed we might have left a light on in the hallway leading to our bedroom, which is on our second floor. I mentioned that and Jean said she would go and check on it.

I heard her walking down the stairway, so I figured she saw a light still on down on the first floor. I heard her moving on the first floor. Then I heard her starting to come back up the 13 stairs.

Then I heard two thuds like I have never heard before. I heard Jean moaning. I jumped up and got to the top of the stairs. In a crumbled heap at the bottom of the stairs lay Jean, and I could see a pool of blood already forming next to her. I ran down and there was blood drenching her nightgown, the floor and her face. I noticed a bad gash on her right forearm and obviously she sustained an injury to the back of her head. We rushed to the hospital ER, which is 10 minutes from our house.

At the ER they did scans and found serious internal damage.

Fractured and displaced C2 and T3 vertebrae. Two broken ribs and clavicle. Broken finger on her left hand and she had sustained a hematoma, bleeding on the brain.

From that ER they rushed her to a neurosurgery ICU at a major hospital in Milwaukee. That was early on that Monday morning and began a full week of monitoring. They had her on a breathing machine and others.

Her system was not responding well.

Throughout that entire week not a single word was able to be shared between us nor with our daughter, Julie, who was on hand every day.

Finally, on the following Sunday, Amanda, one of the ICU team, came to me and said she felt we should have a conversation about “quality of life” for Jean. Whoa! When I heard

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that, I retreated a bit and told her I wanted to have my daughter at my side for such a conversation. Julie quickly drove up from Chicago and the three of us met. Amanda laid out the options, without making any recommendation. The last one was called the “comfort path.” This was offered because of the medical team’s belief that even with very successful surgery, Jean would spend the rest of her life on a breathingsupport mechanism and living in a rehab center. Amanda asked for our thoughts, our recommendation.

Julie and I heard Amanda out and then excused ourselves. And this is where officiating comes into play.

I, like you, have officiating as part of my DNA. When presented with a situation, my instinct is to act and act now, to make a decision based on what’s in front of me. I needed my daughter there to slow me down. She is a highly respected attorney and her evaluation process is always so full of context.

Together we spent private time working our way through our tears and those options that had been presented to us. My instinctive reaction was to not condemn Jean to a life I knew she would not want.

Julie tempered our conversation with her unique skill set. Then, together, we instructed the medical team to stop life-sustaining measures. Jean’s “comfort path” lasted less than 12 hours.

Jean and I were married for 56 years. When I started Referee she was a high school foreign-language teacher, with a minor in English. For the first three years, we lived off her salary. I always liked to say: “Without Jean, there would be no Referee magazine.” Importantly, she served as the “final editor” of every issue of this magazine, right up to the time that she took the “comfort path.” Sure did love that girl.

Chief Operating Officer/Executive Editor Bill Topp Chief Marketing Officer Jim Arehart Chief Business Development Officer Ken Koester Editor Brent Killackey Assistant Managing Editor Julie Sternberg Senior Editor Jeffrey Stern Associate Editors Joe Jarosz Brad Tittrington Scott Tittrington Assistant Editor Brad Star Director of Design, Digital Media and Branding Ross Bray Publication Design Manager Matt Bowen Creative Designer Dustin Brown Creative Designer Rob VanKammen Video Coordinator Mike Dougherty Comptroller Marylou Clayton Director of Marketing & Audience Development Dan Olson Data Analyst/Fulfillment Manager Judy Ball Director of Administration and Sales Support Cory Ludwin Office Administrator Garrett Randall Client Services Support Specialists Lisa Burchell Trina Cotton Bryce Killackey Editorial Contributors Jon Bible, Mark Bradley, George Demetriou, Alan Goldberger, Judson Howard, Peter Jackel, Dan Ronan, Tim Sloan, Steven L. Tietz, Rick Woelfel These organizations offer ongoing assistance to Referee: Collegiate Commissioners Association, MLB, MLS, NBA, NCAA, NFHS, NISOA, NFL, NHL, Minor League Baseball Umpire Development and U.S. Soccer.

Their input is appreciated.

Contributing Photographers Ralph Echtinaw, Dale Garvey, Carin Goodall-Gosnell, Bill Greenblatt, Jann Hendry, Keith Johnston, Jack Kapenstein, Ken Kassens, Bob Messina, Bill Nichols, Ted Oppegard, Heston Quan, Dean Reid, VIP Editorial Board Mark Baltz, Jeff Cluff, Ben Glass, Mike Graf, Reggie Greenwood, John O’Neill, George Toliver, Ellen Townsend Advertising 2017 Lathrop Ave., Racine, WI 53405 Phone: 262-632-8855 advertising@referee.com

Founded in 1976 by Barry and Jean Mano.

REFEREE (ISSN 0733+1436) is published monthly, $49.95 per year in U.S., $84.95 in Canada, Mexico and foreign countries, by Referee Enterprises, Inc., 2017 Lathrop Ave., Racine, WI 53405. Periodical postage paid at Racine, WI and at additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes and undeliverables to REFEREE, PO Box 319 Congers, NY 10920. Direct subscription inquiries, other mail to REFEREE, PO Box 319 Congers, NY 10920. 1-800-733-6100. © 2025 Referee Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. (USPS Publication #107790.) Subscribers: Send address changes to REFEREE, PO Box 319 Congers, NY 10920.

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STANDING BEHIND

YOU

AND YOUR GAME Baseball • Basketball • Football • Lacrosse • Soccer Softball • Volleyball • Wrestling

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THE GAG RULE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

LETTERS

SAY WHAT?

Standards

Jeff Camp Spokane, Wash.

THEY GET IT

greg sankey

“There’s a certain amount of contact that’s allowed between a defensive back and a wide receiver. There’s a certain level of technique at the line of scrimmage that football fans may not always understand. I appreciate our officials. They spend an incredible amount of time dedicated to getting it right. When they don’t get it right, they feel poorly. They want to be perfect.”

— SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on The Paul Finebaum Show during the 2024 college football season

THEY SAID IT

“You always ask me, ‘What have you learned as a head coach?’ Well, sometimes yelling at the referee works and sometimes — most of the time — they’re right.”

— Jerod Mayo, former head coach of the New England Patriots, during an interview on The Greg Hill Show

Jerod Mayo

“An estimated $84 million per game was bet on the NCAA March Madness Tournaments last year.”

— Statistic presented in the NCAA “Match Fixing and Integrity Threats” video, produced in collaboration with SportRadar, required for all registered NCAA officials to educate them about the sports betting threats across college athletics

SURVEY SAYS How does your social activity engagement with fellow officials compare to five years ago?

24% 37% 39% MORE LESS

NO CHANGE SOURCE: SOCIAL MEDIA SURVEY OF 151 FOLLOWERS

Tell Us What You Think Send email to letters@referee.com Send letters to: Editor, Referee, 2017 Lathrop Ave. Racine, Wis. 53405 Opinions expressed in “The Gag Rule” are not necessarily those of Referee. Unless otherwise stated, letters sent to Referee are intended for publication and become the property of Referee.

© KIRBY LEE-IMAGN IMAGES ;© KIRBY LEE-IMAGN IMAGES

Barry Mano’s Memo (12/24) is on target. Like most associations, we recognize the many problems we face that are unique to our sport, yet have no great solutions to recruitment, retention, discipline and the “administrative state.”

Because high school and middle school softball is healthy and well-paying in our area, it also attracts recruits looking for a quick payday, not recognizing the work required nor the challenges it presents.

Game times. We play in the afternoon, which deters most working new recruits. Very few have a schedule that allows them to umpire 4 p.m. games. If we can’t attract them to umpire school ball, there’s no way we can attract them to recreational softball. Schools have been very reluctant to move game times for a number of reasons.

Cost. Most new recruits balk at the amount of money it will cost them in terms of registration fees, dues, rulebooks/mechanics manuals, uniforms and equipment before they step on a field.

Training. Most new recruits seem unwilling to consistently attend training sessions, nor seek out additional schooling. Many expect varsity assignments year one. Post COVID, winter indoor training facilities (schools) are now unavailable or too expensive. USA Softball does offer several national umpire schools occasionally on the West Coast, but the costs of attending, travel and housing greatly diminish their appeal. You can’t recoup your investment in future game fees.

Administrative state. Many umpires are retiring and/or refusing to register because of mandatory DEI or SafeSport requirements that have little or nothing to do with umpiring. If our association had more than 100 umpires when I began nearly 20 years ago, it wouldn’t impact our coverage of games. Now we have less than 40 umpires; it has a huge effect on how we cover games.

Yes, we have been forced to lower the standard. I don’t see a fix in the future.

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THE NEWS Former NFL Referees Tunney, Hamer Die

Hamer

The NFL family lost two former referees at the end of 2024. Jim Tunney, often referred to as the Dean of NFL Referees, and Dale Hamer died within weeks of each other.

Tunney died Dec. 12 in Pebble Beach, Calif. He was 95. When his 31-year career began in 1960, the 30-year-old Tunney was the league’s youngest official. He began as a field judge before being promoted to referee in 1967.

He worked a record 29 postseasons, including Super Bowls VI, XI and XII. He is the only referee to work consecutive Super Bowls.

Tunney was the referee for two of the most memorable playoff games in NFL history. He refereed the 1981 NFC Championship Game, in which Dwight Clark’s leaping grab of a Joe Montana pass propelled San Francisco to victory over Dallas. The play has become known as “The Catch.” His 1988 NFC Divisional Game assignment

between Chicago and Philadelphia was played in a dense fog. Tunney occasionally turned on his microphone and announced the ball position, down and distance for a first down to aid fans and television viewers.

Tunney was the alternate for the 1967 “Ice Bowl” between Green Bay and Dallas. “It was a great game to be part of, and I just happened to be at the right place, right time,” he recalled. “Even though it was cold that day, I came out of it unscathed.

Bill Schleibaum and Joe Connell didn’t have any plastic on their whistles and the whistles froze to their lips. When they pulled them off, it pulled some skin off their lips. I cringe every time I think of that.”

Tunney was the first referee named to broadcaster John Madden’s AllMadden Team.

“Jim had a certain style, a look, he was fit, tall and slender, and a lot of us See “Tunney/Hamer” p.11

NEW YORK — MLB and the Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA) shared an early Christmas present Dec. 23 when it was announced the two sides had tentatively agreed on a new five-year collective bargaining agreement, pending ratification by MLB owners and the umpiring staff.

The previous contract between MLB and the MLBUA expired at the end of the 2024 season.

Should the new CBA be agreed upon, it would continue a lengthy run of labor harmony between the two sides. Previous five-year deals were reached prior to the 2020, 2015, 2010 and 2005 seasons.

“It’s a fair contract and the OTC (Office of the Commissioner) treated us with respect throughout the negotiations,” the union said in a statement. “We understand the role we play in our game and have worked hard to build our relationship into a partnership with open communications. We look forward to the continued positive growth in the game in the years to come.”

One of the major topics up for discussion in the most recent round of negotiations is the See “New CBA” p.10

THE WIRE Longtime MLS Referee Retires

Longtime MLS referee Ted Unkel has retired, he announced Dec. 30 in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Unkel, a 13year veteran in the MLS, has worked the MLS Cup

Playoffs, the 2023 MLS All-Star Game, the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final and the 2014 North American Soccer League championship game. He was a FIFA panel member from 2016-21. Unkel made his MLS debut in 2013 and officiated his first women’s pro game in Women’s Professional Soccer (now the National Women’s Soccer League) in 2009.

Jail Time for Man Who Hit Umpire

A Columbus, Ohio, man who assaulted a recreational league umpire after disagreeing with a call and being ejected from a softball game will spend 30 days in jail. Gregory Roudabush, 40, pleaded guilty Dec. 13 to an assault charge in Franklin County Municipal Court; he received three years of probation in addition to the jail time.

During a Columbus Recreation and Parks Department adult slow-pitch softball game on April 18, 2023, at Lou Berliner Park, Roudabush was catching and the home plate umpire asked him to move over a bit to one side. The umpire reported that Roudabush became verbally abusive and argumentative, resulting in his ejection. Roudabush then hit the umpire in the face.

DAVE STOCK (TUNNEY), PATRICK MURPHY (HAMER), WALTER G. ARCE SR./ZUMAPRESS/NEWSCOM (UNKEL)

Tunney

MLB, Umpires Tentatively Agree on New CBA

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THE NEWS

Spike in Assaults Reported at Year’s End The holiday season brought a number of reports of assaults on sports officials.

• A disturbing scene unfolded during a middle school basketball tournament Nov. 21 in Papillion, Neb., when fans rushed the court after a referee made a call they disagreed with. One of those fans — Joshua Littrell, 40 — allegedly pushed and punched the official, leading to his arrest for misdemeanor assault on a referee.

The referee, who asked not to be identified, had stopped the game to address unsporting behavior with several minutes left on the clock in a private tournament at a public school in Papillion. Littrell was released from the Sarpy County Jail after paying $1,000 for bond on a misdemeanor.

If convicted, the charge carries a maximum sentence of up to a year in jail.

• A parent is facing charges after attacking a referee during a middle school basketball game Dec. 13 in Burlington, Iowa. Urban Morris, 42, is charged with assault, a serious misdemeanor; assault, a simple misdemeanor; disorderly conduct, a simple misdemeanor; and two counts of first-degree harassment,

an aggravated misdemeanor, for allegedly assaulting a referee in the locker room after a game at Edward Stone Middle School.

Morris was held on a $17,000 bond with a preliminary hearing set for Dec. 27 at the Des Moines County Courthouse.

This isn’t the first time Morris has been arrested for assault of a sports official. In April 2022, Morris punched referee Patrick Weber in the face during a fundraiser basketball tournament at a Fort Madison, Iowa, middle school. He pleaded guilty to the charge and served 194 days in jail, 14 of those days for contempt charges for verbal incidents during court proceedings.

• The coach of a youth basketball team from New York is accused of punching a referee in the face during a game at a sports complex in Lancaster County, Pa. Jomo Belfor, 41, of Mount Vernon, N.Y., allegedly assaulted the referee over a foul call he disagreed with during a game on Dec. 22 at the Spooky Nook Sports complex in Manheim, Pa. Belfor is facing multiple charges, including assault on a sports official, harassment and disorderly conduct.

New CBA

continued from p.8

possible use of electronic strike zones at the game’s highest level, of which MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has been a vocal proponent. MLB has been experimenting with different versions of automated balls and strikes (ABS) in recent minor league seasons, including a limited challenge system.

The new agreement may open the door to the use of ABS during spring training ahead of the 2025 MLB season, although Manfred has said he does not believe the system would be implemented during the 2025 regular season.

The last significant labor issue between MLB and its arbiters occurred in 1999, when the umpires union, under the guidance of Richie Phillips, engaged in a mass resignation strategy, only to see MLB call that bluff in a move that resulted in 22 MLB umpires losing their jobs. Half of those umpires were rehired by MLB as of the start of the 2005 season.

The now quarter-century of labor peace stands in stark contrast to the latter part of the 20th century, when umpires participated in work stoppages in 1970, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1990, 1991 and 1995.

SOURCES: MLB.COM, ESPN.COM

SOURCES: KWQC-TV, WHP-TV, WOWT-TV

THE WIRE Premier League Referee Fired

Premier League referee David Coote has been fired by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organization announced Dec. 9, citing a “serious breach” of his contract. Coote had been under investigation after a leaked video, which showed him ranting about Liverpool and its former manager Jurgen Klopp. He is also under investigation by UEFA after a video published by The Sun allegedly showed him snorting

a white powder while on duty at Euro 2024. Coote was not fired for his behavior directly relating to the Klopp incident or the video when he was on UEFA duty, but for his general conduct, which was viewed to have fallen below the expected standard, according to ESPN.

Referee Dies After Collapsing on Court

A referee who collapsed during a high school basketball game Dec. 17 in Wichita, Kan., died on Dec. 26. John Thompson, 59,

collapsed during a junior varsity game at Heights High School in Wichita. A trainer performed CPR and revived Thompson, but he was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Thompson had surgery the following day and was stable for a few days after that, but remained in the hospital before dying.

Referee Left Bloodied After Brawl

A brawl broke out Dec. 28 near the end of the Military Bowl between East Carolina and N.C.

State, and an official was left injured after trying to intervene.

East Carolina attempted to run out the clock after scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 1:33 remaining in the fourth quarter when a large-scale fight broke out. While trying to break up some of the players, umpire Rod Tucker inadvertently took a helmet to the face and sustained a cut beneath his left eye. Tucker could be seen bleeding and received medical attention on the field. Eight players were ejected following the scuffle.

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Shortage Captures Media Attention Media outlets in various parts of the country took note in recent months of the impact the nationwide shortage of sports officials has had on the sport of basketball, which in most places has previously seemed less impacted by the shortage.

MyEdmondsNews.com, an online publication for a Washington state community north of Seattle, noted in December 2024 that the high school girls’ basketball season “has gotten off to a rocky start” largely because of a lack of referees. Several games were canceled. Earlier in the fall, local high school volleyball matches had to be postponed and rescheduled because

Tunney/Hamer

continued from p.8

copied him in the way we did things,” retired NFL referee Bill Carollo said of his longtime friend. “Jim went out of his way to help and mentor young officials when we came into the league.”

In 1992, NASO named Tunney the recipient of the Gold Whistle Award.

He was a member of NASO’s board of directors from 1989-91, including a term as vice chair.

After retirement, the former school administrator served as a motivational speaker, and he authored four books, including Chicken Soup for the Sports Fan’s Soul.

NBA Referee Receives Threat

The official NBA Referees account on X, formerly Twitter, made a post Dec. 12 sharing a threatening message that the wife of an NBA referee received on Instagram. “Your husband should be publicly executed for his performance,” the message read.

“Hope your son gains acquires (sic) cancer and suffers horribly before perishing.” The NBA Referees account, which kept the targeted official anonymous, said threats of violence to officials

of the shortage of officials.

WLWT-TV reported in December 2024 that a nationwide shortage was having impacts in greater Cincinnati.

Games had to be canceled and rescheduled because there were not enough officials.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association told WLWT creative scheduling was needed to handle the shortage. Freshman and JV games were getting canceled in some instances.

In neighboring Kentucky, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) said there were 8% fewer basketball referees this

year than last year, leading to games getting canceled, WLWT-TV reported.

“We saw over the last several years to where it was the freshman and JV games that were getting canceled so we’d have enough officials for varsity,” said Butch Cope, associate commissioner for the KHSAA. Wyoming faced similar challenges.

“We just don’t have enough officials to officiate all of the contests when schools want to have them,” Chad Whitworth, the associate commissioner for officials at the Wyoming High School Activities Association, told Cowboy State Daily.

Tunney was nominated numerous times for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and Carollo believes Tunney has earned that honor.

“He made that No. 32 on his uniform famous; his game management skills were extraordinary. He showed confidence and he was always in control. Jim is on the very short list of officials who deserve it.”

Hamer, 87, of Fairhope, Pa., died Nov. 29. Having launched his officiating career in 1962, Hamer worked more than 500 high school and college basketball games and more than 400 high school and college football games. He was hired by the NFL in 1978 as a head linesman and

also worked as a line judge until moving to referee in 1989.

Heart surgery cost him the 199597 seasons. He returned as a head linesman in 1998 and worked four more seasons, then moved into the replay booth from 2002-14.

Hamer’s uncle, James E. “Tex” Hamer, was an NFL official from 1947-60 and was later an officiating observer.

Hamer worked 20 playoff games as well as Super Bowls XVII and XXII. He was president of the NFL Referees Association from 1996-99.

Survivors include his wife, two daughters and five grandchildren.

and their family members are “intolerable” and that “referees and their families are human beings.”

Hockey Player Suspended for Threat A Swedish hockey player was suspended and fined for threatening a female official in December. Dick Axelsson, a former Detroit Red Wings draft pick who has been playing for Djurgadens IF in Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan league, was on his way to the penalty

SOURCES: LEGACY.COM, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE

box when he told referee Anna Hammar, “Put your hands on me again and you know what happens.” Hammar asked him to repeat himself and he doubled down, Hammar wrote in her report to the league’s disciplinary committee. Axelsson was suspended for three games and fined about $700, according to a statement from HockeyAllsvenskan.

Referee Fired After Being Drugged, Missing Match A Mexican referee was fired in

December after failing to turn up to officiate a match in October, amid reports he had sustained injuries from a sex worker he hired. Rosario Guadalupe Cardenas had been appointed fourth official in an Oct. 19 match between Monterrey and Tigres, but was replaced the day of due to “medical reasons.” Former referee Francisco Chacon later stated Cardenas had been drugged and assaulted by a sex worker the night before the game.

SOURCES: THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH, DAILY MAIL, ESPN, FOX SPORTS, KWCH-TV, YARDBARKER

REFEREE March 2025 |

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BASKETBALL

EDITOR: SCOTT TITTRINGTON

stittrington@referee.com

RULES, MECHANICS, PHILOSOPHY

It’s perfectly acceptable for a coach to ask Jaime Oseguera, Montebello, Calif., a question about why he made a particular ruling during a game. If the conversation shifts to questioning the integrity of the official, however, punitive measures need to be employed.

INTEGRAL INTEGRITY

By Tim Sloan

I

f it weren’t for the emotions and drama in basketball, a reasonable game fee might be about 20 bucks. We could do it just for the fun of it.

According to many officials, though, it’s the things we have to put up with that place a premium on what we’re willing to work for. Fans will be fans. There’s little we can do about them that isn’t better handled by the constabulary. Players are penalized when they cross the line; their actions

have an immediate effect on the line score, their ongoing participation and their coach’s blood pressure. The coaches, meanwhile, lead a charmed existence, subject to certain rules of tolerance that don’t appear in any rulebook. At least, that’s the way some officials treat them.

In my experience, coaches come in three basic types. First are the straight shooters. They’re the ones who will focus on winning the game and instructing their players. They’ll speak to you occasionally for clarification

and rarely produce an outburst when disappointed in our rulings. These folks seem to understand that if we were mutually wonderful, we’d all be on ESPN on Saturday afternoon. They seldom bleat because they wouldn’t tolerate the same in their classroom … they might have a pet unicorn, too.

The second type is the lifer. These are coaches for whom basketball seems to be their all-consuming focus. They invest great effort in their preparation before, and execution during, the game. Their state of mind

HESTON QUAN

Know Which Type of Questioning Is Out of Bounds

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and level of animation ebbs and flows as events transpire. The result is, while they can be very unhappy with a decision you just made, it isn’t personal. They state their opinions — sometimes vociferously — but are usually smart enough to avoid embarrassing you or saying the magic words that will get them in trouble.

Finally, there are the sweethearts; the ones who view referees as merely another cobblestone on their road to the Final Four. Every interaction with the officials, among their many targets, is calculated to gain advantage, with a side of intimidation.

How they do it varies. Some are statisticians applying the null hypothesis. They helpfully remind you all the numbers on the scoreboard should be about equal for both teams.

Others are the whistleblowers — quick to remind you of how dimly the state office views blind buffoons like you. Still others like to turn your relationship into a pantomime of stares, smirks or disgust calculated to turn the crowd against you in a way that is unquotable. The end game for all of them is egging you into a halfdozen needed points they can’t gain by skill alone.

Remarkably, way too many officials cave to the sweethearts — the ones who can ruin our nights. Why? There are many reasons, it seems.

Some of us played for a coach just like that and figure it’s the norm. Others have a phobia the coach really can influence their future assignments.

There are also officials who are bred to avoid conflict and choose not to notice the person cartwheeling in front of them. And, yes, some of us just don’t care: The world out there is like this, they claim. Why should a basketball game be any different? I suppose you can also fill in your own character profile, too, for someone I haven’t described.

What can be done? Scratch that: What should be done? That’s an easy one. You should apply the rules as written and deal with the people who are ruining the game. A sad notion in the 2020s seems to be that a problem you face is best dealt with if you can make it someone else’s. They used to call that passing the buck. We’re not

talking about the first two coaches I described above. They’re working for the same purposes as you; it’s reasonable to cut them a little slack if they have an issue with a judgment you’ve made. If they do happen to cross the line, T’ing them up comes across as an act of mutual agreement.

You know they had it coming, they know they had it coming, and life goes on. But let’s focus on the Lotharios who are bringing the game into disrepute. What are their motivations?

The statisticians are the ones who remind you it’s six fouls to one against their team. They aren’t proving they can read; they’re trying to suggest you’re treating their team unequally. They’re implying you don’t understand the unwritten code that fouls should be even. That being the case, they’re suggesting you should even things up, regardless of the gang tackles you might already have witnessed. Worse would be the insinuation you’re somehow biased or even prejudiced against their team or in favor of their opponent.

The whistleblowers are the people who will try to intimidate you by suggesting you can either submit to them now or wish you had, later.

They’re trying to shame you into their own redemption. Finally, the coaches who try to humiliate you want to get rulings out of you that will make it all stop. In all three cases, they are challenging integrity: the integrity of the game, the integrity of the rules, but — most importantly — yours.

This can never be allowed to happen.

If it ever becomes apparent your integrity has gone in the porcelain, you’ll never get it back in the game … or perhaps ever.

We owe it to ourselves, the sport, other officials and all the other coaches who behave themselves to never get in this spot. But here’s the thing: You don’t deal with it by lying in wait and seizing the moment for the heroic technical or disqualification just when Coach hits the high note.

By then, it’s already gone too long; you seem like you’ve dithered and are now trying to clean up your own mess. Instead, you must proactively address the bad behavior when you

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BY THE NUMBERS

The number of consecutive days worked

by NCAAM basketball official Roger Ayers to open the 202425 season. After making his season debut on Nov. 4 in a game between Elon and North Carolina, Ayers did not have a day off until Dec. 5. During that stretch he worked in 15 different states and traveled more than 26,000 miles.

SOURCE: THE FIELD OF 68 X ACCOUNT

SIDELINE D-II CCA Announces New Officiating Award The Division II Conference Commissioners Association (CCA) in December announced the inaugural recipients of the 2024 Excellence in Officiating Awards.

The awards were created to recognize outstanding officials throughout the NCAA Division II ranks.

The 2024 female basketball recipients were LaSonia Baker (Southeast), Sue Kovensky (Atlantic), Amy Sanchez (Central), Lezley Smith (West) and Jennifer White (South Central). The 2024 male basketball recipients were Gene Grimshaw (Midwest), Craig Helser (Central), Matt Mason (West) and Corey Taylor (South).

THEY SAID IT “In some ways it feels a bit like a fever dream where you look back and you go, ‘What incredibly good fortune to be part of the work that I believe was going to happen anyway.’

The NBA’s commitment to forward progress, to social justice, to moving sport forward in so many important and nuanced ways … that movement started well before me and is going to just continue way beyond.”

– Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, who in October announced her retirement from the NBA after becoming the league’s third fulltime female official SOURCE: APNEWS.COM

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BASKETBALL

TEST YOURSELF In each of the following, decide which answer or answers are correct for NFHS, NCAA men’s and NCAA women’s rules, which might vary.

Solutions: p. 81.

1. During pregame warmups, A1 taunts B2 and is assessed a technical foul. All of the following are true, except which? a. Team A shall be assessed a team foul for the first quarter (NCAAM: first half). b. The technical foul counts toward A1’s five personal fouls toward disqualification. c. Team B shall be awarded two free throws. d. After the free throws, the game is resumed with a jump ball. e. Team A’s head coach shall lose coaching box privileges.

2. Following the final horn that ends regulation time with the score tied at 63, A1 is assessed a technical foul for taunting B2. Which of the following is true? a. The free throws are shot immediately to determine whether an overtime period is needed. b. If either of team B’s free throws are successful, the overtime period is not played. c. Overtime shall begin with two free throws to team B and then a jump ball. d. Overtime shall begin with two free throws to team B and then a throw-in to team B.

first begin to see it. How you deal with it is up to you; many pro and college officials say it depends on your own personality.

I’ve been known to suggest to the statisticians they use a timeout; get the team together and dispel the notion I’ll grow weary of calling hand checks.

I’ve told the whistleblowers it’s a free country, but that’s not going to help them in the next 18 minutes … or less.

The humiliators get a warning faster than they can say, “James Naismith.”

That’s accompanied by a face-to-face visit for everyone present to witness and surmise the dialogue. In all three cases, the result can be anywhere from compliance to nada. If it’s the latter, when the time comes, everyone will know they did it to themselves. But all of this is just me. In your case, do it your way to make them believers, but stay beyond reproach.

This is heavy stuff, I admit. It’s no fun writing about how to deal with some of the problem-childrenin-suits we occasionally come across.

The fact of the matter is, however, that we make the avocation look

bad by failing to deal with them appropriately. We make it worse for us, worse for our fellow officials, worse for the game … and worse for them. Put yourself in the position of those coaches, who teach a roomful of students, interact with protective parents and go to the grocery store for a gallon of milk. If they get away with their antics on the court, why shouldn’t anyone they encounter expect to treat them the same way?

Sure, some think they’re a rockstar, but others see them as a symbol of what pisses them off about the rest of their daily lives. Who knows? Perhaps by dealing firmly with these people, you’re giving one person sitting up there a breath of fresh air.

When the officials deal effectively with the coaches, it protects the integrity of the game. Be proactive when they question you but take care of business when they challenge you.

It benefits everyone.

Tim Sloan, Davenport, Iowa, is a high school football, basketball and volleyball official, and former college football and soccer official. 

3. During the dead ball following an out-of-bounds violation by team B, substitute B6 replaces B1. When is the soonest B1 may re-enter the game? a. Only during the first opportunity to substitute after the game clock has properly started. b. If a violation occurs by either team during team A’s throw-in. c. If a foul is committed by either team during team A’s throw-in. d. If a foul or violation is committed by team A during team A’s throw-in.

4. A1 is assessed a technical foul shortly before the overtime period is to begin. Prior to B2’s first free throw for A1’s technical foul, team A requests and is granted a timeout.

After the timeout, B2 attempts a successful first free throw. Team B then requests a timeout. All of the following are true, except which? a. It was correct to grant team A’s timeout. b. B2’s free throw shall count. c. Team B’s timeout is considered a successive timeout. d. Team B’s timeout shall be granted.

When a coach questions the foul count, at a minimum, the proper response is to ask whether the coach is challenging your integrity. In many instances, assessing a technical foul for unsporting behavior is also in order.

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Got Your Back, Jack

By Jason Franchuk

G

DALE GARVEY

o ahead and ask a referee — any referee — what it means to be a good partner. Or have a good partner.

We hear officials say this all the time, but what does it really mean?

A new mentor of mine in the Cincinnati area was kind enough to bring it up for me at a recent association meeting as we were gearing up to start the season. He didn’t mention a guy would be writing about it, for good reason. We wanted people to talk freely about what they’ve seen and heard. We wanted people to talk freely about the slights, the grudges and the good times.

And still … well, honestly, it was still tough to get first-person perspectives.

Maybe it’s officials feeling guilty about being considered soft or whiny.

Maybe it’s others feeling guilty about being too alpha. Maybe it’s even being more worried about ratting someone else out in the room.

There were no absolutes about how to be or become a perfect partner.

One thing everybody generally agreed on is that getting it right should be paramount.

It all starts with a good pregame talk … on second thought, it actually goes back farther than that. Let me offer some quick context so you know where I’m coming from.

I am an outlier official these days, as I’ve moved around. I started in 2016 doing only girls’ basketball in upstate New York — there were two separate associations where I lived — and did three years before moving to southern Illinois. That earned four more years of service (two basically in COVID times, which created a whole different level of nightly wonkiness). I am finishing up my second season in Cincinnati.

Cincy is a lot like southern Illinois in the statewide structures of when the season starts and a whole lot of other layers. So, in that way, it’s comfortable.

But for me it can still be awkward after

Working with partners who will have your back, both literally and figuratively, is an important part of a successful officiating experience. From left, Chris White, Bothell, Wash.; Tameka Stewart, Seattle; and Jillian Quinn, Burien, Wash.

about eight years. I might have more oncourt experience than one or even both of my partners, but it is difficult to immediately feel that confidence when I’ve never been in a particular gym or dealt with a particular coach.

Still, I can usually tell when the game is going to go well about 24 hours before it even tips. We tend to send email or text updates confirming game times. I can usually go through old texts, when thinking about partners, and decipher whether it was a good experience or not based on those pregame texts.

How did the partner (the R that night, if it wasn’t me) make me feel even before we got on site? Was the person welcoming? Informative (where to meet; where the locker room was, etc.)? Was the partner there when he or she said they’d be, or did they offer updates?

Another relatively new-to-thearea referee tells a horrible story about walking into a locker room one night last winter, and two previously unknown partners wouldn’t give the time of day. They chatted with each other until they walked to the scorer’s table just before tipoff. Finally, the R asked a personal question.

“Yeah, you can guess how well that game went,” my friend said.

As for the game itself, a lot of little things add up to the big picture when it comes to being compatible with your partners.

Temperament. Poise. Teamwork.

Being strong in your primary. Trying, whenever possible, to not be bigger than your partner or the game. The list goes on.

At the end of the day, the work is like being a construction worker or a flight attendant.

You can often be thrown into duty in new places with people you might hardly know. And you hope that everyone’s up to the task.

You also want to know that your partner is going to have your back when things get a little bit sideways or when a coach tries to play “divide and conquer.”

Defuser statements can be good when a coach wants to question you about a partner. Simply stating to an unhappy coach that “I will talk to you about it later” could buy your crew some time. Maybe the coach forgets about it — “next play,” as we like to say. If not, you may have to find another way to get through the heat of the moment without throwing your partner under the bus.

When such situations happen, during your crew’s postgame, remember there’s a difference between pointing out a play that is ripe for discussion and singling out a partner. Find a way to focus on the play in a way that will make all of you better officials moving forward.

When everyone on the crew understands that you’re all working to make everyone better instead of assigning fault or blame, you will likely walk out of the gym thinking, “Those are partners I would enjoy working with again.”

Jason Franchuk, Cincinnati, officiates high school and junior college women’s basketball. 

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BASKETBALL

CASEPLAYS

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he NFHS Basketball Officials Manual states the three-official system is designed to provide better coverage with more emphasis on primary areas of responsibility.

Executed properly, the concept eliminates over or under officiating, positions officials as a deterrent to fouling, and provides the crew with better angles and distance than they would have with two people.

The mechanics committee believes the combination promotes better basketball.

Even with all the built-in benefits of the three-person officiating system, there are still holes. Just like individual officials themselves, no system is ever

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perfect. Here are some potential holes for three-person crews and how you might fill them.

Division line trap on C side.

In a normal halfcourt set, the ideal starting position for the trail official is at the 28-foot mark, but he or she is responsible for the division line.

The center official is best positioned at the free-throw line extended, but is responsible for the sideline on his or her side of the court all the way up to the division line.

A trouble spot presents itself when an offensive player, especially the ballhandler, is defended or trapped near the intersection of the division line and the center’s sideline.

While the lead official is usually responsible for initiating a rotation

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SCORER & TIMER

Out of Bounds During Interrupted Dribble Play: A1 is dribbling the ball near the sideline. A1 dribbles the ball off her foot and it rolls forward but remains inbounds.

A1 chases after the ball, and in doing so, steps on the sideline out-of-bounds line. A1 then steps back inbounds and grabs the basketball. Has A1 violated?

Ruling: A1 dribbling the ball off her foot results in an interrupted dribble. There is no player control during an interrupted dribble, so A1 stepping on the boundary line during the interrupted dribble does not cause the ball to be out of bounds. A1 may be the first to touch the ball and pick it up after reestablishing on the playing court (NFHS 4-12-1, 4-15-5, 4-15-6d, 9-3-1; NCAAM 4-9.1.b, 4-13.6, 9-2.1; NCAAW 4-8.1.b, 4-12.6, 9-2.1, AR 9-7).

By Joe Jarosz

HOME

Multiple Administrative Technical Fouls Play: Team A fails to submit its list of names and uniform numbers of team members who may participate and the list of the five starters prior to the 10-minute mark before the game is to begin. Team B then changes a starter in the scorebook with 5:05 remaining on the game clock before the game is to begin. What is the result? Ruling: Both teams are charged with administrative technical fouls. In NFHS, each team is charged with a team foul for the first quarter. Since both teams committed technical fouls in even numbers before the game started, they offset and no free throws are shot. The game will begin with a jump ball (10-1-1 Pen.). In NCAAM, no team fouls are assessed to either team for the administrative technical fouls. Since an even number of administrative technical fouls were assessed to each team before the game started, they offset and no free throws are shot. The game will begin with a jump ball (10-2.2, AR 10-20). In NCAAW, no team fouls are assessed to either team for the administrative technical fouls. The administrative technical fouls are fouls of equal gravity, so they offset and no free throws are shot. The game will begin with a jump ball (7-4.10, 10-12.2.b, AR 10-27).

Three Holes in Three-Person

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in the frontcourt, the center should take initiative in this situation to get where he or she needs to be to rule on illegal contact and violations involving the sideline or division line (see MechaniGram on the previous page).

The lead and trail officials need to be aware of center movements and adjust accordingly.

Elbow jump shot on lead/trail side. Frontcourt primary coverage areas (PCA) leave distance and angle troubles for action, especially contested jump shots, at or near the strongside elbow. The PCA between the lead and trail is divided at the freethrow line extended from the middle of the lane out to the three-point line.

A quick catch-and-shoot or a dribbledrive pull-up jump shot near the elbow can often leave the trail looking through the shooter’s back and the lead looking through the defender’s back.

If the trail is unable to move down the sideline to see between the

players, and the center does not have a competitive matchup on his or her side of the court, the center can extend coverage across the lane and might have the best angle of the crew to see contact on the shooter’s arm.

While our advice is not to have the center official make a habit of extended coverage across the floor, it might just be that on occasion the lead and trail officials get stacked and the center has the farthest, but most open, look on the contact. If you are going to extend coverage outside your PCA, make sure the contact is obviously illegal before putting a whistle on it.

Endline drive in front of lead.

All basketball officials have had that feeling of angst when a strongside drive gets on top of them in the lead position. The closer two opponents are to the official in these situations, the tougher it is to maintain a vantage point to rule on fouls and violations with certainty. As peripheral vision decreases, so too does the ability of

the official to see both the feet of a ballhandler potentially threatening the endline and the legality of the contact between the opponents.

If you feel the action approaching as the lead, consider taking a step farther from the endline to maintain any part of the angle you can. As the trail, if you see your partner in the lead getting closed down with an endline drive, consider taking a step toward the endline (or wherever you need to get a vantage point on the contact between opponents) and be ready to rule on contact between opponents.

Except in the rarest of instances, the lead is left alone in ruling outof-bounds violations involving the endline, so the trail can be of great assistance in ruling contact between opponents, especially on the torso or arms.

Joe Jarosz is an assistant editor at Referee.

He officiates college and high school football, college and high school basketball, and high school baseball. 

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Courts of Excelling at the highest level in one sport is extremely difficult.

Kaili Kimura does it in two sports.

COURTESY OF PAVO

K

aili Kimura is always on the go. She arrives at a hotel, takes her laptop to the lobby and connects with one of her Revolution Financial Management work clients via Zoom. Once finished with the session, she closes her laptop and heads to the court for her assignment.

The only question is, which court?

Kimura is a rare breed — she officiates two sports at the NCAA Division I level. She referees both basketball and volleyball in the Mountain West, West Coast, Big West and Big Sky conferences. She 18 | REFEREE March 2025

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of Appeal

By Brad Star

MATT BROWN

also officiated both sports in the Pac12; after the conference was dissolved, she picked up the Big Ten and Big 12 in volleyball.

It’s a difficult balance, trying to juggle two sports at the highest level — which overlap — while also trying to maintain work and family life, including being a mom. But Kimura has always been driven by competition and a love of sports, and wouldn’t want it any other way.

And while Kimura has found success on both the basketball and volleyball courts as an official, that was not where she originally saw herself ending up.

Instead, she envisioned a long career as a professional beach volleyball player.

But life got in the way.

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Kaili Kimura did not have the traditional route to college basketball officiating, getting picked up to work D-I before she ever worked a D-II or D-III game. Here, she is seen working a game in 2010 early in her career.

Living the Dream A native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., a northwestern suburb of Los Angeles, Kimura was a three-sport athlete — volleyball, soccer and track and field — at Thousand Oaks High School; she also played basketball outside of school. She earned a volleyball scholarship to California State University-Los Angeles, where she was named to California Collegiate Athletic Association Conference teams all four years.

It was there where the dream of being a professional athlete was sparked. During her fifth and final year at Cal State LA during the 199697 academic year, Kimura was working in the sports information office as the director of athletics promotion, while still working out with the team. One day at practice, a professional scout attended and invited Kimura to train with professional beach volleyball players.

“I fell in love with beach volleyball,” Kimura said.

“Everything I did after that

was complementing my training and a beach career.”

She once thought the sand would inhibit her two biggest advantages on the court: her quickness and her “hops.” But she soon found those skills translated well to the sand.

“Beach volleyball is a way of life,” she said. “I found some good people to play with, some good partners, and I started working my way up into the pro circuit. Playing pro, it was like living the dream a little bit.”

Her professional beach volleyball career lasted from 2000-03, during which she played in multiple professional leagues including the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP).

success leading John Marshall (Los Angeles) High School’s boys’ volleyball team to a Division 3A state championship and was named boys’ volleyball coach of the year.

However, on Jan. 10 of the next year, everything changed for Kimura. It was the night of the high school’s volleyball tryouts for the next season and Kimura was getting continuously paged.

She eventually called back and it was the news no one wants to hear. Her brother, Keith, a Navy SEAL, had been pulled from the water, unconscious, while diving during training. Kimura was able to get to his bedside at the hospital, but Keith died the next day at the age of 25. Because of that accident, protocols were changed to ensure divers dive in pairs.

“Losing my brother while we were both in our 20s created a large shift in my life,” Kimura said. “I felt empty and devastated and I disengaged with life in that dark time. I was reminded of how fleeting life can be. When I finally resurfaced, I functioned from a ‘life is too short’ mentality. I guess I was emulating my brother as he lived his life on the edge.”

MATT BROWN, COURTESY OF KAILI KAMURA

Courts of Appeal

Kaili Kimura, front, and Suzanne Lowry share a moment of levity in the hotel prior to working the 2024 Regionals in Pittsburgh.

The Moment That Changed Everything While Kimura was excelling on the volleyball court as a player, she also dipped her toes into the coaching world. In 1996, Kimura’s fourth year at Cal State LA, she had resounding

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Kimura has a tattoo of a dragon that she received from a Navy SEAL that resembles the one her brother had.

MATT BROWN, COURTESY OF KAILI KAMURA

A New Direction

COURTESY OF PAVO, COURTESY KAILI KAMURA

After her brother’s death, Kimura decided to give up coaching and instead put all her energy into playing volleyball and focusing on her budding officiating career.

“I didn’t have the wherewithal to come back (to coaching),” Kimura said. “I was young and not responsible enough.

“Playing professional beach volleyball became my main focus and everything else had to work around that,” she said.

“Officiating fit right in as I could work games around my training schedule.”

It was during her time at Cal State LA that stoked the officiating fire for Kimura.

Outside of volleyball, she also played basketball recreationally.

It was within the school’s basketball community that she met Cameron Inouye, a longtime NCAA women’s basketball official who has worked three Final Fours and referees in the WNBA. Kimura admitted she often disagreed with the referees’ calls as a player and it was Inouye and other friends who convinced her she should give officiating a try.

“As crewmates, we would boss Kaili around on the basketball court,” Inouye said.

“She did everything we asked to the best of her ability with a smile on her face. We knew she was coachable, had a great temperament and was an overall good person.”

Those qualities have helped Kimura climb the ladder and excel at all levels of officiating.

After graduating from Cal State LA in 1997, Kimura picked up both basketball and volleyball officiating in 1998. She came up through the California Interscholastic Federation’s

Kaili Kimura was selected to work as the second referee for the 2024 NCAA women’s volleyball D-I national semifinal between Penn St. and Nebraska. Here, she shows the first referee how many timeouts each team has taken during a set.

Kaili Kimura, middle, had the opportunity to work the Maui Classic women's tournament in 2023 and had an opportunity to meet aspiring young officials.

(CIF) Los Angeles City Section, the same unit that produced legendary basketball official Violet Palmer, who is now Kimura’s D-I basketball assigner. Kimura credits her high school basketball assigner, Bobby Mozee, for being supportive of her and fellow female officials, which allowed her to thrive early in her career.

“He was very supportive of women officiating,” Kimura

said. “He would just put us in positions to succeed and always promoted us so we would continue to get playoffs.”

In 2001, Kimura made her first foray into college officiating, attending a junior college basketball camp run by D-I referee Frank Harvey. It was not the start she was looking for — she was the only official not hired out of the camp.

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Courts of Appeal Just a year later, though, after moving from California to Arizona, Kimura was picked up by five D-I basketball conferences. She ended up working D-I basketball before being hired by any D-II or D-III conferences.

Kimura took a break from officiating high school volleyball while feeling out the demands of her D-I basketball schedule. She returned to volleyball a few years later and started officiating D-I volleyball in 2009, a year before she moved back home to California after learning her father, Ken, had a reoccurence of cancer.

That disease would take his life on May 10, one year later.

Finding Success and Balance Kimura has continued to climb the ladder in both sports.

In basketball, she’s worked both the Big West and Big Sky conference tournaments, the WNIT in 2011 and 2013, and was an alternate for the NCAA D-I women’s basketball tournament in 2016.

In adddition to her basketball successes, Kimura

Kaili Kimura has worked college basketball since 2002. Here, she works with the table crew to fix a clock issue during a game in 2024.

Kaili Kimura was named women's scholar athlete of the year and most valuable player of her team while at Cal State Los Angeles.

has worked the NCAA D-I women’s volleyball tournament every year since 2013, including being selected as the second referee for the 2020 national championship match between Kentucky and Texas (which was played in April 2021 at the CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb., due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Kimura was honored again this past season. She was selected to work as the second referee for the 2024 national semifinal match between Penn State and Nebraska at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., and was the alternate/R3 for the Penn State-Louisville championship match.

Kimura had the opportunity to work both the regional final and the national semifinal match with Suzanne Lowry, head referee for the AVP. While the two had met previously, they had not taken the court together until they were assigned the Pittburgh regional.

“I had certainly seen her work and I certainly was impressed with her poise, professionalism and efficiency,”

Lowry said. “You could tell she absolutely respected her craft.

She held herself to the highest level.”

Joan Powell, coordinator of women’s volleyball officials for the W4 consortium (Big West, Big Sky, Mountain West and West Coast conferences) first met Kimura at a Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO) camp and immediately knew she was special.

“I knew she had the ‘it’ factor, beyond the whistle,” Powell said. “Kaili is a unique individual — a single mom, balancing family and job, as a financial professional, while officiating two D-I sports in multiple conferences.”

Powell has watched Kimura grow as a volleyball official and as a leader. Kimura served as the crew chief for the first collegiate volleyball officials’ diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) camp, which is offered through PAVO. Kimura continues in that role annually, according to Powell.

“As she excelled, it was easy to tap into her leadership abilities for roles at camps,

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clinics and conventions,” Powell said. “Kaili is an unassuming yet effective communicator that defines her positive relationships with officials, coaches and assigners alike.”

Kimura also received praise from Palmer, who was the first woman to officiate in the NBA. She’s now the coordinator of women’s basketball officials for the West Coast, Western Athletic, Big Sky and Big West conferences. It was Palmer who gave Kimura an opportunity to work at the college level, something Kimura said she didn’t have to.

“She’s such an amazing person,” Palmer said. “She is so dedicated. That wasn’t really a hard decision. She has that personality; she’s a workhorse, she studies, and it's almost like the harder I am on her the harder she works. She’s such a good person. When you are a coordinator and have people on your staff like her, you don’t have to worry about them. To find someone like that, she is a gem. You won't find one person to say anything bad about about her.”

Kimura said her assigners are understanding of her family circumstances and are able to schedule her games accordingly. It works out well that she officiates mostly in the western portion of the country, as she is able to stay close to Thousand Oaks, where she is a caregiver for her elderly mother, Donna.

“I’ve got a lot going on in my life, which has kept me a little closer to home,” said Kimura, who has a 12-yearold son, Kenton Martin. “My assigners have been very, very supportive.

“My mom and my son are the biggest reasons why I work as hard as I do on and off the court,” Kimura said. “I love that my son sees me achieving in officiating and in my career,

while still being a loving mom, daughter and life partner.”

Kimura also credited her boyfriend, Shannon Costa, who helps take care of her mother while she is on the road. He also coaches her son’s middle school basketball and volleyball teams and is a “bonus dad” for her son.

“Shan has probably been the biggest supporter in my life by making it possible for me to do all that I do,” Kimura said. “He takes care of my mom when I am away — he is literally a lifesaver as my mom is totally immobile, needing help with all acts of daily living. He is a godsend and I couldn’t do this officiating life without him.

Because of our relationship and his support, I am able to have the career I do.”

Kaili Kimura had ambitions of a long playing career in professional beach volleyball.

Here, she is seen in Clearwater, Fla., early in her beach career.

Standard Bearer In addition to the support she receives from her family, Kimura feels supported by her officiating community, especially officials of color.

Kimura is proud to champion for people of color — women of color in particular — in officiating. Kimura is Japanese, Filipino, Black, British, Irish and Polynesian.

Kaili Kimura returns the lineup sheets to the scorer's table during the 2024 NCAA women's volleyball D-I national semifinal between Penn St. and Nebraska. She worked as the R3 for the championship match.

“Just showing that the officiating group looks like the players out there,” she said. “I want representation for everyone who plays this sport, to have an official that looks like them so they know that they can. I like to get to do that.”

Shortly before working the NCAA women’s volleyball championship game in 2021, Kimura found out she would be the first ever woman of color to referee on that stage.

“Do I put weight on that?

Yes, but I also wish it wasn’t the case,” she said. “I feel like there should have been a lot more (people of color officiating) before me. I want to continue to advance the sport no matter what color, creed, ethnicity, orientation, anything that you are — I want us all to be more supported in that way.

“Every time I walk out onto that court, I bring that with me — every woman, every person of color — with me. I don’t take this privilege lightly. I represent all of them. ” Brad Star is an assistant editor for Referee. 

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SOCCER

COORDINATOR: JOHN VAN DE VAARST

jvandevaarst@referee.com

RULES, MECHANICS, PHILOSOPHY

At higher levels of play, including NFHS, USSF, NCAA and FIFA, the referee and assistant referees are sometimes accompanied by a fourth official. From left: Jeremy Morgan, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Robert Lehmann, Rapid City, S.D.; Richard Felix, Rapid City, S.D.; and DeeAnn Zimmerman, Sioux City, Iowa.

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU

By Jim Reuther

H

as it ever felt like your talents were diminished when being assigned to a match as a fourth official? Stealing a look at the bright side that the assignment will be no sweat and an easy payday? If any insecurity flickers, then extinguishes, you assumed the proper attitude to professionally fulfill your obligation not only to your referee crew, but also to players and coaches. You have appropriately put ego and envy aside and embraced one of the most important facets of officiating: teamwork.

Some duties of the fourth official, now a harmonized assignment across FIFA, USSF, NCAA and NFHS soccer, are administrative in nature. But just as bench players must be ready to be

called upon late in a game to play a potentially critical role, a fourth official must be ready, without whistle or flag, to assist his or her referee teammates when needed.

The fourth official isn’t just around to pump balls and do paperwork.

The focus of this article isn’t on the administrative and menial tasks of the fourth official, for which step-by-step mechanics have been written. Rather, this lesson summarizes best practices for the multi-tasking required by the fourth official.

Foremost Mind Control — Yours Interactions between the fourth official and bench personnel are up close, but not personal, for the duration of the match. Nowhere to run or hide, you are on the front line.

However, your proximity allows

you to effectively represent a realtime “service rep for the local referee complaint department.” Hearing none, enjoy the match.

So, what is there to do? You will provide experienced, expert support so your teammates can run around with the players and keep their game safe, fair, flowing and fun. Your colleagues are too preoccupied to take a timeout to justify the basis and legitimacy of every decision. Job 1 is for you to listen to verbal feedback from bench personnel, understand its intent and then judge if its decorum respects the authority of whistles and flags. Given the intense passion to win, you should expect at least one outburst, one thunderstorm and perhaps even a tornado of directed, inappropriate rhetoric per game. Job 2 is to courageously step into the eye of

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLIC BROADCASTING. ©2023 SDPB | TIM TUSHLA

The Importance of the Fourth Official

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the storm and act as a soccer diplomat to restore tranquility. It is basic conflict management. Your mental toughness and patience will be tested, the limits of which only you know and can control.

© BRAD PENNER-IMAGN IMAGES

Watch, Listen and Assess First Players committing fouls don’t like getting caught and will look for the whistler. Bench personnel will often look to the fourth official to see if he or she agrees with the call. How and when do you switch from remote monitoring to active control and what tactics can you apply? Don’t pick battles; pick opportunities.

Your primary order of business is to evaluate verbal and non-verbal bench reactions in terms of the degree of attention needed. Was something said out loud, but effectively to themselves, merely to vent frustration because their team wasn’t playing well? No harm.

Did a coach step slightly outside the technical area merely to reposition or instruct players? No foul. Read the room. Long-distance listening and silence, with perhaps an occasional sideways glance and/or palm-down gesture, may be all that is needed after such inconsequential reactions. They will often be satisfied as long as they have been heard.

Other comments might be ignored if their volume and word choice are nonthreatening. When coaches and players appear to have a point, but not convincing, stay calm, cool and collected. Indifference suggests the call was correct.

Although you may be thick-skinned and can absorb more criticism than others, you do have a breaking point.

Be mindful of other referees who have lower tolerances for dissent. Consider the consequences of your actions on their personalities. If you believe bench control is not being compromised and no disrespect meant or felt, take some risk and remain passive as long as you can. Allowing some minor bench misbehavior may actually relieve some emotional tension.

Stroll, Chat and Negotiate Second There are at least two types of dissent requiring a slow walk over to a coach for a quiet one-on-one chat

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while standing beside him or her in a non-confrontational manner. The first is dissent after an allegedly incorrect call. Let or ask the coach to explain how and why it was a bad call. Listen to what they apparently saw from their touchline. Usually, if what they claim they saw were true, the call could be wrong. Explain, however, that what the referee saw could have been something slightly different based on their position and angle.

Never try to defend a decision by using what you imagine the referee saw — you were also not there.

The second type is one with perhaps an ulterior motive — dissent after a close but probably correct call, which the bench is adamantly arguing. The intent may not be to argue that particular call, but a veiled attempt to influence the next 50-50 call in their favor. Support the referee using the same reasoning based on positioning and angle. Agree to disagree and remain unflappable.

Firm, Fair and Final Passive remote control must switch off when dissent becomes offensive and/or persona. Classic trigger words include, but are not limited to, “circus,” “clueless” or “clown,” referencing judgment and/ or intelligence. This is the right time to exercise strong intervention.

Immediate responses should comprise measuredly louder, short verbal commands, such as “Coach, enough,” “No more” and “Listen to us.” Take a couple of steps closer to the dissenter(s), give a hard stare, then retreat. If after extending this “lifeline” the taunting continues, it’s time for a harsh public house call — rebuke. Do not be baited or become defensive or emotionally charged.

Remember, the fourth official is required at all times to be the voice of reason with a surplus of composure.

Proper procedures include listening, eye contact, an approachable demeanor, and speaking in a low, slow and clear matter-of-fact sentences; no sarcasm or snark. Don’t encroach personal space or make gestures. Do not try to “out-know” them. You came to them to cool emotions, not inflame,

SIDELINE U.S. Soccer Annouces New Officiating Award

In November, U.S. Soccer announced the inaugural Fernando G. Alvarez Referee Champion Award, presented in partnership with Official Sports International.

The award is named after the late former FIFA Centennial Order of Merit winner who, along with championing refereeing at the local level, used his international influence, experience and persistence to help open the doors for success on the world stage for many of the U.S.’s top FIFA referees. “(Alvarez’s) unwavering dedication set a standard of excellence, inspiring others to follow his example,” said Kari Seitz, U.S. Soccer vice president of refereeing.

“His unwavering dedication set a standard Seitz of excellence, inspiring others to follow his example. This award recognizes the profound impact of such commitment to refereeing and celebrates those who embody those values.”

SOUCRE: FRONT ROW SOCCER

THEY SAID IT “(Getting into refereeing) kind of just continued my love for the game. I was a part of the game, I was a part of the intensity of the match. Even though it wasn’t as a player, I grew passionate about being in those intense moments that we witness on the soccer field.”

— Guido Gonzales, referee for the 2024 MLS Cup final, on how he got into refereeing.

SOURCE: REFNEXT PODCAST

1/16/2025 9:14:59 AM

SOCCER

TEST YOURSELF In each of the following, decide which answer or answers are correct for NFHS, NCAA or IFAB rules/Laws. Solutions: p. 81.

1. When is the goalkeeper allowed to touch the ball with the hands inside the penalty area? a. The ball has been deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by a teammate. b. Receiving the ball directly from a throw-in taken by a teammate. c. The ball deflects back to the goalkeeper from the shin of a teammate.

2. While the game is in progress, the referee observes the goalkeeper is not wearing gloves. What action should the referee take? a. No action; gloves are not required. b. Caution the coach for the first instance of illegal equipment. c. Have the goalkeeper leave the field at the next stoppage and obtain gloves.

3. At a penalty kick, a teammate of the kicker (attacking team player) enters the penalty arc before the ball is in play and does not interfere with the kick. What is the correct decision if the kicker scores a goal directly from the penalty kick? a. Rekick and caution the player that encroached. b. Rekick for the encroachment c. Allow the goal and restart with a kickoff.

4. Team A is awarded a direct free kick in the attacking zone.

B2 stands three yards from the ball and does not retreat. B2 should be cautioned because: a. B2 delayed the game. b. B2 failed to respect 10 yards. c. Both a and b.

5. A2 takes a shot on goal. B3 deliberately handles the ball and prevents a goal. a. Caution B3 and award a penalty kick. b. Award a penalty kick. c. Eject B3 for DOGSO and award a penalty kick.

debate or incite continuing argument.

Listen first to understand the coach’s position, without interruption. Let the coach finish speaking before replying.

Do not talk over each other. Honest messaging includes “Heard your point,” “Understood,” “Thanks for your feedback,” “We’ll deal with it” and “Please let us do our jobs.” You then decide the conversation is over.

Walk away confidently.

Always remember that any time during turmoil like this, you, as the fourth official, have the option of calling in backup — your referee — who can stop play, walk over and deal with any misconduct. Paraphrasing Law/rule 12, “showing dissent by word or action to decisions made by the referee” merits a yellow card. You have input, but remember, any and all final decisions to take disciplinary action are reserved for the referee.

No Team Bus to Throw Anyone Under When a coach quietly calls you over and asks if you disagree with the referee’s decisions, be careful — the intent may be to try and divide the officiating crew. Don’t be flattered or fooled into thinking you are thought of as a better official than the ones with the whistles or flags. Deflect again by saying you were not in

the same position, and the referee/ assistant referees will be given the benefit of any doubt for now.

You should have been mentally calling the game along with the referee and may have made different decisions. You must, however, never question or refute a teammate’s decision in a game or in public.

Serious Mirror Time A fourth official’s skills are similar to those needed to be a referee. As a fourth official, however, you have the advantage of more time to think before acting and are not out of breath to offer explanations. You interact solo, allowing the referee and assistant referees to remain focused on their prime responsibilities.

How will you know how well you did? Your crewmates will certainly let you know and be appreciative.

You relieved off-the-field distractions and emotional tension so they would not further incite those of the field players. You will have fulfilled your responsibility by being a firm, fair and friendly ally. You were central to properly managing the match.

Jim Reuther, Ph.D., Worthington, Ohio, is a NISOA National Clinician, Assessor and Referee and former USSF State Referee. He is also a referee liaision for PRO assigned to the Columbus Crew. *

Delay Tactics

By Robert Kaufmann

T

here are two main reasons a team will try to use delay tactics on the soccer field: to prevent a quick start to allow their team to get back into position, and to help run out the clock when they are leading at the end of the game. In both cases, proper use of game management tools is the key to reducing the amount of delaying tactics that a referee will have to deal with throughout the game. Let’s discuss both situations and what a referee can do about them.

1. Attempting to delay a quick start after a foul is called. This can be divided into two situations that are

similar in nature. Team A is moving down the field on a fast break, and there is a foul. Team B is out of position and wants to slow down the restart. Or, there is a foul near the goal, and team A wants to put the ball in play quickly before team B can set up their defense in front of the goal.

In both situations, team B may either try to kick the ball away, or a player or players may set up right in front of the team A player in order to delay the restart. If a player clearly kicks the ball away from the restart spot to delay the restart, that is a clear yellow card violation for delay of game. The same can be said for a player or players positioning

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HESTON QUAN

themselves right in front of the ball.

Other situations can be more of a gray area, such as when the team B players back off, but slowly, or set up a wall that is 5-7 yards away from the ball, rather than the required 10 yards. In those cases, the use of a yellow card may be prevented by warning the players to move away, with the threat of the yellow card possibly included in the warning.

Sometimes, if the team B player starts to set up in front of the ball before the team A player is ready to kick it, the official may be able to prevent this delay with a quick warning to player B. Note that team A always has the right to put the ball in play while team B is moving away from the ball unless they ask the official to give them 10 yards. If team A decides to put the ball in play quickly and the ball hits a retreating player, there is no foul. If the team B player actively plays the ball before he has retreated 10 yards, then a yellow card for delay of game is issued. Remember, 10 yards is all around the ball, not just in front of it. A defender cannot stand directly behind or next to the ball to delay the restart.

2. Delay of game tactics at the end of a game. This is when a team is leading near the end of a game and wants to minimize the opponent’s opportunities to score. There are many tactics they can use while the ball is in play that are completely legal — they can play the ball backward toward their own goal to extend the field and stretch out the defense, including passing the ball back to the goalkeeper. In other situations, the ball may land near the goalkeeper, not from a pass from his own team, and the goalkeeper has not used the hands. In that case, the goalkeeper can stand there with the ball at his feet, until he is forced to pick it up with his hands. In another situation, a player can maneuver the ball into a corner, and play keep away, using his or her body to block the defense from reaching the ball, and possibly cause the defense to kick the ball out of bounds or foul the team A player, both of which will use additional time. There is never an obligation for a team to

Andrea Saucedo, Santa Ana, Calif., uses communication and game management skills to control and prevent delay tactics on the soccer field.

attack the goal, and it is perfectly legal for a team to attempt to use up the remaining time of the game just holding on to possession of the ball.

Potential trouble comes when a team uses other tactics to kill time.

Most of these situations occur when there is a dead ball. During the regular play of the game, the teams are allowed a reasonable amount of time to put the ball back in play during a throw-in, goal kick, corner kick, after a goal is scored, or entering the field on a substitution. The same can be said of the time it takes for the ball boys to retrieve a ball and put it back into play, or the time allowed for a player to recover from an injury. At the end of a close game, all of these situations become potential problems, since team A, who is leading, wants to use up as much time as possible to slow down these restarts, and team B is frantic to get the ball back into play as quickly as possible so that they

can tie up the score. There is a certain amount of relief available in games that are played under IFAB Laws that allow the officials to add time to allow for various stoppages, but even here, teams may retain the perception that not all of the time they use in delaying tactics will be added in the stoppage time the official grants. The delaying tactics may be even more effective in high school and college games, some tournament games played by the clock, and games that are scheduled on fields where there is a limited ability to add time to the game.

It should be noted that toward the end of a game, the leading team is not required to take less than the usual time to put the ball back into play. The team that is trailing may complain about every second the leading team is taking to set up for the throw-in, corner kick, goal kick or return to play by the goalkeeper.

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SOCCER

CASEPLAYS Illegal Pickup Play: B3 has the ball approximately 25 yards from the goal. Goalkeeper B1 is outside the penalty area. A2 attempts a challenge on the ball so B3 passes the ball back to B1, who plays the ball with the feet. B1 dribbles inside the penalty area and then picks the ball up with the hands. Ruling: Award an indirect free kick for team A at the point where B1 picked the ball up with the hands.

There is no caution or ejection (NFHS 12-3-3b2; NCAA 12.3.1.2; IFAB 12.2).

Early Entry Play: A penalty kick is awarded to team A and A1 is identified as the kicker. As A1 is moving forward to take the kick, A2 enters the penalty area before the ball is in play.

After that, the goalkeeper saves the kick and the ball rebounds into the field to A3, who passes the ball toward A4 and thus creates a goalscoring opportunity. Ruling: Team B is awarded an indirect free kick at the point A3 touched the ball (NFHS 14-14; NCAA 14.3.2.4; IFAB 14.2).

Handball and DOGSO Play: A1 is on the attack and moves into the penalty area. The goalkeeper comes out to cut down the angle to the goal. A1 goes around the goalkeeper and takes a shot on goal. The ball strikes B2 in the arm, which is unnaturally bigger by being extended. The ball goes over the goalline outside the goal.

B2 did not deliberately play the ball with the arm. Ruling: A penalty kick is awarded for the handball offense.

B2 is cautioned for Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity (DOGSO). There is no ejection since the handball was not a deliberate attempt to stop the ball and the incident occurred in the penalty area (NFHS 12-8-2; NCAA 12.4.9; IFAB 12.3).

The key is that the ball should be put back into play as it was during the other parts of the game. If a goalkeeper is reminded that there are only six seconds to release the ball, it will be rare to issue a yellow card for ignoring this warning. Players can be warned to move back on a restart or be issued a timely yellow card for not doing this. In a similar fashion, players can be warned to leave the ball alone after a foul, plus, if necessary, be issued a timely yellow card for kicking the ball away after a stoppage, with reminders to leave the ball alone after a foul is called.

On throw-ins, corner kicks and goal kicks, constant reminders by the official to get the ball in play should the sufficient, but if not, a timely yellow card should also keep this situation under control.

If a goal is scored near the end of a game against a team that is leading, officials should be mindful of a situation that can occur if the goalkeeper is slow to retrieve the ball, and the team that is trailing decides to enter that goal and retrieve the ball on their own. This can lead to conflict, and the officials should take charge and keep the opposing players away from each other. Referees should not turn their back after a goal or begin writing; they must focus on the players.

In high school and college games and other games that are run by a strict clock, it is even more important to keep delaying tactics under control. Under high school rules, the clock will stop for injuries,

cards, goals and substitutions by the leading team in the last five minutes of the game, so there should be no problems in these situations.

But this still allows teams to waste time in delaying restarts after fouls, throw-ins, corner kicks and goal kicks, if officials are not using all communication skills with words, whistle, gestures and positioning to let the team know they are watching the time being used and are ready to pull out the yellow card if necessary.

Officials should also be aware that under high school and college rules, they have the ability to stop the clock at any time if they feel it is necessary to do so. Doing this one time and advising the players it will be repeated if they continue to delay should resolve the problem.

By proper use of game management and personal communication skills, officials should be able to control and prevent delaying tactics by letting the players know they are aware of what is going on, and giving them fair warning they will risk yellow cards if they persist in their delaying behavior. These game management skills, plus the effective use of the delay of game yellow cards when necessary, should help allow for a fairly played game, whether it is played under rules that allow for the addition of stoppage time, or games that are played under a strict clock.

Robert Kaufmann, Glen Rock, N.J., is a lawyer who has been a high school, youth and senior amateur refereee for 18 years. 

Show of Authority

By Joe Manjone

S

occer, like all other sports, is having a difficult time attracting officials. The primary reason potential officials, especially those who have played soccer at various levels, give for not wanting to officiate is the abuse of officials by players, coaches and spectators.

There are several improvements

officials can make to encourage better behavior on the part of players, coaches and spectators.

The rules of soccer as indicated in NFHS rule 12 require a player, coach or bench personnel to be cautioned for objecting by word of mouth or action to a decision given by an official. In addition, a player or coach using insulting, abusive or offensive language is to be ejected.

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T S O M

However, despite the rules requiring officials to give a caution or ejection for those behaviors, proper action is not always taken by the referee. When this happens, the players or coaches involved often continue the illegal behavior in the same or future games. Thus, current and prospective officials not wanting to officiate stems partly due to officials who do not enforce the rules.

The first step in changing behavior toward officials is for all officials to strictly and accurately enforce the rules concerning players and coaches objecting to decisions and/or using insulting, abusive or offensive language. Officials can also assist in reducing the abusive behavior of spectators. Prior to the start of the game, find and introduce the officiating team to the game administrator. Find out where the administrator will be during the game and how to contact them if the

need arises. Also, prior to the game, make certain the spectators are in a safe and proper position. Often in youth games, spectators will line up along the touchlines. The high school rule of having spectators at least 10 feet from the touchline is a good rule to enforce for all games.

Also, make certain spectators are not behind the goals unless in bleachers set up far from the goals to prevent interference.

Spectators will often disagree with officiating calls but if the disagreement becomes abusive and/or if offensive language is used, the officials should immediately take action to curtail it by stopping the game, informing the game administrator of the problem, including pointing out the offender(s) if possible. Do not restart the game until the game administrator has taken care of the problem which is usually ejecting the offenders from the game site.

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Since the game is stopped and the problem spectators are in the spotlight, not only those being punished but all spectators will be taught to understand abusive and/ or offensive language will not be tolerated.

Another good habit for officials to get into in order to prevent abuse is to disappear after the game. Don’t stand around shaking hands and seeking positive comments. Don’t give abusers the opportunity to abuse the officiating team members.

An officiating team will never “win” a discussion with a parent or coach after a game about a call or decision that was made during the game.

Leaving together and not talking to anyone is the only answer.

Joe Manjone, Ed.D., Silverhill, Ala., is a former chair of the NFHS Soccer Rules Committee. He was inducted into the NISOA Hall of Fame in 2013 and is an active high school referee and a former collegiate soccer referee. 

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FOOTBALL

EDITOR: JEFFREY STERN

jstern@referee.com

RULES, MECHANICS, PHILOSOPHY

IT COMES IN HANDY

By George Demetriou

T

he signage in every restaurant restroom in the country reminds us to wash our hands.

“Clean hands” in a football game is a totally different concept. The term clean hands does not appear in any rulebook, but almost every official is familiar with it. After a turnover, if the team that ultimately gains possession of the football did so without committing fouls

beforehand, its clean hands may allow it to retain possession.

Play 1: B1 intercepts A2’s pass in team B’s end zone. While the pass was in flight, B3 held A4 at the line of scrimmage. Ruling 1: Team A will accept the penalty, which negates the interception and allows team A to retain possession.

If a penalty is accepted for a foul occurring before a change of possession, the ball belongs to the team in possession when the foul

occurred (NFHS 5-2-1; NCAA 5-2-3).

It’s just like the ball never changed hands. If there is a change of team possession during the down and the team that winds up with the football fouled before gaining final possession (i.e., their “hands were not clean”), it does not get to keep the ball.

Play 2: During A1’s run, A2 blocks an opponent in the back.

A1 subsequently fumbles farther downfield and the ball is recovered and downed by B3. Ruling 2: Team B

BOB MESSINA

The Clean Hands Principle Explained

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If the defense hasn’t committed a live-ball foul before recovering this fumble, it may keep possession even if it fouls before the down ends. That is what is known as the clean hands principle.

will decline the penalty for team A’s illegal block and take the result of the play to keep the ball. Team B got the ball with clean hands and accepting the penalty would allow team A to keep the ball.

Post-scrimmage kick fouls, kick-catching interference, unsportsmanlike conduct or nonplayer fouls do not affect possession at the end of the down and clean hands are not a factor.

If team B fouls after a change of possession, it may keep the ball.

The penalty for its foul will almost certainly be accepted.

Play 3: While A1’s pass is in flight, B2 curses A1. The pass is intercepted

by B3, who is immediately downed. Ruling 3: In NFHS, the interception stands. The penalty for the unsportsmanlike conduct foul is enforced from the succeeding (deadball) spot. In NCAA, the penalty is enforced from the previous spot.

Play 4: Third and 10 from team A’s 40 yardline. A1’s pass is intercepted by B2 at team B’s 30 yardline. Before B2 is downed at team A’s 45 yardline, B3 blocks in the back.

Ruling 4: Team B keeps the ball after enforcement of the penalty because it got possession with clean hands.

When a foul occurs after a change of possession, the penalty enforcement depends upon whether the foul takes place behind or beyond the end of the related run (EOR). The basic spot for fouls by either team beyond the end of the related run is the end of the related run (NFHS 10-4-6b; NCAA 10-2-2c). For fouls behind the end of the related run, the basic spot is the spot of the foul if the foul is by team in possession (NFHS 10-4-4d; NCAA 10-2-2c-1) and the end of the related run if by the team not in possession (NFHS 10-4-9; NCAA 10-2-2c-3).

Play 5: In Play 4, B3 blocks in the back at (a) team B’s 45 yardline, or (b) team A’s 40 yardline. Ruling 5: The foul occurs during a running play and is by the team in possession. In (a), the foul occurs behind the end of the related run so the penalty is enforced from the spot of the foul, team B’s 45 yardline. In (b), the foul occurs beyond the end of the related run so the penalty is enforced from the end of the run, team A’s 45 yardline.

When both teams commit live-ball fouls during a play in which there is a change of possession, the question is, is it a double (NFHS) or offsetting foul (NCAA)? The scenario that neither team can mitigate having the down replayed on a non-scrimmage kick play is when the team in final possession fouls before the final change of possession (NFHS 10-2-1b; NCAA 10-1-4).

THEY SAID IT

“As public criticism of college football refs heats up, it’s on the people in charge to stay cool.”

– Segment of an article by The Athletic’s Ralph Russo breaking down the officiating of major college football games amid media hysteria during the middle of the college football season last fall

SURVEY SAYS ...

Do you coordinate your uniform and equipment purchases with your crew?

Yes: 52% No: 48%

SOURCE: REFEREE SURVEY OF 148 SUBSCRIBERS

DID YOU KNOW? At one time, NFL rules provided that an incomplete forward pass that landed beyond team B’s goalline resulted in a touchback. The rule was changed in 1934 so that two such passes in the same series, or one that occurred on fourth down, were required for a touchback. The rule wasn’t totally eliminated until 1950.

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FOOTBALL

TEST YOURSELF In each of the following you are given a situation and at least two possible answers. You are to decide which answer or answers are correct for NFHS and NCAA rules, which might vary. Note: In kicking situations, K is the kicking team, R the receiving team. Solutions: p. 81.

1. Third and 20 on team A’s 24 yardline. A1’s legal forward pass falls to the ground untouched and incomplete at his 48 yardline.

Before the pass was released, B2 was flagged for holding eligible tight end A3 at team A’s 32 yardline. The penalty is accepted. a. The penalty is five yards only. b. The penalty is five yards and an automatic first down. c. The penalty is 10 yards only. d. The penalty is 10 yards and an automatic first down.

2. Fourth and 10 at team K’s five yardline. K1 is standing in his end zone when he punts. The ball crosses the neutral zone and strikes R2’s helmet. The ball rebounds back into team K’s end zone, where K3 recovers and carries it to team K’s 10 yardline. a. The ball becomes dead when K3 recovers. Safety. b. The ball becomes dead when K3 recovers. Touchback. c. First and 10 for team K from its 10 yardline. d. Since K3 didn’t advance beyond the line to gain, it’s first and goal for team R from team K’s 10 yardline.

3. Third and five at team A’s 30 yardline. The handoff goes to A1, who fumbles. The ball is in flight when A2 bats it forward and it goes out of bounds at team A’s 35 yardline. a. No problem. b. Foul. The 10-yard penalty is enforced from the spot of the foul and includes loss of down. c. Foul. The 10-yard penalty is enforced from the spot of the foul and the down is repeated.

4. Team A scores a touchdown on the first possession of an extra period. On the try, the opponent is flagged for roughing the kicker. The kick is successful. a. The penalty is declined by rule. b. Team A may accept the point and have the penalty enforced at the start of the opponent’s overtime session. c. Team A may choose to have the penalty enforced from the previous spot with the down repeated.

Play 6: At the snap, team A is illegally in motion and B1 illegally uses his hands during his initial rush.

A2’s legal forward pass is intercepted

by B3. Ruling 6: The fouls offset by rule, and the down is replayed. Team B committed a foul before gaining possession, so the clean hands exception does not apply.

Note it makes no difference whether team A’s foul occurs before or after the change of possession. It is the timing of team B’s foul that is critical because it is “the team in final possession.”

Play 7: A1 is illegally in motion at the snap, and A2’s pass is intercepted and advanced by B3. B4 clips during the runback. Ruling 7: Team B has the option of keeping the ball by declining the penalty for team A’s foul. Team A will accept the penalty for team B’s foul which is enforced from the end of B3’s run.

If the team in final possession that has fouled accepts the penalty for a foul by the opponents that occurs any time during the down, the down must be replayed (NFHS 10-2-1c; NCAA 10-1-4 Exc. 1).

Play 8: First and 10 on team B’s 30 yardline. Team A is flagged for illegal shift and A1’s pass is intercepted in the end zone by B2. B3 clips in the end zone. B2 returns the ball for a

touchdown. Ruling 8: Team B, as the team last in possession, has the option of accepting or declining the penalty for team A’s foul. Declining the penalty would result in a safety.

Thus, team B will accept the penalty for team A’s foul and the fouls will offset, resulting in a replay of the down.

When both teams commit live-ball fouls during a scrimmage kick play, the possibilities increase. In order to avoid replaying the down, it is not necessary for team R to get the ball with clean hands as long as their foul (or all their fouls, if more than one) qualifies for post-scrimmage kick enforcement.

Play 9: Fourth and 10 for team K from the 50 yardline. Team K is flagged for illegal formation. R1 fields the punt at his 14 yardline and returns it to his 35 yardline.

While the kick is in flight beyond the expanded neutral zone, R2 clips at his 20 yardline. Ruling 9: Team R may keep the ball by declining the penalty for team K’s foul. The penalty for R2’s foul will be enforced via postscrimmage kick enforcement. Team R is penalized half the distance to its seven yardline.

George Demetriou has been a football official since 1968. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. 

Judging Catchable vs.

Uncatchable Passes

By Judson Howard

I

n NCAA games, officials need to consider whether a pass is catchable or uncatchable. There is no mention of these issues in the NFHS rulebook, although the concepts and philosophies may apply. For rules purposes, this article applies only to NCAA games.

A catchable forward pass is an untouched legal forward pass that has gone beyond the neutral zone to an eligible player who has a reasonable chance to catch the ball.

When in question, a legal forward pass is catchable (2-19-4).

A pass that does not qualify as being catchable is considered uncatchable. Catchability of passes is an issue for pass interference by team A or team B being called or not.

Catchability is not a factor for calling pass interference if a pass is not yet in flight.

Play 1: B1 bumps A2 downfield just before A2 can make a play on a legal forward pass. The back judge throws a flag for defensive pass interference. Ruling 1: That is a

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NCAA rule 2-19-4 states, “When in question, a legal forward pass is catchable.” Assuming interference occurred on this play, would you rule the pass catchable?

HESTON QUAN

correct call as the pass was catchable.

A1 had a reasonable opportunity to catch the pass.

Play 2: Downfield A1 and B2 are in close vicinity of where a legal forward pass is headed. A1 pulls B2 out of the way and catches the pass.

Ruling 2: A1 is guilty of offensive pass interference as the pass is catchable.

Play 3: Eligible A1 is contacted from behind by B2 while a pass intended for A1 is in flight. The pass ends up 10 feet over their heads, or the ball lands well out of bounds.

Ruling 3: That is an uncatchable pass, thus pass interference should not be called.

Even if contact occurs when the pass is uncatchable, neither team is exempt from committing a personal foul. Pass interference and a personal foul can be ruled on the same play when a pass is catchable (7-3-9e). The

covering official should report both fouls because penalty enforcement might differ. When the same team commits two live-ball fouls, the offended team can only select one of the penalties (10-1-3).

The covering officials can be so focused regarding interference, they may not consider if the pass was catchable. Another official might have a better and wider perspective of the action. Being farther from the contact often allows a better look.

For example, the line judge flags B1 for pass interference. But the back judge feels the pass was not catchable. There are two thoughts on how to deal with that situation. One says the back judge should ask the line judge to reconsider the ruling as the pass was uncatchable. Then it is up to the line judge to decide whether or not to stay with the call.

The second suggests the back judge

should tell the line judge to pick up the flag. Of course, the back judge must be absolutely positive the pass was uncatchable. It is hoped the line judge will comply based on the confidence of the crewmate.

If you rule a pass is uncatchable when there is pass interference by either team, give the following signal sequence. First, give the incomplete pass signal, followed by the uncatchable pass signal.

Some of today’s NCAA receivers are great athletes capable of making a play on a pass thrown anywhere close to them. Therefore, you might want to lean toward a pass being catchable if there is doubt. Rule 2-194, which says when in question, a pass is catchable, will support you.

Judson Howard, Los Angeles, was an onfield and replay official more than 30 years, many at the NCAA Division I level. 

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FOOTBALL

CASEPLAYS Touching a Scoring Kick Play: R1, standing underneath the goalpost, leaps and knocks down K2’s field-goal attempt. The ball rolls out of bounds at team R’s three yardline. Ruling: It is a touchback in NFHS rules (6.3.1B).

Under NCAA rules, R1 is guilty of illegal batting. If team K accepts the penalty, the result is a safety and two points for team K. If team K declines the penalty, it will be team R’s ball at its three yardline (9-4-1c, AR 9-4-1 III).

Team K Catches Punt Play: Fourth and nine from team R’s 38 yardline. With no team R player in position to make a play, K2 catches K1’s punt at team R’s three yardline. Ruling: The ball is dead when a team K player catches a scrimmage kick. Since no member of team R was in position to make a catch, there is no foul for kick-catching interference. The ball belongs to team R, first and 10 at its three yardline (NFHS 4-2-2f, 6-5-6 Exc.; NCAA 4-1-3e, 6-3-6a).

Is That a Touchback or Safety? It Depends W

hen a loose ball goes out of bounds in the end zone, an official must know, “How did the ball get there?” and “Who put it there?”

If the answer to the first question is “fumble,” you have two possibilities.

The result of the play will either be a touchback or a safety.

If the runner in the PlayPic fumbles into the opponent’s end zone, his team provided the force (NFHS) or impetus (NCAA). The result if the ball goes out of bounds is a touchback and the opponent will next snap from its own 20 yardline.

If the runner fumbles the ball and it goes out of bounds in his own end zone, it’s a safety.

Whenever a ball is loose near a goalline, be especially alert for bats and muffs. A bat in that situation may or may not be a foul, depending on

location of the ball and the direction in which the ball is batted. Muffs are common because players are in a hurry to secure possession of an oddly shaped ball that is bouncing every which way.

In NFHS, after a fumble, kick or backward pass has been grounded, a new force may result from a bat, an illegal kick or a muff. The muffing or batting of a pass, kick or fumble in flight is not considered a new force (2-13-1, 2-13-3).

In NCAA, initial impetus is considered expended and the responsibility for the ball’s progress is charged to a player if he kicks a ball not in player possession or bats a loose ball after it strikes the ground, or if the ball comes to rest and he gives it new impetus by any contact with it, other than through forced touching. 

Kicker Contacted Play: R1 dives in an effort to block a punt but misses. He slides on the ground and, when his slide ends, he is under the punter’s kicking leg, which is still in the air.

As K2’s leg returns to the ground, he accidentally steps on R1. K2 loses his balance but does not fall. Ruling: There is no foul on the play. K2 was not displaced from his kicking position, which is part of the definition of running into the kicker. NFHS rule 9-4-5c excuses contact on the kicker if it is “slight and is partially caused by movement of the kicker.” NCAA rules agree (9-1-16a-3).

Free Kick After Safety Play: After giving up a safety, team A chooses to punt for the free kick. From where must the kick be made? Ruling: Unless moved by penalty, the free kick after a safety is from the kicking team’s 20 yardline. In NFHS rules, the ball must be kicked anywhere between the hashmarks and within one step behind the free kick line (6-1-2). In NCAA, the kick may be made between the hashmarks and anywhere behind team K’s restraining line (6-1-2c4).

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When Giving Is Better Than Receiving

By Mike Byron

A

field goal gives the home team a one-point lead with eight seconds to play. The coach of the visiting team informs you his team elects to free kick rather than receive.

Why would he do that? Can he do that? In NFHS only.

According to NFHS rule 8-4-2, the opponent of the scoring team designates which team will free kick following a successful field goal.

Rule 8-3-9 provides the same option following a try.

Given the scenario described, it may actually prove advantageous to the visiting team to kick off. Perhaps the opposing kicker has been kicking the ball deep on all previous free kicks.

If that happens again, how much time will run off the clock should a visiting team receiver attempt to advance?

There would likely be little if any time remaining. If the free kick were to result in a minimal advance, not only time but distance would be a factor.

The visitors can’t count on a touchback or an untouched kick out of bounds, which wouldn’t take any time off the clock.

On the other hand, should the visitors successfully recover an onside kick, they may be left in better field position with more time on the clock.

According to rule 3-4-3, the game clock doesn’t start until a free kick is touched by either team, other than first touching by team K (3-4-5). Additionally, the game clock does not start on first touching by team K (3-4-5). Finally, the ball becomes dead if team K recovers a free kick (6-1-6). The combination of those three rules could result in the visitors gaining possession and consuming little or no time.

Such a situation is ripe for a referee announcement. If the referee is not so equipped, the crowd will be befuddled and likely noisy when it sees the scoredupon team lining up to kick off. The home team’s fans will turn from jubilant to silent when the visitors successfully recover an onside kick with the same eight seconds remaining.

Then the visitors could complete a pass that advances the ball to the home team’s 25 yardline and out of bounds with one second remaining.

Then the visiting team’s field goal sails through the uprights and the victorious coach is hailed as a genius.

The officiating crew retires to the locker room knowing it’s experienced one of the few unicorns within NFHS rules.

Mike Byron, Raynham, Mass., is the rules interpreter for the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Interscholastic Football Officials. 

Camp Dates

May 22 thru 24, 2025 Cost for on Field Registration is . . . . $895.00 Cost for Replay Registration is . . . . . $695.00 The El Paso Camp will provide a great springboard for upand-coming officials to be seen by supervisors and scouts.

Register now for some of the best training and advancement opportunities for men and women interested in taking their on-field – and replay – officiating to the next level. Bringing in a staff of top-caliber NFL and NCAA officials to observe and provide instant feedback, the staff includes the hiring supervisors of FBS, FCS and other collegiate conferences.

Host Hotel is Radisson El Paso Airport

You will work live action, full-contact scrimmages Video study of your on-field work Social time to visit with the staff and your fellow officials PRESENTING SPONSOR IS THE EL PASO SPORTS COMMISSION

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How do we support officials in the journey through officiating?

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T

he career of a sports official is similar to the circle of life. We start.

We grow. We wind down. We retire.

From that anticipatory, inaugural game to the day of retirement, the life cycle of an official is often filled with excitement, despair and everything in between.

Five leaders in the officiating community were part of a panel at last summer’s NASO Sports Officiating Summit in Atlanta to discuss how to recruit, retain and ultimately maximize the potential of officials in each phase of their officiating journey.

Marcia Alterman is a volleyball coordinator of officials for Conference USA and the Horizon League as well as the Big Ten, American Athletic, Mid-American and Missouri Valley conferences.

A former director of the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO), she earned the 2015 Gold Whistle Award, officiating’s highest honor.

Christie Cornwell is coordinator of softball officials for the Southeastern, Ohio Valley, Atlantic Sun and Sun Belt conferences. With three officiating World Series under her belt, she is also the CEO of Diamond Umpire Academy, a training camp for fastpitch softball umpires that began in 2014. In addition, she is a softball rules analyst for ESPN. Rich Fetchiet is the coordinator of baseball umpires for the Big Ten, Big 12, Mid-Atlantic, Big East and American Athletic conferences.

A member of the NASO board of directors from 2012-16, he is a 2012 inductee to the College Baseball Hall of Fame and twice umpired the NCAA Men’s College World Series.

Chris Rastatter is the NCAA national coordinator of men’s basketball officiating.

He officiated 19 men’s NCAA tournaments, including two Final Fours. The former

By Wade Turner

director of the Southern Arizona Officials Camp for more than 20 years, he also established the Tucson Youth Officiating Program in 2018.

Ken Washington is the director of officials for the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) and an experienced official. He has worked as an NCAA Division I men’s basketball official as well as in the NBA D-League.

He has also officiated the AHSAA state basketball finals and has officiated football and volleyball.

While all of the panelists agreed mentorship programs are essential to successful officials, they discussed how officials can thrive at each phase of their officiating life cycle.

The officiating journey is marked by several crucial phases. While the decision to become an official is obviously paramount, reaching that initial three-year mark is

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Above left: Sage Meler, Waukesha, Wis., has a built-in mentor since she officiates with her father.

Right: Peyton Kelley, Mill Creek, Wash., can draw experience from his local association members.

excited.”

On the other hand, Alterman noted many state officials associations have a blanket set of requirements for new officials, which at times may be a roadblock.

“We, as a group of coordinators, are talking to people about an entry point for these new officials where they can come in,” Alterman said. “Maybe it will cost them a little less and some of the barriers are removed.

Again, letting them get their toe in the shallow end, and see if they enjoy the water.

We can’t just throw it all at them the day they walk into the door. It’s not the coaches that are running them off; it’s our expectations and requirements.”

Washington said he is guided by his own experiences, reflecting on a tried-and-true officiating method he used in his younger days of officiating.

“When I first decided I wanted to be the best, I went out and got this Court Club system by (former

MARK MYERS; DAVID FEYEN

often cited by experts as a watershed moment in the life of an official. After that milestone is reached, the next middle phase is developing the “climbers,” officials eager to advance to the next level.

But at a similar juncture, there are also the “non-climbers,” officials who are content with often working local youth and high school games in their area. The final phase encompasses those nearing retirement, officials who are still frequently highly regarded but are winding down in their careers.

While all phases are equally important in retaining officials, how can the seed be planted to get people to join the officiating ranks, especially athletes?

“Finding a solid former high school athlete that wants to stay in the sport, and maybe his or her playing days are over,” Fetchiet said. “I think that’s a great target audience

to start with.”

Alterman agrees. “We have to give them the opportunity to dip their toe into the shallow end and see if they like it,” she said. “It has to be that, ‘I’m going to work with you as you try it out, but without all of the expectations.’”

Because Rastatter holds leadership positions at both ends of the experience spectrum, he has a unique perspective in the recruitment of officials.

“For men’s college basketball, there’s no shortage of referees because everybody wants a piece of that,” Rastatter said.

Conversely, for his YMCA youth program, he brings in kids who are 15 and 16 years old. “We get the ninth-grade kids that are playing,” Rastatter said. ”We pull them to referee the fourth- and fifth-graders, just kind of turn them on to it.

Then you throw a little money at them. I got my kid into refereeing. When he walked out of there with (game fees), that sealed the deal. He was pretty

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HESTON QUAN

NBA official) Ed T. Rush, and I think it’s relevant to our topic today,” he said. “One of the things he asks you to do is write down five shortterm goals, and where you see yourself in so many years.

Some people have no goals or any plans. I think when we do these things, you kind of set a hook. We want to make sure we’re giving them the right tools to be successful in officiating.”

Rastatter said you cannot give a new referee too much information. “I’m talking about the basics,” he said.

“And it’s at every level.

What we take for granted, other people just don’t know.

So we must share as much information as possible with newer officials, such as a level of professionalism. This is what you are signing on for.”

Rastatter also said conflict resolution needs to be a point of emphasis with newer officials. “It’s a huge part of it now,” he said. At his youth YMCA program, a code of conduct is established for fans who watch the games. “I think it’s incumbent for associations to protect our referees,” he said.

If officials remain in the sport for at least three years, according to most statistics, they’re normally hooked, Alterman said. The bad news, she said, is that about 70% of the people who start in officiating never make it to that crucial three-year mark.

“At the intermediate level is where officials start separating themselves,” Rastatter said. “Those who have designs for bigger and better things, and those who enjoy what they’re doing. Both to me are equally as important and valid. There is no right or wrong way. If you’re putting your time in refereeing, God bless you. We enjoy having you.”

For the climbers, Alterman said, clear expectations are crucial for success. “When they get to that next level, when they’re kind of the star, where you can put them in almost any place, we want them to have that expectation established,” she said. “It’s not just good to rest on your laurels. I have expectations of you when I can assign you to the big match.”

Rastatter calls technology both a blessing and a curse.

“It’s made us all better,” he said. “I think these younger referees are so good at some things; they’re so polished because they can go online, and you can see, they’ve got the look; they’ve got all of this.

But what they don’t have is the foundation. And you get that foundation by being on the court and going through games and surviving.”

For them to advance, Rastatter said, you’ve got

A veteran official like Matthew Levoe, Anaheim, Calif., can continue to grow through postseason camps.

to put them in opportunity games. “I’ll take a young referee that could be a potential NCAA tournament referee,” he said. “I’m going to put him in a hall of fame game where I will be there, and it will be a nice matchup.

You have to challenge them, otherwise they’re not going to grow. You’re not trying to hurt them, but they’ve got to be challenged.”

Washington also said transparency and honest conversations are key in helping to advance officials.

“I think a lot of times we’re not transparent enough with these officials,” he said. “I think when somebody gets off the court, we just tell them they did a good job. When they walk away from it, they’re like, ‘They say I’m doing a good job, but why am I not getting those other opportunities?’

Be honest, if it’s something they need to do. I think that’s

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California officials (from left) Paul Schneider, Garden Grove; Robert Sanchez, Fountain Valley; Richard Wilson, Placentia; Jon Batarse, North Tustin.

Crews can conduct rules review meetings before and during the season to improve their knowledge.

final level is all about people skills and handling pressure, stress and situations. That’s on us to put them where they’re supposed to be.”

But what about officials who have survived the initial three-year period but have no aspirations of moving beyond their high school schedule?

“After we’re successful in getting them through those first three years, we can’t afford to lose any of those people along the way, and sometimes we do lose them because their lives change a little bit,” Alterman said. “When their life may start to get a little more difficult, we’re the first thing to go. We need to change that.”

But the non-climbers still need to be kept in the loop with training and working challenging games, Rastatter said.

“The people who don’t have the aspirations to move to the next level, they’re still putting in the work, they’re still getting into it,” he said. “You need to keep them involved. It’s a never-ending cycle of training.

The learning never stops so

HESTON QUAN

the frustrating thing among officials. We’re always telling them they’re doing a good job, but they’re not seeing the fruits of their labor.”

In softball, Cornwell incorporates a mental health consultant at her fastpitch softball training academy. “I bring her to all of my camps to teach the umpires about mental toughness and how to tune out the distractions: the parents, the coaches and all of the hostile work environment that corporate America doesn’t have to deal with,” she said.

This mental health approach is also a strategy to combat the new-face syndrome: coaches who are often skeptical and overbearing on newer officials who are trying to flourish at that next level.

“I can go on the field and have a bad day, and nobody says a word,” Fetchiet said.

“And I’ve got a young umpire with me that they don’t know as well, and yet has a tremendous game, and they’re around him all weekend. The dramatic difference for that

maybe challenge them with assignments in high school, or the bigger game, maybe make them the crew chief.

Give them those opportunity assignments. Give them that sense of responsibility. That challenges them and makes them better.”

Rastatter also encourages those veteran officials to offer their experience at local association meetings. “You can say, ‘Hey, you’ve been around for a while, I know this is as far as you want to go, but you have a lot to offer to the group,’” Rastatter said. “Perhaps that lets their guard down a little bit and may inspire them to mentor somebody. Let them know, whatever their goals are, they are important to the association, and we appreciate them giving back to the group.”

Cornwell said it’s also very important to stay in touch with officials, especially those who are newer and in the middle range of experience. “We have to make sure they don’t get lost in the system,” she said. “We have to be sure the entry-level people get attention because they’re entry level. The big dogs get attention because they’re the big dogs. And we have to focus on those middle people to make sure they don’t get lost in the shuffle.

We can say, ‘Hey, thank you for the work. I see you’re working hard out there, nice job with that game.’ Give them something positive, give them one thing they can use as a polishing point, or something to work on to get to that next level. Some need that personal connection.”

Washington said he has had officials who can absolutely go to the next level but choose to stay on the high school level. “They’re family-oriented and want to

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DALE GARVEY

see their kids grow up,” he said. “I really appreciate those individuals and what they do.

I also think just saying to them, ‘I understand and respect what you’re doing. Keep up the good work.’“ In the life cycle of officials, the most difficult time may be in the twilight of their careers.

“I’ve got a couple of those,” Alterman said. “The coaches still respect them tremendously, and their peers respect them tremendously as well. They may still handle the coaches well, but maybe they’re not quite as quick as they might have once been.”

Also, Washington said, the increased technology presence may be turning off some of the older officials. “I think we’re losing some of the veterans, the older guys, or the older female referees in the high school arena because they’re not so tech savvy,” he said. “They don’t want to watch film and do those things. There’s a gap between those people more so than the youth.”

Alterman said officials deserve the courtesy of that honest conversation when they’re reaching the end of their active officiating career.

“I just came off the volleyball court at a little earlier age than my peers because I didn’t think my eyes were quick enough anymore to really do what I wanted to do,” Alterman said. “And that’s different for everybody.”

This year, Alterman said, she made a change with an official who had more than two decades of oncourt college volleyball experience.

“He’s worked a conference tournament every year for 20 years,” she said. “I asked him to go be the head official, but he wouldn’t be on the court. I said, ‘Here’s your chance to be in charge and help some people in their first or second year.’

I’m sure not being on the court

stung a little bit.

“So, at this point, we have to find a way to keep them in the fold and still make them feel very important, which they are,” Alterman said. “But maybe now their goals have changed. They’ve hit the top rung of the ladder and so how can their skills now be best used? We have to put it to them in a realistic fashion and not that we’re just putting them out to pasture.”

Rastatter said you can’t referee forever, and it does eventually end. “Having an exit plan is important because

Top from left: Washington state officials Tamera Hunter, Sammamish; Jacob Johnson, Tacoma; and Trung Pham, Kirkland, share information in a pregame meeting.

Above: Clinician Peyton Coffin, Seattle, conducts a session.

your days are numbered,” he said. “Starting to think about how you can schedule yourself so your body can last since you don’t want to be limping up and down the court and embarrassing yourself either.

You’ve got to be ready to leave the floor when it’s time to leave the floor. Realizing that officiating is not who you are but what you do. Also understanding that your time is coming and you need to go out on your own terms.”

Wade Turner is a high school football and basketball official from New London, Wis. 

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PROFILES

PERSONALITIES PLUS

From Stay-at-Home Mom to Trailblazing Official

By Leah Berard

A

s someone who always watched sports with a keen interest in the rules, Kristi Wilson, Irvine, Calif., decided to learn by doing.

When her youngest child, Logen, 20, was in high school, Wilson — who has four kids and two grandchildren — realized she was going to miss being around sports after he graduated.

Kristi Wilson’s high school football crew (from left): Wilson, Mike Balourdas, Jeff Osborne, Tim McCune, Chris Costlow.

“Having been active in sports for so long, I didn’t want that chapter to end,” said Wilson, 49.

“I discovered that (my local) high school association offered training for new officials, and I jumped at the opportunity.”

She wound up loving officiating more than she expected and is now a head linesman on her high school football crew. Wilson also officiates youth and JUCO football, as well as girls’ flag football, boys’ and girls’ basketball and swimming at the high school level. This past fall, she joined the NCAA Division III Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as a developmental football official.

Wilson said she will soon start officiating women’s flag football at the college level. Her goal is to officiate both Division I men’s tackle football and women’s flag football.

She is grateful for the support she has received since she started officiating. She has learned a lot from those who came before her, including Jeff Osborne, the crew chief of her high school crew.

“He is an outstanding teacher and has helped me every step of the way,” Wilson said. “He knows I’m always eager to learn and improve, and although I still make mistakes, he always helps me find the information I need to grow.”

One of her favorite officiating memories is working her first high school varsity game, which was on the field at the school her children had attended. Although it was a game between two schools her children did not attend, she said the atmosphere was familiar and being on the field for a rivalry game was exciting.

“That game was when I first felt a true connection to officiating,” Wilson said. “It was the moment I realized this was something I wanted to pursue at higher levels.”

Originally from Chicago, Wilson has been living in Irvine for almost 30 years. She is happily married to her husband, Erik, and they have three other children: Kylie, 32; Deven, 24; and Cortnee, 22. They are also grandparents to Kylie’s two children, Kaiden, 11, and Layla, 3.

Following in his mother’s footsteps, Logen is also a football official with the Orange County Football Officials Association.

“My family always asks how my games went or sends me good luck texts before big games,” Wilson said. “Their encouragement means the world to me.”

Leah Berard, St. Paul, Minn., officiated international rugby and now officiates high school and college football. 

‘I Used to Hate That Word’ Rebecca Welch Durham, England

Longtime international soccer referee Rebecca Welch hung up her cleats last August to become the manager of Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s Select Group Women’s Professional Game. Welch, best known as the first woman to referee in the Premier League, reflected on her career upon retirement.

“I used to hate that word ‘trailblazer,’” she told Sky News in September. “I probably grew more comfortable with it over the years because it’s not really about me; it’s about how that influences the young girls, young boys, to think — there’s an opportunity to be involved in football. So if they see me in the Premier League and that makes them think about taking up the whistle and being a referee, then that’s really my job done.”

SOURCE: SKY NEWS

Player to Admin to Official J.P. Williams Indianapolis

J.P. Williams has been involved in football from just about every angle: as a player, an administrator and, most recently, an official. The former two-sport standout (football and track) at the University of Wyoming looked for ways to stay involved after his playing career concluded. He landed a job as associate director of championships and alliances with the NCAA, which spurred him to officiate. After working at the high school and Division III levels for several years, Williams became a Division I football official in 2023. Being a former defensive back has helped in his role as a back judge, he said.

“I’ve seen a million plays, so I don’t have to see and feel what it’s like,” Williams said.

SOURCE: NCAA

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hether it’s a local association issue, a tax question or just curiosity about your legal responsibilities during before or after a game, there are times when sports officials need advice from experts who have been there before or who have specific expertise in sports officiating business or legal matters.

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• Assaults on officials • Liability concerns Access to the world’s largest database of published articles on the business of officiating included with this benefit. The articles deal with all of today’s most pressing issues, including background checks, independent contractor status, assaults, contracts, and more.

MICP is part of your annual NASO dues and is available as soon as you join. This is a valuable benefit to both new, existing, and returning members. The initial use of the MICP program starts with the NASO staff. Contact us at NASO at 262-632-5448 for more information.

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ATTENTION REFEREE MAGAZINE SUBSCRIBERS It’s time to join the rest of us in the National Association of Sports Officials. Not only will you continue to receive the world’s #1 officiating publication, you’ll enjoy all of the additional benefits NASO members enjoy.

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BASEBALL

EDITOR: SCOTT TITTRINGTON stittrington@referee.com COORDINATOR: PATRICK FAERBER pfaerber@referee.com

RULES, MECHANICS, PHILOSOPHY

STRINGS ATTACHED Perfecting Chest-to-Ball Mechanics

By Patrick Faerber

U

When Kwang Kim, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., moves throughout the working area as the base umpire in two-umpire mechanics, it is imperative he keep his chest to the baseball, thereby allowing his eyes to remain on the action at all times.

Chest to Ball The concept is often taught with the phrase, “Stay chest to ball.” To visualize this, picture a string tied to the center of an umpire’s chest on one end and connected to the baseball on the other. The goal for umpires should be that this line never ends up wrapped around us.

The fundamentals of “keeping your eye everlasting on the ball” means we can never let that string get wrapped around us in a situation where we can’t see the ball.

There is one exception to this rule in two-umpire mechanics. With no runners on and a ball hit to the outfield for which the base umpire will not go out, U1 will come into

HESTON QUAN

nique to the Official Baseball Rules used in professional baseball is a section titled “General Instructions to Umpires.” Unlike most other rules that appear in some way, shape or form in the NCAA and NFHS rulebooks, this section does not have an equivalent at other levels.

Granted, most of what is in this section is more about morals and the responsibilities umpires have, and it definitely leans toward “preachy.”

However, inside this section is one instruction for umpires that should be taught at every level. The instruction to umpires is “keep your eye everlastingly on the ball while it is in play.”

This phrase is fundamental to teaching the top-tier mechanics seen in professional baseball, especially for crews of two. Unfortunately, it is often left out or poorly explained in consolidated training programs.

But umpires who can understand and then implement this concept into their mechanics will stand out by being faster and more agile, and ultimately getting more plays right.

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the working area to take plays on the batter-runner at all bases. In that situation, the umpire is taught to go into the infield grass and pivot.

The pivot mechanic has several purposes, including turning to the umpire’s left to see the touch of first and then taking the batter-runner to second (see MechaniGram A).

The chest-to-ball philosophy is a great stat to track for you and your partners in every game. The goal should be coming away with a zero for the number of times that string gets wrapped around you during the game (and no, spinning in place in the opposite direction to get unwrapped does not subtract from these violations).

To do this, you’ll need to picture plays and scenarios in your head and then translate mental reps to physical reps on the field. This practice is done over weeks of training in professional schools, a luxury we don’t have for most umpire development. This means most umpires will need to understand the basics of the concept, and the footwork will come with practice and reps.

Next, let’s break down a typical play where umpires have to work on implementing this philosophy.

Starting in C Position With a Play Developing at First Base It’s crucial that umpires in the C position gain distance and direction toward first base for plays. The distance gained helps us get a better view of the play and will allow us to better sell our call if the play ends up being close.

A

However, getting this mechanic right is more than just hustle to get across the infield. Proper footwork and staying chest-to-ball will keep U1 prepared for however the play unfolds. On a ground ball to the umpire’s right, the umpire should step up with the right foot and then pivot, turning with the ball to see it fielded. Then, the umpire can react to how the play develops. If the most likely play to first develops, U1 can get across the working area while keeping the string from getting wrapped around the body (see MechaniGram B).

This may seem tedious and unnecessary, but keeping our eye on the ball is the only way to know where it is going. This way, when R2 runs to third and F6 throws to third, base umpires won’t end up staring at first base with their back toward the play at third.

Don’t Backpedal As umpires work on keeping their eyes everlastingly on the ball, a natural tendency will be to do so by backpedaling on the field. However, in a crew of two, umpires should never backpedal.

Instead, we need to focus on turning our hips and feet in the direction we are moving at all times. Then, to remain chest to ball, we bend at the torso to have our shoulders and head with the ball. This is where drop steps and pivots become pivotal for umpires, allowing us to get our feet and hips headed in the right direction without pivoting.

U1

BR

THROW R2

U1

U1

BR

U1 GROUND BALL

PU

BR

BR PU

234

The percentage increase of catcher’s interference calls in MLB from 41 in 2016 to 96 in 2023.

This correlates to an increased emphasis on catchers trying to frame more pitches to get called strikes. This technique requires them to be more aggressive in getting near the plate.

For umpires, especially at the high school level, this trend can be incredibly frustrating, as catchers who are not as skilled as professionals focus more on “stealing pitches” and less on the fundamentals of catching and blocking.

DID YOU KNOW? Starting in 1879, umpires in professional baseball were given the authority to fine players and coaches for illegal acts. This power was eventually revoked in 1950, when the ability to fine was transferred to NL and AL league presidents.

One headline in The Sporting News drew the conclusion “It Cost 10 Cents to Cuss an Umpire ...” while the Putnam Baseball Club of Brooklyn listed potential 10-cent fines for acts such as “improper or profane language,” “disputing the decision of an umpire” or “audibly expressing (an) opinion on a doubtful play before the decision of an umpire is given.”

SOURCE: 2024 MLB UMPIRE MEDIA GUIDE, SABR

QUICKTIP

B

CLEAN HIT

BY THE NUMBERS

R3

PU PU

Hands-on-knees set position is one of the first stances taught in umpire training. It’s largely taught as the position we assume to witness a play on the bases before making a call. But what’s often overlooked is our need to be hands-onknees set as soon as the pitcher engages the rubber with the ball.

Not only does it look more athletic and engaged, it helps hone our focus onto the pitcher.

This results in faster reactions to pickoffs, more consistent balk enforcement and quicker footwork on balls hit in play.

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BASEBALL

TEST YOURSELF In each question, decide which answer is correct for NFHS, NCAA or pro rules. Solutions: p. 81.

1. R1 slides hard into F4. R1 and F4 begin pushing each other. F6, the on-deck batter (B3) and a bench player (S4) run to second base to break up the fight. a. F6, B3 and S4 are not penalized unless they are involved in fighting. b. F6 and B3 are not penalized unless they participate in the fighting. S4 is ejected for leaving the dugout. c. F6 is not penalized because he was the closest individual to try to break up the fight. B3 and S4 are ejected. d. F6, B3 and S4 are ejected whether or not they actively fight or attempt to break up the fight.

2. With a 1-2 count and no runners on base, B1 hits a fly ball down the right-field line.

While the ball is in the air, the umpire inadvertently declares, “Foul ball.” The ball then falls to the ground in fair territory.

The coach of the offensive team requests the umpires get together, change the call and award B1 the base he would have reached had the correct call been made. a. The crew can get together, change the call and award B1 the base he would have reached had the correct call been made. b. The ball is dead and must be enforced as a foul ball. The crew cannot correct the mistake.

3. With R1 on first, F1, in the stretch position, steps quickly backward off the pitcher’s plate and with a motion much like F1’s pitching delivery, throws to the plate. R1 is thrown out stealing

by F2 on a pitchout. a. This is a balk. While F1 is not touching the pitcher’s plate, F1 shall not make any movement naturally associated with the pitch. b. This is legal. The offense is responsible for discerning if the pitcher is or is not engaged with the pitching plate.

Avoiding backpedaling allows us to move around much more efficiently and successfully on the field. Despite whatever level of athleticism we possess, we still want to avoid backpedaling because it increases our risks of slipping and falling compared to our feet moving forward. Also, moving with our feet forward allows us to quickly peek forward at where we are headed while going faster than possible in a backpedal.

Most importantly, when we have our feet and hips already squared to where the play is going, it’s much faster to rotate our shoulders and head to the play versus having to rotate our whole body out of a backpedal.

Patrick Faerber, Alpharetta, Ga., is a former professional umpire who now works high school baseball and football.

He is Referee’s baseball coordinator. 

Breaking the Plane U nderstanding the nuances of balk rules is essential for umpires. While the fundamental principles remain consistent, the interpretation and enforcement of specific balk rules vary across NFHS, NCAA and professional baseball.

This article breaks down two key balk scenarios — the free foot breaking the back plane of the rubber and the 45-degree rule — to help umpires grasp the differences and apply them correctly during games.

Crossing the Line: Back Plane Balks OBR 6.02a1 comment: “If a lefthanded or right-handed pitcher swings his free foot past the back edge of the pitcher’s rubber, he is required to pitch to the batter except to throw to second base on a pickoff play.”

NCAA 9-1b1: “When the pitcher starts the delivery from the set position and the entire free foot or any part of the stride leg breaks the plane of the back edge of the pitcher’s plate, the pitcher is committed to throw or feint a motion toward second base or pitch to home plate.”

NFHS 9-2-4f: “If there is a runner or runners, any of the following acts by a pitcher while the pitcher is touching the pitcher’s plate is a balk: failing to pitch to the batter when the entire nonpivot foot passes behind the

perpendicular plane of the back edge of the pitcher’s plate, except when feinting or throwing to second base in an attempt to put out a runner.”

Similarities In all three rule sets, the plane that prevents the pitcher from legally throwing or feinting to first base or third base is the back edge of the pitching plate. From that point, all three rule codes give the pitcher three options: • Throw a pitch.

• Throw to second base for a pickoff.

• Feint to second base (assuming the base is occupied).

Anything other than this is a balk in all three rule codes.

It’s also noteworthy that in all three rule sets, the pitcher’s plate is given the dimensions of 24 inches by 6 inches.

Differences The big difference between all three is what part of the pitcher must break the plane to commit the pitcher under this rule. In NFHS, the “entire non-pivot foot” must break the plane. The NCAA rules have the same requirement concerning the “entire free foot” but also add that the plane is broken if “any part of the stride leg” crosses the back edge of the pitcher’s plate.

Then, in professional rules, the rule only mentions the “free foot” but does not specify if the entire foot

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T

U

Remember, knowing the rulebook isn’t enough — it’s about applying it with precision and context.

or any part of the foot must break the plane. Generally, though, it is considered that if any part of the foot crosses that plane, it is broken at the professional level.

Let’s look at several examples and determine if the pitcher is still allowed to pick off to third base.

1. Entire free foot is behind the back edge of the rubber (see PlayPics A and B).

In all three levels, this pitcher has broken the back plane of the rubber and can no longer pick off to third base.

2. Half of the free foot is behind the back edge of the rubber.

A

B

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BASEBALL

CASEPLAYS Courtesy Confusion Play: Team A’s coach sends out CR2 as a courtesy runner for R1, who is the pitcher, and fails to report the change to the umpirein-chief. After the first pitch, team B appeals that this is an illegal substitution. Ruling: Assuming CR2 has not participated in the game to this point, this is a legal substitution at all levels. NFHS, by state adoption, allows courtesy runners, while NCAA and pro do not. However, in all three, if a substitution occurs, such as attempting to use a courtesy runner without it being reported to the umpire-in-chief, this is an unannounced substitution and not the use of a courtesy runner. This is not necessarily illegal unless the substitute did not have eligibility to enter the game (NFHS 3-1-1; NCAA 5-5g; pro 5.10j).

Tag-Up Timing Play: With R2 on second, R3 on third and one out, a fly ball is hit to deep center field and caught.

R3 legally tags and advances to home plate. R2 leaves before the ball is touched by the center fielder. With R2 standing on third base, the defense legally appeals that R2 left the base early. The appeal occurs after R3 has already touched the plate. Ruling: R2 is declared out. R3’s run scores because this is a time play and not a force out (NFHS 8.2.2B; NCAA 5-6c; pro 5.08 Cmt.).

Tagging the Bling Play: F3 attempts to tag R2.

He does not make contact with the body or clothes of R2, but does touch R2’s necklace. Ruling: In NCAA and pro, this is not a legal tag. Both rule sets clarify that for purposes of a tag, jewelry being worn by a player, including necklaces, is not considered part of a player’s body. NFHS rules do not provide clarification if this would count as a tag, but given that jewelry must not pose a significant risk of injury, this likely means it would be reasonably well fitted. This fits with the definition of a touch, which states, “The term applies to contact with any part of the person or the person’s clothing if the clothing is reasonably well fitted” (NFHS 2-40; NCAA 2-83; pro tag definition).

In professional rules, this foot has broken the back plane of the rubber and the pitcher is committed to throwing a pitch or making/feinting a throw to second base. In NFHS and NCAA, the plane is not broken until the entire foot has broken the plane.

3. Pitcher is curled with his foot still in front of the front plane, but his knee has broken the plane.

In NCAA, any part of the pitcher’s free leg breaking the back plane of the rubber commits the pitcher to pitching or throwing/ feinting to second base. However, in pro and NFHS rules, there is no mention of the leg. For that reason, this motion would not prevent the pitcher from throwing to third base.

A note to umpires: The next time you have a glove and a ball, try making an illegal pickoff move to third (or first if you are lefthanded). Focus specifically on getting your free foot more than six inches behind your plant foot, which should be in contact with and parallel to the rubber. What you’ll find is the truth at almost every level: It’s very hard to make your free foot in its entirety break the back plane of the pitching plate, all while maintaining your balance and recovering enough to make the pickoff to third.

This simple experiment should tell you it’s very unlikely a pitcher will ever commit this balk. The rare instances you could see this balk would be a game in professional rules, or in NCAA rules, with a pitcher dramatically bringing his knee up and backward. Even then and in most other violations of this rule, this motion will look awkward enough with the pitcher’s balance that it should be easily detectable from any position on the field.

The Angle of Intent: Decoding the 45-Degree Rule OBR 6.02a3: “The pitcher, while touching his plate, fails to step directly toward a base before throwing to that base.”

NCAA 9-1a6: “The pitcher must step directly and gain ground

toward a base in an attempt to pick off a runner. ‘Directly’ is interpreted to mean within a 45-degree angle measuring from the pivot foot toward the base the pitcher is throwing to or feinting a throw.”

NFHS 6-2-4b: “Failing to step with the non-pivot foot directly toward a base (occupied or unoccupied) when throwing or feinting there in an attempt to put out, or drive back a runner; or throwing or feinting to any unoccupied base when it is not an attempt to put out or drive back a runner.”

This is a great example of a rule that many people know at the professional level but don’t know at the NCAA or NFHS levels. Many people know the term “direct” is entirely subjective and for the umpires to decide at the professional level. At the NCAA level, they clarify immediately that a 45-degree angle should be used to make the determination of whether the pitcher is stepping to home or to first/third base.

Now, it’s easy to conclude the NFHS rule matches the professional rule, because it also fails to define “directly.” However, what’s often missed is the NFHS casebook does provide an interpretation of the phrase “step directly toward” that umpires must use in their enforcement of this rule. It can be found in 6.2.4B: “To comply with the requirement to ‘step directly toward,’ F1 must step to the firstbase side of a 45-degree angle between center of pitcher’s plate and between home and first base.”

Conclusion Mastering the differences in balk rules across NFHS, NCAA and professional levels ensures fair and consistent enforcement on the field. By studying these rules and their interpretations, umpires can make confident decisions and avoid unnecessary confusion during games. Remember, knowing the rulebook isn’t enough — it’s about applying it with precision and context. *

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The Hidden Data of Umpiring

By Will Bowers

T

echnology in baseball is here to stay. Every hurled pitch flies to the plate accompanied by a CSV file.

Every hit soars off the bat with a slew of data points. The location of balls and strikes, and what the umpire calls them on the field, are tagged and plotted on a graph. This data is invaluable. It is analyzed and primarily utilized to help improve the performance of pitchers, catchers, fielders, hitters and coaches.

All this valuable data is being collected during the game but not by umpires, who rarely see it at all.

But there is another type of data to be collected and analyzed — by umpires, for umpires. Data that doesn’t come in number form. It’s not on a

computer. It can’t be plotted or put into a spreadsheet to make a graph. This data is often only noticed by trained professionals. Things that happen during a game of which spectators, players, coaches and scorekeepers are unaware. These are the data points that we, as umpires, should collect and analyze to help ourselves improve, and they can often be much more valuable than a Trackman report we are pushing ourselves to get a perfect score on.

When we are on the field during a game, we are gathering small sets of data with each call we make. A “simple” play at first is not simple at all. There is runner speed and location, ball speed and direction, location of the fielder, the sound of the ball hitting the glove, the timing of each element

HESTON QUAN

When working a game together, from left, Stu Rains, Mission Viejo, Calif., and Art Augustine, Anaheim, Calif., should constantly be collecting data they can share with each other and analyze before, during and after a game to help improve their performance.

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BASEBALL

coming together, the fielder securing the ball, etc. That is a lot of data! Now make it a whacker or a throw off the bag with a tag situation … more data!

While our partner at first base is collecting his or her own data to make the safe/out call, what can we be doing? Correct — collecting data.

We can observe the same elements to be ready for situations where we can offer another view, but we are also collecting larger sets of data to help ourselves, and our partners, be prepared to make that call next time.

Each play or call opens the door to questions and answers that can help us build our game. “How was my position? How was my timing?

Was I set? Did I properly use my eyes? Were my body language and voice believable? Did I rotate properly? Do I know where my partners are? Did I apply the rule properly? Did I manage the dugouts appropriately? Did I give the correct explanation?” And so much more.

Every play, call, rotation or pitch is data, but data is nothing unless

you analyze it. Working together with your crew is paramount when gathering data during a game.

Furthermore, being honest with each other, and open to receiving feedback ourselves when analyzing it postgame, is equally important. While we are making a call, our partners can view a bigger picture, with more information, and share it with us later as feedback.

A postgame analysis can be highly beneficial when done in a positive, reflective, respectful way. Baseball is a team sport, even the officiating side. But on our team, umpires have to be the players and the coaches. We must work to make each other better.

We don’t have much time to practice during the season, so we have to take every opportunity to improve, both on and off the field.

The data that can help us improve is not exclusive to the field. It is also available to us in our pregame and postgame discussions, in a classroom at a camp in the offseason, in a group text about a play that happened

to someone in a series over the weekend, or in a video we see in a recent “you make the call” post. We must constantly collect, store and analyze data to be prepared when we return to the field.

A coach/mentor used to say, “If you’re not moving up, you’re moving over.” He always pushed for skill improvement, with the threat that if we didn’t work to improve, the game was going to pass us by. If you could make a graph of your umpiring abilities, would it be trending uphill?

Are you constantly collecting the available data that’s out there and using it to improve? Or is your graph flat, showing that you are no longer improving?

Be willing to collect the data to make sure your graph is moving up … or move over.

Will Bowers, Rumford, R.I., umpires NCAA D-I baseball in the Northeast Conference and the Ivy League and was the crew chief for the 2024 NCAA Division III National Championship in Eastlake, Ohio. 

Attack the Slot O ne of the basic concepts evaluators look for when reviewing plate work is “attacking the slot.”

Part of this principle is the plate umpire putting the slot foot ahead of the foot behind the catcher. This moves the head farther up, allowing for a better view of pitches at the bottom and outside edges of the zone.

The most common mistake is umpires make it a habit to attack the slot on right-handed batters. However, when a left-handed batter comes up to bat, they don’t mirror their footwork.

This results in their head being too far behind the catcher and begins to cause issues with their plate work.

In PlayPic A, the umpire has proper foot positioning for attacking the slot on a right-handed batter.

However, in PlayPic B, that same positioning on a left-handed batter results in his head being significantly behind the catcher. 

A

B

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MAKEUP GAME

BY RICK WOELFEL

WHILE INCARCERATED DURING WORLD WAR II, JAPANESE-AMERICANS PLAYED BASEBALL AT MANZANAR. IN 2024, A CALIFORNIA LEAGUE RETURNED TO MARK THE FIELD’S RESTORATION.

T

he Manzanar National Historical Site and Museum sits in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a five-hour drive east of Fresno, Calif., and five hours north of Los Angeles.

On a pleasant October Saturday, two umpires, Paul Hironka and Mike Miklaus, both from Sacramento, arrived at Manzanar to umpire two games involving teams and players from the Northern California Japanese American Baseball League and a similar group from Southern California.

The league features players of Japanese ancestry and has been a fixture in California for more than a century. It got its start when ballplayers of Japanese descent were barred from playing at other levels because of racial prejudice.

These teams would typically play doubleheaders on Sundays, sometimes against traveling Negro League teams.

Today, the league features nine teams, four in Northern California, including two in the Sacramento area, and five in the

southern part of the state.

The season concludes with a state tournament that includes teams from both groups and was played for the 70th time in 2024.

For Hironka, a lifelong Sacramento resident who is of Japanese descent and is familiar with Manzanar’s history, this trip was particularly significant.

Today, the site is maintained by the National Park Service. But during World War II, Manzanar was a so-called relocation center where Japanese-Americans were incarcerated for no other reason than they were of Japanese descent and were thus considered security risks.

There were 10 such camps in the western United States where an estimated 122,000 Japanese-Americans, nearly 70,000 of them American citizens, were incarcerated through the conclusion of the war.

The camps were created in the wake of Executive

At right, photographer Ansel Adams captured this 1943 baseball game played at the Manzanar Relocation Center, one of several incarceration camps of JapaneseAmericans during World War II. The field has been partially restored and a commemorative doubleheader was recently played on it.

Order 9066, which was issued

by President Franklin Roosevelt on Feb. 19, 1942, and authorized the removal of individuals deemed to be security threats from military areas established on the West Coast after the U.S. entered the war. In practice, the order was utilized against those of Japanese ancestry. No charges were brought against the detainees and they had no right to appeal.

Hironka’s mother, Elaine, and father, Jim, who were 15 and 12 at the time, were incarcerated along with their families at two such camps. His mother was at

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Tule Lake Incarceration Camp in California; his father at Amache Incarceration Camp in Colorado.

Conditions were difficult. At Manzanar, which at its peak had a population of approximately 10,000, the perimeter was marked by a barbed-wire fence and guard towers, manned by armed guards.

The detainees lived in a series of barracks with up to eight individuals living in a single 20-by-25-foot room, four rooms to a barracks. They slept on cots; their furnishings included an oil stove and a single light bulb.

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MAKEUP GAME Privacy was virtually nonexistent.

“The bathrooms didn’t even have partitions in them when they arrived at the camps,” Hironka said.

But Hironka’s parents never shared their experiences with their son, who is the youngest of three siblings (one of his older sisters is deceased). He didn’t learn of the existence of the camps until he was a senior in high school, when he was told about them by one of his teachers.

“All my Japanese-American friends I grew up with, their parents never talked about it either,” Hironka said. “When we were growing up, we never knew.

“So, when I found out about it, I was pissed off. I was only 18 years old and I was seeing it as an 18-year-old person. Even then, I knew how wrong it was that our government could do something like that to innocent people.

“I went home and I said, ‘Why the hell didn’t you tell me this happened?’ They said, ‘Oh, we didn’t think it was important for you to know that.’ My understanding is

Sacramento, Calif., umpires Mike Miklaus (left) and Paul Hironka pose for a photo before a special game played at the Manzanar War Relocation Center, a World War II incarceration center now overseen by the National Park Service.

Inset, Hironka wore the numbers his parents were assigned at other incarceration facilities.

there was a lot of shame and humility and things like that they didn’t want to tell their kids about.”

Later in life, Hironka’s mother, who is now deceased, was more comfortable talking about her camp experiences, but his father, who is still alive at 93, is not. Today, Hironka himself, a retired firefighter, spends time volunteering at a local museum where he helps educate visitors about the camps.

The doubleheader, for which Hironka and Miklaus donated their services, was intended to commemorate the games that were played by the detainees at Manzanar during the war.

Baseball has been a popular sport in Japan since the late 19th century and was popular among detainees at the camps. The two games were played on Manzanar’s original diamond that was refurbished for the occasion.

Hironka, who has umpired for 26 years and has worked numerous games for Japanese-American teams over the course of some 18

years, was asked to be part of the event, which by chance was held on the same day as game two of the World Series, in part because of his ancestry.

“The original plan was to utilize umpires of JapaneseAmerican ancestry,” he said, “but when the game was postponed twice because the field wasn’t ready, other umpires were unavailable. I was the last man standing.”

Hironka notes the respectful attitude the Japanese-American players have toward umpires.

“They don’t say anything,” he said. “They don’t even come out and say, ‘Can you get some help on that?’ or ‘He missed the tag,’ or whatever. They don’t even argue.”

Miklaus, who has lived in Sacramento for almost 50 years, has umpired for decades at the JUCO and NCAA Division II levels. He’s worked games in the Japanese American League for almost 30 years.

“It’s my favorite league,” he said. “The teams have cohesion.

It’s a familial thing.”

When Hironka asked him to be his partner for the doubleheader, Miklaus accepted immediately.

“It’s my way of giving back,” he said. “These teams are comprised of kids as young as 15 to dads and granddads in their 50s and 60s. They play a very good quality of ball.

“You have to try out for the teams. You have to stay in shape to play on the teams and they play very good baseball. It’s a way for me to give back to this league that I really admire.”

The first seven-inning game featured the Lodi Templars, who trace their existence back to 1891, and the Li’l Tokyo Giants, who are based in Los Angeles.

The second was an all-star game between teams representing the league’s northern and southern tiers.

Hironka had the plate in the opener. He’s familiar with Manzanar’s history and in

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fact travels there each year for a commemorative event along with other members of the Japanese-American community. But on this occasion, he was in umpire mode.

“Going down there I thought maybe I’d get tearyeyed or have goosebumps,” he said. “But when I walked on the field, I was surprised that I didn’t because I’m kind of an emotional person.

“But I did feel a sense of awe. Because when you look to the west you can see the Sierra mountains. They’re 13or 14,000-feet high (Manzanar is located at an elevation of approximately 4,000 feet).

Mount Whitney is only maybe 25 miles away. You look to the east and you see the Indio Mountains there.

It’s just majestic.”

Miklaus sensed the players were feeling the emotions of the moment.

“The first game you could tell they were a little amped up at first,” he said. “There were some unforced errors and things like that. So, I would say their emotions were at the top in the best sorts of ways.”

For the second game of the day — an all-star game — players donned replicas of uniforms worn in the 1940s and Miklaus donned oldstyle umpire gear for the first two innings.

Miklaus had the plate for the second game of the doubleheader. In keeping with the spirit of the occasion, the players wore uniforms that were replicas of those worn by league teams in the 1940s. Miklaus did his part by working the first two innings using an old-style balloon chest protector and a mask that was typical of those utilized by umpires of that era while a crew recorded the goings on for a documentary.

Miklaus recalls starting his career using an outside protector to call Little League games.

“It was not quite the same quality of balloon I was accustomed to,” he said with a chuckle. “But actually, the facemask was tougher. I don’t know if faces were smaller then or it was possibly not an adult mask. It was pretty tight.”

Miklaus had to reverse his cap because the mask wouldn’t fit properly if the hat was worn the conventional way.

“But looking at pictures from the 1940s, that’s how umpires wore their hats with that mask,” he said.

At the start of the third inning, Miklaus switched to more conventional plate gear.

Neither Hironka or Miklaus recall the final scores of the games they worked at Manzanar on that memorable Saturday.

But regardless of the results, the games achieved their purpose of celebrating Japanese-American baseball and, most importantly, shining a light on a dark corner of American history.

For Miklaus, it was a matter of giving back.

“It wasn’t about me and it wasn’t about Paul,” he said. “It was about those players. I knew it meant a tremendous amount to those players to play on that desert dirt field that’s been restored and hadn’t been played on in almost 80 years.”

Plans are in place for the diamond at Manzanar to be officially dedicated sometime next fall. Miklaus hopes he and Hironka are asked to be part of that event.

“I hope Paul and I are invited back to umpire the formal christening of the field,” he said, “because that would be a real honor.”

Rick Woelfel, a former multisport high school official, is a freelance writer from Philadelphia.

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SOFTBALL

EDITOR: BRAD TITTRINGTON

btittrington@referee.com

RULES, MECHANICS, PHILOSOPHY

USA Softball voted to allow one-way communication devices for the 2025 season, allowing coaches to communicate to players both on offense and defense. Umpires such as Scott Kahn, Huntington Beach, Calif., will need to make sure communication is only from the dugout to the players and players do not communicate back to the dugout.

CHANGING THE CONVERSATION

By Brad Tittrington

U

SA Softball recently announced its rule changes for the 2025 season. The changes include allowing one-way communication devices, altering the way the home team is decided in championship games in fast-pitch play and a few minor changes to base distances, courtesy

runners and pitcher positioning in the slow-pitch game. All rules took effect Jan. 1.

Here is a breakdown of each of the rule changes in order of perceived importance. Referee would like to thank Kevin Ryan, USA Softball director of umpires, for checking the accuracy of this article.

Coach (4-7C-1B&5) Following the NCAA and NFHS in allowing one-way communication devices within the past two years, USA Softball has adopted new rules allowing the same. However, USA Softball has gone a step further than the other two organizations in allowing the use of one-way electronic communication devices

HESTON QUAN

New USA Softball Rules Allow Communication Devices

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to relay signals to the offense as well as to the defense. NCAA rules only allow the use of one-way communication devices to relay the pitch or play call from the dugout to the field, while NFHS rules only allow the use of one-way communication devices in the dugout for one-way communication to the catcher while the team is on defense.

“USA Softball considered two proposals for the use of electronic communication devices, one for defense only and one for both offense and defense,” Ryan said. “After considering both proposals the USA Softball council felt this was the best way to move forward. Some of the reasons were as follows: If the use of electronic communication with the defense helps to speed up the game, it is only natural it would do the same for the offense; the USA Softball Council felt being more proactive with this rule was good for softball and showed leadership in the world of softball as a whole; the cost of such devices is dropping because of more organizations using and allowing them; and feedback from our customers, teams and players was we need to look at both offense and

A

defense using this communication technique for the betterment of softball.”

Pace of play has been a topic of conversation over the past several years at all levels. The use of communication devices is one way organizations are hoping to assist in helping to eliminate down time and helping keep a positive flow to the game.

If a team is caught using twoway communication devices, disqualification or ejection from the game occurs after a warning.

Play 1: Team A’s coach, who is stationed in the dugout, uses a walkie talkie to relay pitch signals to both the pitcher and catcher, who have an in-ear device (as shown in PlayPic A) to receive communication.

Ruling 1: Legal, provided neither the pitcher nor catcher used the device to communicate back to the coach.

Play 2: Team A’s coach, who is stationed in the dugout, uses a keypad to relay pitch signals to the entire team on defense as well as offensive signals while up to bat. Each player on both offense and defense is wearing a device, similar to a watch (as shown in PlayPic B), on their

SIDELINE NCAA SUP Adds Two Advisors The NCAA Softball Umpire Program (SUP) hired two new umpire advisors to the staff, NCAA Softball National Coordinator of Umpires Steve McCown announced in late December. Keith Kearney, a four-time Women’s College World Series (WCWS) umpire, and Tom Meyer, a three-time WCWS umpire, join the staff.

They are tasked with assisting Cody Little, NCAA softball director of training and video review, as well as evaluating and advising postseason assignments for all three NCAA divisions. Kearney and Meyer fill the positions vacated by Glenda Bates, who was recently named the NCAA Division III national coordinator of umpires, and Joanne Venditto, who recently stepped down from the position to focus attention on personal responsibilities.

QUICKTIP Members of the umpiring crew should not come together to converse between innings unless there is a need to discuss a specific rule, mechanic or clarify a situation that happened earlier in the game. Coming together to talk just for the sake of talking is a major time waster and will cause you to go well over the time allotted between innings.

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SOFTBALL

TEST YOURSELF Each of the following includes a situation and possible answer(s).

Decide which are correct for USA, NFHS, NCAA or USSSA rules and which might vary. Solutions: p. 81.

1. With R1 on first and no outs, B2 swings at the first pitch. Her momentum carries her across the plate and causes her to bump into F2 attempting to throw the ball to second base to retire R1, who was stealing on the pitch. The throw ends up in the outfield and R1 advances to third. a. This is interference on B2. The ball is dead and R1 is ruled out. b. This is interference on B2. The ball is dead, B2 is ruled out and R1 is returned to first base. c. This is inadvertent contact by B2. The play stands. d. This is interference on B2. The ball is delayed-dead and the defense has the option of choosing the result of the play, or the batter is out and R2 is returned to first.

2. With R1 on first, B2 hits a ground ball to the right side. F4 crouches down to field the ball and R1, running normally and well in front of F4, jumps over the ball before it reaches F4. F4 sees R1 jump over the ball and is distracted, causing the ball to go into right field. R1 ends up at third base and B2 ends up at first. a. This is interference on R1. The ball is dead immediately and R1 is ruled out. B2 is placed on first. b. This is interference on R1. The ball is dead immediately and both R1 and B2 are ruled out since a double play was a possibility. c. This is not interference and play stands.

wrists that displays a text message with the pitch signal or the offensive play signal. Ruling 2: Legal. There is no restriction regarding which players may receive the messages while on offense or defense, provided the players do not communicate back to the dugout and only use the devices for one-way communication from the dugout to the players.

Play 3: Team A’s coach uses a keypad in the dugout to send a text message to the pitcher and catcher, who received the message on a smartwatch on their wrists. In the second inning, the plate umpire notices the pitcher speaking into the watch. Ruling 3: Illegal. One-way communication devices are allowed, however, once a player uses the device to communicate back to the dugout, either verbally or through texting, it becomes illegal. The umpire should warn the player and coach and the next occurrence will result in disqualification or ejection.

Home Team (5-1) Prior to the start of all games, the home team shall be decided by a coin toss. However, the USA Softball Council voted to add an exception to the rule that states in the championship game only, the undefeated team shall decide the home team. If there is more than one undefeated team or in the event of an “if” game, the home team shall still be decided by a coin toss.

The one caveat to this rule is the undefeated team may choose to be the home or away team and that team is not automatically the home team just because it is undefeated.

Some teams prefer to bat first and a team may choose to be the away team.

The Playing Field (2-1) For Boys’ 14U, 16U and 18U slow-pitch games, the distance between bases is changing to 70 feet instead of 65 feet. This change

B

3. R2 is on second base with two outs. After a pitch, F2 throws the ball to F4 in an attempt to pick off R2.

R2 advances toward third and ends up in a rundown. While returning toward second, R2 bumps into F4, who is in the basepath without the ball. R2 stays in a pickle and eventually reaches third base. She then tries to score and is thrown out by a considerable margin at home. a. This is obstruction on F4. It is a delayed-dead ball. Since F2 tried to advance beyond the base she would have achieved had obstruction not occurred, the out stands. b. This is obstruction on F4. It is a delayed-dead ball. F2 is protected and since she was put out at home, she is returned to third. c. This is not obstruction. d. This is obstruction on F4. The ball is immediately dead and R2 is awarded second base.

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matches adult slow-pitch game distances and the majority of teams in these three divisions play at the 70-foot distance throughout the year.

Preliminaries (6C-1B Exc.) In Men’s, Women’s and Coed Class C, D and E/Rec divisions, the pitcher may take a position from the front edge of the pitcher’s plate to six feet behind the pitcher’s plate within the 24-inch width of the pitcher’s plate, with both feet firmly on the ground, when taking a position to start the pitch. Previously, pitchers were unable to start behind the pitcher’s plate when starting the pitch. This rule change allows pitchers to be farther away from home plate as a safety precaution.

Previously, only the Senior division allowed pitchers to start behind the pitcher’s plate.

Adult Slow Pitch (8-9A-2) The final rule change allows any eligible player to be a courtesy runner once per inning for any player other than the pitcher. This player or any other eligible player may also courtesy run for the pitcher whenever the pitcher is on base. This change allows the same player to be the courtesy runner for the pitcher and one position player in the same half-inning. Previously, a courtesy runner could not run for both.

“We feel the rules are in a good place,” Ryan said. “Based on the USA Softball Council votes and conversations during our council meeting, the only real need right now for some of the rules is to clarify a few of the rules that are in the rulebook. We do our best to make sure everyone understands the USA Softball Rules should be looked at as a book of rules. Not every exact play can have a rule to support the outcome, but if we look at all the rules, most, if not all situations, are covered by the rulebook. We try to look at only the needs of the game and leave the basic rules alone.”

Brad Tittrington is an associate editor for Referee. He umpires D-I softball and officiates high school basketball, college and high school volleyball and high school football. 

Shades of Gray O ne piece of equipment umpires don’t think about enough or often overlook is sunglasses.

Spending as much time as we do outside, it is important for us to take care of our eyes. And while it is imperative we protect our eyes from the sun and the wind, that doesn’t mean anything goes. Remember, sunglasses are a tool to help us do our job and should not be seen as making a fashion statement.

And while the NCAA is the only one of the four major rule codes to mention sunglasses in the rulebook or the manual, here are some basic guidelines to use when it comes to wearing sunglasses.

Don’t Stand Out When it comes to sunglasses, they should be non-mirrored with dark or clear lenses and the frames should be all black. The reason for this is simple; umpires should not draw any undo attention to themselves. If you are wearing frames that are not all black or the lenses are mirror-like, you will be noticed. We are criticized enough.

We should not do something to invite additional criticism. Also remember, you are going to invite criticism anytime you wear sunglasses. There will naturally be that one fan in the stands who will call you out for wearing them if that fan perceives you missed a call. Chances are that fan would criticize you even if you weren’t wearing sunglasses, but this just gives them added fuel.

Remove Them for Lineup Exchanges and When Talking to Coaches As a sign of respect, umpires should remove sunglasses during the plate meeting, national anthem and when talking with coaches. This allows coaches to see your eyes and is simply a sign of respect. You can put them back on once the anthem is over and you head to your position to start the game. If you wear prescription sunglasses and need them to read the lineups, obviously you do not need to remove them in this instance.

Hide Them Inconspicuously There are times when shades are necessary to start a game but the conditions change and sunglasses are no longer needed. In these instances, do not put the shades on top of your hat or tucked inside your collar.

Instead, put them on the back of your belt. Again, this helps you from being noticed. Refrain from putting them in a dugout or looped into a fence.

Chances are you will forget them or they may get damaged or stolen.

Adhere to Assigner’s Preferences Some assigners have different philosophies when it comes to wearing sunglasses on the field. Some do not like umpires wearing them at all, some do not like plate umpires using them, while others don’t have much of a preference at all. The best advice is if an assigner suggests you not wear them, you heed the advice if you want to continue working for that assigner. However, as an independent contractor, is that type of an assigner someone you really want to work for?

Doctors will tell you working outside and being exposed to the sun for long periods of time can greatly damage your eyes. Is pleasing that assigner worth ruining your eyes?

Be Careful on Plate Games Many umpires wear sunglasses behind the dish. If you have a big game coming up and you don’t typically wear sunglasses when working the plate, refrain from doing so in that big game. Try wearing sunglasses in a game that doesn’t have a lot riding on it to see if you like it.

It will give you a different feel and the glare can potentially cause more issues. Make sure you are comfortable taking your mask off and putting it on without having to constantly adjust the glasses. It can take some time to get used to wearing them.

You Get What You Pay For Sunglasses are in the same realm as shoes, as in you can’t afford to cheap out when it comes to your comfort. While it is perfectly

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SOFTBALL

CASEPLAYS Passing a Runner Play: Team B is batting in the bottom of the seventh inning, trailing 3-0, with two outs and the bases loaded when B6 hits a ball over the fence. Both R3 and R2 cross home plate. R1 stops in the right-handed batter’s box and starts celebrating the home run.

B6 passes R1 and crosses home plate. Ruling: In all codes, B6 is ruled out as soon as she passes R1 for the third out of the inning.

Only two runs scored prior to the third out and the game ends with a final score of 3-2 (NFHS 8-6-4; NCAA 12.4.3; USA Softball 8-7D Eff. 3, R/S 39; USSSA 8-18O).

Ball Drops on Infield Fly Play: R2 is on second base and R1 on first when B3 hits a declared infield fly between second and third. The runners are off base when the ball drops untouched in front of F6 and both runners advance one base without tagging up. F6 recovers the ball and throws to F3 on first base to appeal R1 did not tag up. Ruling: B3 is ruled out on the infield fly and the advances

by R2 and R1 are legal. When an infield fly is not caught, runners may attempt to advance without tagging up the same as they would with any other fly ball (USA Softball 1-Infield Fly, 8-4l; NCAA 11.16 and Eff.; NFHS 2-30, 8-2-9; USSSA 3-Infield Fly, 8-17h).

The eyes are an extremely important tool for umpires and it is vital umpires do everything in their power to protect them. Wearing sunglasses, like Katie Moore, Youngsville, La., is one way to take care of the eyes. However, it is important for umpires to understand what is allowable eyewear in each code they work and the philosophies involved with wearing sunglasses.

acceptable to not be comfortable spending hundreds of dollars on sunglasses, just be aware you get what you pay for. While you can get by with the sunglasses from the corner store that cost $10, chances are they aren’t going to last very long and they probably won’t protect your eyes very well. Spend the extra money

to get a quality pair of glasses that look professional, can stand up to the elements and protect your eyes. It is better to spend a little extra and get a good pair that will protect you and look good for multiple seasons than have to constantly replace a cheap pair that get scratched the first time you wear them. 

The Time Between W

hile the codes pretty much agree on where to stand between innings in the two-umpire system, they greatly vary when it comes to three-person mechanics.

In two-person, all four codes have the base umpire stand no more than 15 feet off the first-base foul line at approximately where the grass starts in front of the outfielders, facing home plate. The plate umpire faces the team that is coming to bat about 8-10 feet from the line on a perpendicular line from where the foul line meets the plate.

When it comes to the three-umpire system, NFHS and USA Softball have one set of mechanics while NCAA and USSSA use a completely

A

U1

Approximately 15 feet

U3

Approximately 15 feet P B

This team is coming to bat

8-10 feet BRENNEN ZIGLER

Interference on Foul Ball Play: R3 is on third base with one out when B3, with a 1-1 count, hits a foul fly ball near third base, which didn’t have a chance to become fair.

When F5 settles under the ball, R3 bumps F5, causing her to drop the ball. Ruling: In NFHS, NCAA and USSSA, the ball is declared dead, R3 is ruled out for interference and the ball is considered a foul ball. B3 remains at bat with a 1-2 count (NFHS 8-6-10b Pen.; NCAA 12.17.2.1.7 Eff.; USSSA 8-18G, 2018 Interp.). In USA Softball, the ball is declared dead and both R3 and B3 are out (8-7J-1 Eff. F).

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different philosophy. First, let’s take a look at the NFHS and USA Softball mechanics (as shown in MechaniGram A on the previous page). In these two codes, the plate umpire and U1 stand in the same spot as they would in the two-umpire system. U3 takes a position no more than 15 feet off the third-base foul line approximately where the grass starts in front of the outfielders, facing home plate.

NCAA and USSSA mechanics are vastly different. The plate umpire is in the same spot as the other two codes (and the same spot as the two-umpire system), but the base umpires are much farther off the line (as shown in MechaniGram B). Both U1 and U3 face the plate. U1 stands on the third-base line extended at second base on the grass. U3 stands on the first-base line extended at second base on the grass. The reason for the difference is because in NCAA, time between innings is kept by U3. With 30 seconds remaining on the clock, U3

should verbalize there are 30 seconds left and both umpires should move to their starting positions. This position helps to alert both teams to how much

time is remaining. This position also keeps the base umpires away from the dugouts and potential conversations with players or coaches. 

U1

B

U3

P 8-10 feet This team is coming to bat B

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DE-FENCE

-LESS

These fences can cause problems when it comes to trying to figure out ground rules. They can also complicate matters when it comes to catch/no-catch situations. Looking at this still frame, what would you rule on this play? Let’s break it down.

The fielder has the ball in the glove. Let’s assume she caught the ball just prior to contacting the fence. As long as she maintains control of the ball after falling to the ground and any release of the ball thereafter is voluntary, this would be a catch in all codes.

If there are runners on base, the umpires must determine if this is a catch-and-carry situation. If the fielder steps, touches or falls into dead-ball area, this would constitute a catch and carry. While the out would still stand, runners would be awarded one base, unless the umpires deemed the carrying of the ball out of play was intentional, in which case

runners would be awarded two bases.

Let’s say this fence was laying completely horizontal on the ground and the fielder was standing on it to make the catch. Would it still be a catch? In NFHS, NCAA and USSSA, it is not a catch if a player stands on a fence that is completely horizontal. However, in USA Softball, it would be a catch, provided the fielder is on the fence and not touching anything beyond the fence.

Let’s say the fielder jumped in the air, caught the ball, then lands on the other side of the fence still holding the ball. What’s the call? In all codes, this is a catch and carry. The out would stand on the batter, but all runners would be awarded one base.

Finally, let’s say the fielder jumped the fence, landed on the other side, then caught the ball. Is this legal? In all codes, this would be a home run.

HESTON QUAN

We aren’t always blessed with umpiring in stadiums with permanent fencing and well-defined out-of-play areas. Instead, especially at the high school and travel ball levels, we often find ourselves in a situation like this, with a temporary, portable fence.

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VOLLEYBALL

EDITOR: BRAD TITTRINGTON

btittrington@referee.com

RULES, MECHANICS, PHILOSOPHY

Fetu-Ao Alailima, Lomita, Calif., explains how he wants the libero tracker to notify him whether liberos are on or off the court coming out of a timeout. This simple hand signal helps the second referee quickly know if a team made an illegal replacement during the timeout and should be part of the mental checklist done for each timeout.

MAKE A LIST, CHECK IT TWICE

By Brad Tittrington

S

econd referees have a lot of responsibility while the ball is live and play is happening. They must rule on centerline violations, net faults, assist with back-row attacks and blocks, help on pancakes, help with touches, help with potential ballhandling violations, etc. There is a lot to do.

And while these tasks can sometimes feel daunting, second referees really earn their money while the ball is dead. There is a lot to do during this time as well.

And matches can go sideways if second referees don’t handle these responsibilities adequately.

That is why it is important for second referees to have a mental checklist to go through before the

match starts, between points and between sets. Here is a look at the things second referees should be doing in order to keep the match on track and the flow of the game moving smoothly. For the sake of brevity, this article will focus on matches not involving CRS (challenge review system) and focus on things that occur after the coin toss.

HESTON QUAN

R2’s Mental Checklist to Keep Match Flowing

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SCOTT COLEMAN/ZUMAPRESS/NEWSCOM

Prior to the Match After the coin toss, the second referee should inform the scorer which team is serving so the scoresheet can be filled out in a timely fashion. The second referee should then speak with the table crew to review substitution procedures, libero replacements, timeout procedures and how to communicate if there are any issues during the match. The second referee should then monitor warmups and look for any illegal jewelry or uniform issues so these can be corrected before the start of the match.

Once the starting lineups are submitted, the second referee should take time to make sure there are no illegal numbers or duplicate numbers, check to make sure the libero(s) numbers are not the same as any of the starting players’ numbers, make sure a libero(s) is listed if a team is using one (or two), make sure the coach’s signature is on the sheet (if required) and make sure a captain is designated. If the libero is listed as the captain, ask the coach which player is the alternate captain when the libero is off the court (this will save time from having to stop play and figure it out once the match starts).

In high school matches, where the second referee is required to have a lineup card, make sure to legibly write down the starting lineups and libero number and double check to make sure you wrote all the numbers down correctly.

After the anthem and team announcements, use the lineup card (or sheet depending on the code you are working) and make sure all the numbers are accurate and the players are in the proper order on the court. One thing that is imperative is make sure the libero number listed on the lineup card or sheet matches the number of the player wearing the libero jersey (or jerseys if a team is using two liberos in NCAA or USAV). There have been instances, including at the NCAA Division I level, where a libero was wearing a number different than what was listed on the lineup and it

was not caught by the second referee until several rallies had been played.

After verifying both teams have the right players in the right spot with the right numbers, permit the libero to enter the court as a replacement if the team chooses to do so. Make one last check with the table crew to make sure everyone is ready, then roll the ball to the team that is serving first, check to make sure everyone is in place and then finally give the court to the first referee to begin.

Between Points Between points is a chance for second referees to take a quick breath and reset. However, it is not time to “take off.” Instead, second referees should scan both benches to make sure a coach is not asking for a timeout as well as check to see if substitutes are attempting to enter the substitution zone. Get into a routine of either stepping back to get a wider view or of subtly turning your head in both directions to see both benches. Remember that you also need to check the rotation of the receiving team as you are responsible for that team at the moment of service contact. A lot of things may be running through your head during this time if you are a newer official, but with experience the game will eventually slow down for you.

Substitutions During a match, there are a lot of opportunities for substitutions.

Many times, no one is paying attention to the second referee until the second referee blows a whistle, then it is time to shine.

By doing things correctly and in the right order, second referees can exude confidence to help put coaches and players at ease. Second referees should first give a double whistle and give the substitution signal. If both teams are trying to substitute at the same time, the second referee should communicate to one team to wait. Then allow one team to substitute, then allow the other team to substitute (what is said to the scorers’ table should

QUICKTIP Just because ball handling looks bad does not mean it is illegal. You are going to see all types of skills and techniques when it comes to ball handling.

Don’t judge what is legal or illegal by appearances alone. Some legal sets can result in the ball spinning.

Remember, ugly does not equal illegal.

SURVEY SAYS ...

Do you keep your cards in your front pocket or back pocket?

Front: 60% Back: 40% SOURCE: SOCIAL MEDIA SURVEY OF 115 FOLLOWERS.

BY THE NUMBERS

21,726

The number of people in attendance for the NCAA D-I Women’s Volleyball Championship semifinal matches Dec. 19 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. It was the largest crowd ever for an NCAA women’s semifinal. In the first match, Louisville defeated Pittburgh, 3-1, and in the nightcap, Penn State outlasted Nebraska, 3-2. The referees were Pati Rolf, Bill Stanley, Suzanne Lowry and Kaili Kimura. The line judges were Sarah Myres, Talita Benavides, Dan Swensen and Rachel Jensen.

REFEREE March 2025 |

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VOLLEYBALL

TEST YOURSELF In each of the following you are given a situation and at least two possible answers. You are to decide which answer or answers are correct for NFHS, NCAA or USAV rules, which might vary.

Solutions: p. 81.

1. Which of the following is permitted if a rally is stopped and replayed due to an injury? a. A legal libero replacement to replace an injured back-row player. b. A timeout request by the injured player’s team after the initial 30-second evaluation period. c. A substitution request to replace the injured player. d. All the above.

2. After a rally during the third set, the second referee whistles to acknowledge a substitution request, A1 for A2. The scorer informs the second referee that A1 was replaced in the first set using an exceptional substitution.

What is the correct action? a. Allow the substitution since the exceptional substitution occurred in a different set in the match. b. Deny the substitution since A1 had been replaced by exceptional substitution earlier in the match and assess team A with an unnecessary delay/delay sanction. c. Deny the substitution and award a point and the service to team B. 3. A1 attempts to set the ball, which is entirely on team A’s side of the net. B2 reaches beyond the net to block and inadvertently touches A1’s hands. A1 then makes a double contact on the ball, which causes the ball to cross over the net, and the first referee blows the whistle. What is the correct decision for the first referee? a. Double contact by A1; team B wins the rally. b. Double fault (double contact

by A1, interference by B2); the rally is replayed. c. Interference (reaching beyond the net) by B2; team A wins the rally.

be communicated prematch to make sure everyone is on the same page). After the substitution process is complete, give a scan to both benches to make sure no other substitutes are trying to get into the substitution zone, make sure the table crew is ready and then give the court back to the first referee. If a team is within four substitutions of its limit, verbalize it and signal to the coach (or an assistant) how many substitutions the team has used. For example, in NCAA, notify a team of its 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th substitute. Again, this should be communicated to the table crew during prematch communication.

Timeouts Timeout procedures should be communicated with the table crew prematch as well. Often second referees do not communicate beforehand and it leads to improper procedures or confusion. Second referees should blow the whistle twice and give the timeout signal, followed by indicating which team took the timeout. Then the second referee should indicate to the first referee the number of timeouts each team has taken. The second referee should then turn to the scorer and verbalize which team took the timeout, the score (using the score of the team taking the timeout first), and then check with the scorer to make sure the timeout was recorded and confirm the number of timeouts each team has taken. The libero tracker (assistant scorer) should then inform the second referee the status of each team’s libero (on or off the court). With 15 seconds remaining in the timeout, the second referee should give a warning whistle and then the timeout should be concluded with a horn (unless multiple courts are being used).

Then the second referee should indicate the number of timeouts again to the first referee. If a team has used both of its timeouts, the second referee should notify that team’s coach, or an assistant, that both timeouts have been taken. The second referee should make sure no substitutes are waiting to enter,

make sure the line judges are in proper position and then give the court back to the first referee. There should be the same pattern and rhythm to each timeout sequence to maintain consistency.

End of Sets At the end of each set, the second referee should make sure the timer starts the clock for the intermission, grab the lineup sheets from the table and hand them to each team’s coach, remind the scorer to clear the scoreboard and put up the correct set number and clear each team’s score. This is also a time to make sure the first referee is taken care of (drink of water, etc.) and ask the table crew if there are any questions or issues. Then, monitor the time left and make sure coaches turn in the next set’s lineup on time to avoid penalties.

If the upcoming set is the deciding set, the second referee should immediately ask for captains at the conclusion of the previous set.

The second referee should conduct the coin toss and indicate which team will be serving and which direction, then make sure the timer has started the timer, grab the lineup sheets for the coaches and then go through the rest of your routine.

This may seem like a lot of work.

Most non-officials don’t understand all the duties of second referees. The best referees make it look seamless, but that is because of repetition, hard work and experience. The best referees constantly keep a checklist in their head and make sure they run through everything in the same order every time, every match in order to keep things consistent. If you feel you are struggling with consistency or things are moving too fast, focus on which part of the routine is giving you trouble, mentally go through the steps and then put them into practice the next time you take the court.

Brad Tittrington is an associate editor for Referee. He umpires D-I softball and officiates high school basketball, college and high school volleyball and high school football. 

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K

Sub Conscious D

while the second referee is primarily responsible for administering substitutions and handling that process, first referees sometimes have a better view of the benches, especially in venues where the second referee doesn’t have a lot of room to work and can’t back up to get a good view of the benches. Both referees should get in the habit of scanning the benches after every point to avoid missing substitutions and having to explain to an angry coach why it was done.

uring the course of a match, there may be close to 150 substitutions. This is assuming the match goes five sets and teams use all of their available substitutions.

That is a lot of time for something to go potentially wrong, especially if referees do not understand the rules and proper substitution processes.

The most important thing is for referees to be aware there may be a substitution after every rally and they should be prepared for them to occur. This is why both referees must scan the benches after every point and before authorizing service to see if there is a potential substitution.

Nothing will irritate a coach more than a whistle-happy first referee who quickly authorizes service after a completed rally and never acknowledges substitutes trying to get to the substitution zone. And

15.1). Substitution requests in all three codes are made by a substitute entering the substitution zone. In NFHS and USAV, the head coach may also request a substitution, while in NCAA, any coach in the bench or warmup area may also request a substitution. In NCAA and USAV, a playing captain may request a substitution as well. Second referees should refrain from blowing the whistle to acknowledge a substitution request when a player starts moving toward the substitution zone and should only blow the whistle once the player enters the zone. If a coach or captain requests the substitution, the second referee can whistle to acknowledge the request and then the team should immediately have the substitute enter the substitution zone in order to avoid an unnecessary delay/delay warning.

Substitution Rules Let’s first take a look at substitution rules, as they do vary between the three major codes.

NFHS allows a maximum of 18 substitutions per set, NCAA allows for 15 and USAV allows for 12 (NFHS 10-3-2; NCAA 11.3.2.1; USAV

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VOLLEYBALL

CASEPLAYS Assistant Coaches Standing During Play Play: During play, both team A’s head coach and one assistant coach stand to instruct players but remain at least 1.75 meters from the court. Ruling: This is not legal in NFHS, but is legal in NCAA and USAV. NFHS allows only the head coach to stand during play.

While the ball is dead, the head coach and one assistant coach may stand to instruct players, but the assistant coach must sit down once there is authorization for service (12-2-5, 12-2-6). In NCAA, this is legal provided the coaches do not delay or disrupt the match (5.2.4.1). In USAV, the rules permit the head coach and one assistant coach to stand at any time. The head coach and assistant can stand or walk within the team’s free zone in front of the bench from the extension of the attack line up to and including the warmup area, without disturbing or delaying the match. The coach must not obstruct the view of the line judge as well (5.2.3.4, 5.3.1).

Re-serve Play: A1 tosses the ball for service but allows the ball to fall to the floor untouched. The first referee authorizes the serve again. Team A wins that point. A1 prepares to serve again and tosses the ball and allows it to hit the floor again untouched. Ruling: In NFHS, each player is allowed one re-serve during a team’s term of service. For a service tossing error, the ball may be caught or allowed to drop to the floor. The ball must be contacted within five seconds after the first referee authorizes the re-serve. A subsequent tossing error by the same server during the same term of service will result in loss of rally/point awarded to the opponent (8-1-1, 8-1-5, 8-1-6). In NCAA, re-serves are not permitted.

The server has eight seconds to contact the ball after authorization from service (13.1.3). In USAV, re-serves are allowed for 14-andunder age groups. A re-serve is permitted for each service and servers are allowed five seconds to contact the ball after the first referee whistles for service. For all other age groups, the server must contact the ball within eight seconds of the first referee’s whistle for service and no re-serves are permitted (12.4.4).

It is important to also know a substitution may happen prior to a set and may also happen during a timeout. If during a timeout, the second referee should wait until the timeout is concluded and then authorize the substitution. A substitution prior to the set generally occurs when a coach incorrectly lists the wrong player on the starting lineup and then is forced to use a substitution to insert the correct player.

Multiple Substitutes Most of that information should be common knowledge for referees.

So, let’s move to more difficult situations that occur regularly in a match that sometimes cause confusion. The first situation involves multiple substitutes. Too often, second referees allow both substitutes to enter the sub zone at once. By rule, only one substitute can be in the substitution zone at a time (NFHS 10-2-3b; NCAA 11.3.4.2; USAV 15.5). While one substitute is in the substitution zone, the other must wait outside the zone, in the libero replacement zone, until the second referee releases the first substitute onto the court (as shown in PlayPic A). This allows the scorer the ability to see the substitution and write down the correct numbers as opposed to having multiple substitutions taking place at one time, which can create a host of errors.

Secondly, if a team wishes to have multiple substitutions, they must

be made in succession. A team may not have more than one request for substitution during the same dead ball. If a second substitute is not ready immediately or a team requests a second substitute during the same dead ball, it should be denied and may result in an unnecessary delay/ delay warning.

Both Teams Substitute Another tricky situation occurs when both teams have substitutes enter the substitution zone at the same time. Both referees should work in unison to make sure one team is authorized first and then the second team will be authorized after. The second referee should tell one team to wait and may put up the stop sign.

This stop sign can be mirrored by the first referee. If that stop sign is walked through, the second referee should bring the other team back (or the first referee can whistle to get the attention of the players if the second referee is unable to get that team’s attention). The most important thing is to make sure the table sees and records all substitutes correctly, and second referees should judge the experience of the table crew prematch to determine how much information needs to be given and how much time it takes the scorer to record substitutions.

Libero Replacements Referees and the table crew should be aware that libero replacements are not substitutions

A

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B

C

and these can only occur in the libero replacement zone. If a replacement takes place in the substitution zone, the team should be penalized with an unnecessary delay/delay warning (as shown in PlayPic B). In high school, the second referee can show the card.

In NCAA and USAV, the second referee should request the first referee to show the card. One area where the codes do disagree deals with a libero replacement after authorization

March_2025.indb 69

of service. In NFHS, it is illegal alignment if the libero replacement occurs after the authorization for service (10-4-2c). In NCAA and USAV, as long as the libero replacement is completed before contact of serve, it is legal and is not rejected, however after the rally, a warning is given to the team and continued violation will result in a delay sanction (NCAA 12.2.2.1; USAV 19.3.2.5).

Exceptional Substitutions Lastly, one area that can cause issues for referees deals with exceptional substitutions. It is imperative for referees to understand the rules when it comes to this situation in order to avoid major pitfalls. An exceptional substitution occurs when a player is injured or ill and unable to continue playing and the team has exhausted all of its substitutions or has no legal substitute available. In NCAA play, an exceptional substitute is not allowed for a disqualified player. In NFHS and USAV, this is allowable. In NFHS, if a team hasn’t used all 18 allowable substitutions but is required to use an exceptional substitution, it counts as a team substitution. In NCAA and USAV play, an exceptional substitution does not count as a team substitution, but it is noted on the scoresheet. If an exceptional substitution is used, the injured/ill player that is replaced may not return to that set in NFHS and NCAA play. In USAV, the injured/ill player may not return in that match.

The following priority should be used when using an exceptional substitute: • By a teammate who has never played in the set or a player who has played in that position earlier in the set.

• (NFHS) By any legal non-libero teammate on the bench who is not currently being replaced by the libero, regardless of previous position played.

(NCAA/USAV) By any substitute on the bench, regardless of position played.

• By a libero player. That player must change to wear the same uniform as teammates as that person is no longer playing as a libero (as shown in PlayPic C).

These rules can get confusing and it is important for referees to refresh themselves on these rules in order to avoid potential protests or challenges.

While exceptional substitutions don’t happen all that often, the rest of the situations outlined in this article occur every match. It is important for all referees to understand the rules and be cognizant of all the situations that could occur when it comes to this process. 

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GETTING IT RIGHT

INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION, ELEVATION

MIAA Flips for Officials

By Steven L. Tietz

L

ike their brethren nationwide, prep sports officials in Massachusetts fish around in their pockets before games, searching for a coin to toss to begin the night’s activities.

Usually, it turns out to be a wellworn quarter or something similar.

But thanks to the hustle and determination of Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Associate Executive Director Richard Pearson and his staff, many officials in the Minuteman State are pulling out specially designed flipping coins provided to them by the MIAA.

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association honors its officials by giving them special flipping coins.

It’s a reminder of the gratitude the MIAA has for their people in stripes.

These coins come in different designs and colors and include an MIAA logo on one side while on the other is an image of a whistle.

Encouraging language is also included.

This morale-building venture began a few years ago, Pearson said.

“The results have been spectacular,” he said. “The coin becomes a point of pride to them. It

can be a memento of their work or it can be a practical item to help them do the job.”

Pearson and his staff put in legwork to reach as many officials as possible.

“We usually do this during National Officials Appreciation Week (every sports season),” Pearson said.

“We’ve seen different kinds of coins over the years, but the idea was, ‘Why don’t we create something that honors who we are?’”

Officials across the spectrum get the coins, Pearson said.

“It’s kind of random,” he said.

“We just go out and do it. We’ll drive to the different regions of the state (during the week) and find different officials.

“Sometimes we lose track of how many stops we make, but we look to honor at least 10 or 12 a day. We get there, shake their hands and thank them. Then we get back into our cars and catch another game. We try to reach 75 to 100 by the end of the week.”

Over time, the MIAA has tinkered with the coins, including handing out gold versions to state finals officials last year.

It’s an idea that’s catching on widely and is encouraging officials to stay in the game.

“I spoke about it at the national meeting (of the NFHS) last year and an Alaskan rep showed me his coin,” Pearson said. “We could always use more (officials), but we’ve had (some) improvements. The decline is not as fast as it has been.

“It’s a hard job and we just want them to know that we’re thinking about them.”

The process includes the MIAA’s virtual education program that teaches high school students the rules of sports, hopefully creating new officials along the way.

“We have about 100 kids taking it right now and we have visited those kids and gave them coins too,” Pearson said.

Steven L. Tietz is an award-winning sportswriter from Milwaukee. 

Women Making Waves in NFL A Dec. 8 matchup between the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants didn’t have any playoff implications, but it was a Robin DeLorenzo historic game nonetheless: It was the first time two female NFL officials worked on the field together. It was a chance occurrence considering there Karina are just three Tovar women on the NFL’s onfield officiating roster, and all three work on different crews. But line judge Robin DeLorenzo, who usually works on Carl Cheffers’ crew, was assigned to Clete Blakeman’s crew, which includes rookie field judge Karina Tovar, for the game at MetLife Stadium. DeLorenzo and Tovar worked the same sideline during the game, with the former officiating at the line of scrimmage and the latter working downfield.

SOURCE: FOOTBALL ZEBRAS

Violet Takes the Field Violet Palmer is well known as the first female official in NBA history and is still very involved in the avocation as the coordinator of women’s basketball officials for the West Coast, Western Athletic, Big Sky and Big West conferences. But did you know baseball was her first love?

Palmer, who was the only girl on her Little League team as a child, spoke to about 250 participants at an umpire clinic at the Major League Baseball Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., in December. MLB umpire Malachi Moore has coordinated the camp for the past several years; both he and Palmer are Compton natives.

SOURCE: UMPS CARE

Have you heard an inspirational or motivational officiating story?

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EJECTION R

BEFORE YOU Few officials enjoy ejecting coaches or players. Fewer still delight in writing the report to the conference, assigner or other authority. Some officials will avoid an ejection even though it’s warranted just so they don’t have to file a report.

Officials who loathe report writing perhaps don’t understand what the person on the other end needs. You don’t have to have a master’s degree in English literature to accomplish the task. But you do have to be honest and thorough. Here are some tips to make your next ejection report a less-painful process.

Before putting words on paper (or firing up the computer), you’ll want to let the proper authority know you were involved in an incident. That phone call should happen as soon as reasonable after the game; you don’t want the coach or athletic director to be the one to break the news. Give the commissioner, assigner or coordinator a brief overview; then let them know you’ll be turning in a report in short order.

Begin your game report with the very basics: the who, what, when and where (the why comes later). Include your information — name, address, phone number and registration number if applicable. Provide the names of any other officials on the game, what type of game it was (level

CHUCK REHERMAN (RHETT GARRETT, OKLAHOMA CITY)

THE DO’S

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N REPORTS

OU HIT SEND

BY JEFFREY STERN

and sport), date of the game and where it took place.

Provide the name(s) and number(s) of the offender(s), and the game situation (period, inning, time and score).

Then, in plain language without exaggeration or fluff, provide the details of the incident.

FOR EXAMPLE: With 2:23 to play in the fourth quarter, I called a personal foul on No. 23, Noah Vail from Disco Tech.

The player slammed the ball to the court and said, “You’re full of s _ _ t!” I called a technical foul on Vail.

Since that was his second technical of the game, I informed him and his coach he was ejected from the game.

In the example, publishing standards prevent us from spelling out the expletive the player uttered.

But in a report, you should provide the exact language that was used.

Indicating someone “called me a bad name” leaves too much to interpretation.

Since this was the player’s second technical, it would be important to provide the details of the first technical, whether or not you were the official who assessed it. If your partner had the initial run-in, get details from him or her.

Those in charge will want to know there was escalation and not hairtrigger emotions.

Conversely, if an earlier incident did not lead to a rule-based penalty or warning (e.g. card, unsportsmanlike conduct foul, bench restriction, etc.), you need not include that. A coach simply “coming out” on you to question a call is not worth mentioning.

THE DON’TS

Avoid speculating on any underlying reasons that might have caused the ejected person to erupt. Theories such as, “The coach came into the game grouchy since the team is on a losing streak,” “The player was frustrated after fumbling at the goalline and took it out on us,” or “Seeing that berating us fired up the crowd and the team, the coach ramped up the antics” may be factual but do not belong in your report.

Editorializing is also to be avoided. “That coach has a reputation for hating officials” does not add to the body of knowledge.

Statements such as, “The coach deserved to be ejected since there were repeated warnings” will make the conference coordinator or assigner wonder why the ejection didn’t happen earlier.

Perhaps the only thing worse than a quick trigger is letting a negative situation linger before taking care of business. Neither is good for your reputation.

Vagueness or slang can also confuse the reader. “The coach blew his stack,” or “The coach’s face had a look that would stop a clock” are colorful but superfluous.

Perhaps there is no greater annoyance to the coordinator or assigner than an official who demands the proverbial pound of flesh or issues threats in retaliation for being mistreated. “The coach’s actions merit a five-game suspension” isn’t your decision to make. “I won’t work at that school again as long as that coach is there” is an option you may choose if

you’re an independent contractor.

But remember the person to whom you’re venting controls all of your assignments. Your schedule next season may not be as robust if you’re perceived as a hothead.

And there is nothing to be gained by reminding the reader of your resume. “I’ve built a great reputation in my 23-year career, including 11 state championship games. I deserve better treatment than this.” You’re probably right, but even an official with three games worth of experience deserves the same courtesy and consideration as you, so don’t pontificate.

BEFORE YOU HIT SEND You may have a deadline to submit your report. It’s important you meet it. But if there is time, you might want to have someone look over your masterpiece before you submit it. That’s especially true if that person also worked the game and can help you with the facts. In an emotional situation or confrontation, you don’t always know what’s going on elsewhere on the field or court. Another official can fill in those blanks.

While your spelling, grammar and punctuation might benefit from editing, it’s important the facts remain unchanged. This is your report, written from your perspective and your memory. If your proofreader spots a factual error, talk it over before you correct it. But by and large, it should be a document written in your “voice.”

Jeffrey Stern is Referee’s senior editor.

He formerly officiated high school and college football and high school baseball.

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ALL SPORTS

EDITOR: JEFFREY STERN

jstern@referee.com

FOR ALL SPORTS, ALL LEVELS

GOAL TO GO

What It Takes to Get What You Want

By Michael Menard

Minor league umpire Jacob Metz, Edmonds, Wash., worked Major League Baseball spring training games last year. That brought him closer to his goal of reaching the majors.

Setting goals is important for anyone who wants to achieve success in officiating.

magine the most successful people on earth: executives, professional athletes, actors and even top officials.

What do they all have in common?

The answer is deceptively simple: goals. They have a burning desire to accomplish extraordinary things despite constant adversity.

Goal-setting is the basis of all achievement and success. In fact, the very definition of success is “the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” Without a goal to work toward, we tend to go off in all directions and never accomplish anything in particular. In order to be the happiest and most alive, we need to be actively working toward something we really want to bring about in our life.

What is it you want? There are several areas in which an official should set goals. The first has to do with the highest level of play you intend to officiate. What level of play, if you absolutely knew you could do it, would you like to work in the future?

Maybe you want to work Division I college. Perhaps you’re shooting for a championship game. Or your goal could be a full high school varsity schedule. Your highest aspiration might not be the same as someone else’s, but if you decide on that goal, you’ll place yourself in that rare category of people who know where they’re going.

Your health is crucial to your longevity and success, not only where your career is concerned, but your general well-being. As a matter of fact, your health is critical for success in nearly every area of your life. Imagine yourself in perfect health. What would be different about your life? Have that as your vision for the future.

The third area has to do with your end-of-season goals. Those are shortterm goals. Ask yourself, “How far into the season do I want to work?” It might be a certain number of playoff games

DENNIS HUBBARD

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or a championship game. Maybe you want to work the finals of a particular league. Whatever it happens to be for you to have a successful season, set it as a goal and work on improving the one key skill that will help you the most.

The fourth area can be fun goals, or goals that you’d like to accomplish just because you want to. It might be working in different cities, states, arenas or stadiums. Sometimes it might be to work in front of a sold-out crowd or a game that is being televised to a wide audience. Think of all the cool little things you want to do as an official. Don’t limit yourself. Remember, goals can be fun as well.

Now that you’re clear about what you want in those areas, how can you increase the odds of achieving your goals? Here are some suggestions: Write Down Your Goals Take a sheet of paper and write down what you’ve decided to achieve.

A goal that is not in writing is only a wish. All of us should have a list of goals on us at all times. We need reminding of the things we want to be, have and do. Many people say, “I can keep my goals in my head.” Did you know if you write down a goal, you increase the likelihood of achieving it by more than 10 times? People who simply write down their New Year’s resolutions on a card increase their chances of following through by 1,100%. What’s keeping you from doing the same?

Make It Measurable Many people’s goals are not clear.

We often hear people say, “I want to

be happy,” or, “I want to be healthy.”

Those are merely wishes. A measurable goal, with a deadline, gives you the chance to track your progress and keep you motivated.

SURVEY SAYS …

Identify the Obstacles, Skills and People That Can Help You Once you’ve exhausted the list, organize it by sequence and priority.

Start with the most important task you have to do. The first 20 percent of your list will account for 80 percent of your progress in achieving the goal.

Different officials

Visualize Your Goal as Attained Visualization is one of the greatest abilities we have. When we envision our goal as accomplished, we actually move closer to it and bring it closer to us. Associating our wants with positive energy keeps us from losing faith and gives us incentive to continue.

62 62%

Back Every Goal With Persistence and Determination Say to yourself, “I will never quit.”

Promise yourself that you will pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going should you initially fail to reach your goal. Remember, you will become what you think about. If you want to reach your goal, keep it in front of you.

Apply those goal-setting principles — not just in officiating, but in every area of your life. As Earl Nightingale pointed out, “You can have anything you want. You need only make up your mind.”

Michael Menard, Hamburg, N.Y., works hockey at levels ranging from youth to NCAA women. He is an independent fitness and nutrition consultant. 

CHRISTOPHER HOOK/ICON SPORTSWIRE/NEWSCOM

Kids’ Games Are the Fountain of Youth By the Referee editors

Y

outh leagues are where many officials get their start, particularly those who begin officiating at a young age. Those games provide a good place to

develop skills. It’s rewarding to teach the young players sportsmanship, for example. Help them understand some of the finer points, like winning and losing gracefully. You might be amazed how positive an impact it could have on their future.

Do you prefer to work with different officials throughout a season, or do you prefer a consistent crew/partner?

38%% 38 Consistent crew/partner

SOURCE: SURVEY OF 182 REFEREE READERS

QUICKTIP Texting or using a social network to confirm a game or match is convenient and very common. But if you don’t receive a reply from one or more partners, give them a phone call. Maybe they were moved from the game or gave it to someone else and didn’t notify the assigner. It’s better to be sure than sorry when you are an official short minutes before the game or match.

THEY SAID IT “I know this, we need really good officials. They work really hard.

No, they’re not perfect, but they’re going out there trying to call a perfect game. I don’t believe officials win or lose the game.

Certainly the calls have an impact.

And I just think that, I do believe our officials work really hard, and I think we need to support them.”

– Craig Bohl, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association SOURCE: THE ATHLETIC

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ALL SPORTS

But even if you advance to higher levels of sport, you might want to consider going back to volunteer or work at the youth level for a season, a tournament or even a game.

You Can Promote Officiating Show the enthusiasm you have for your officiating. You’ll notice how all the participants respond well to a positive, upbeat official. Whenever you’re officiating, you’re in a highprofile, high-visibility position.

Enjoy the Credibility You Gain With Your Service You’re there making the calls, displaying the mannerisms and decision-making abilities of an official. That can impress young minds, or at least instill in them confidence that their game is in good hands.

You Can Improve Your Skills Remember, taking care of the youth game is taking care of the children. As they participate, there may be undesirable behaviors exhibited that you have to deal with.

It may not be the players.

Sometimes the coaches and parents might let their emotions get the best of them. That is where your experience can help you.

Your leadership and people skills will come in handy when dealing with those outbursts. Confidence is a welcome ploy against much of

Thanks to Elle-Grace Rodriquez, Havelock, N.C., these young players get quality umpiring just like their older peers. At the same time, Rodriguez gets to hone her skills in games with a slower pace than those at higher levels.

those negative behaviors. Remaining levelheaded shows you’ve got the game under control and that no one can take that away.

A well-officiated youth game

should earn you respect, and it is safe, fair and fun for both participants and spectators. The impact from your efforts may well last beyond that season. 

By Mike Byron

I

t’s often said there are three teams in a sporting event — two groups of players and the officials. In truth, there are others directly and semidirectly involved that are necessary elements to the proper conduct of a game.

Principal In essence, the principal is responsible for everything that bears the name of the host school. Is the

site secure and free of inappropriate displays of behavior from parents, players and coaches? Since the athletic director is accountable to the principal, the athletic director should be addressing those missteps.

The product on the court or field is representative of not only the school, but also the school system and community as a whole. It is the principal’s responsibility to ensure the representation is positive and models expected behaviors for studentathletes.

Athletic Director The athletic director (AD) supervises the coaching staff.

Additionally, the AD may supervise the site administrator in ensuring the game site is secure and adequately prepared for the event. Games are school-sponsored events. The AD needs to hold coaches accountable like principals hold teachers accountable.

Vulgar language and extreme emotional outbursts have no place in interscholastic sports. Unfortunately those behaviors are becoming the

CARIN GOODALL-GOSNELL

It Takes a Team to Run a Game

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norm, and unless the coaches are held accountable, they will not only continue, but will escalate.

Site Administrator The site (or game) administrator is one of the more vital roles in establishing a safe site for players, coaches, fans and officials. Ideally, administrators should introduce themselves to the crew upon their arrival at the game site and make it known where they may be found should their assistance be needed.

Their responsibilities should include but not be limited to escorting officials to and from the locker room and field, addressing unruly fans and ensuring game equipment is in working order. If needed, the site administrator may enlist the services of a police officer in order to establish order within the site.

Head Coach It is the head coach’s responsibility to act as the

representative for their team in dealing with officials when done in a respectful manner. The AD should be evaluating the head coach’s ability to keep assistants under control while also maintaining his or her own emotions.

Assistant Coaches Assistant coaches should coach — period. Any questions, concerns or comments should be directed through the head coach. There should be one voice on the sidelines, and that is of the head coach. Further, they need to model the behaviors and emotions that are expected of the players.

Players Student-athletes are still students.

They should be held responsible for their behavior. Would unruly behavior be acceptable at a school dance? If the answer is no, that conduct should not be tolerated on a court or field. Coaches need to hold their players accountable.

Officials Officials are charged with enforcing the rules in accordance with philosophy while also managing the game. However, our responsibilities do not end there. Communication with school personnel as well as coaches must be professional. As much time as we spend studying rules and mechanics, ample time must also be spent practicing how we are going to explain a rule, present various penalty options or make an announcement.

Similar to how we may sell a ruling, we must also be able to explain specific rules and issues of game management.

Officials should be accountable to their assigner and the conference or league for which they work.

Mike Byron, Raynham, Mass., is the rules interpreter for both the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Interscholastic Football Officials and the Suffolk County Football Officials Association. He has been a principal for more than 15 years and a building administrator for more than 18 years. 

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FOR THE RECORD AWARDS, ROSTERS, NOTABLES

POSTSEASON ASSIGNMENTS

POSTSEASON ASSIGNMENTS

PROFESSIONAL

HIGH SCHOOL

• The Orlando Pride defeated the Washington Spirit, 1-0, to win the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League title.

Officials for the championship match were (crew order is referee, assistant referees, fourth official, video assistant referee, alternate video assistant referee, reserve assistant referee): Alyssa Nichols, Tiffini Turpin, Brian Marshall, Brad Jensen, Ekaterina Koroleva, John Krill, Seth Barton.

• The Los Angeles Galaxy defeated Red Bull New York, 2-1, to win the 2024 MLS Cup. Officials for the championship match were (crew order is referee, assistant referees, fourth official, video assistant referee, alternate video assistant referee, reserve assistant referee): Guido Gonzales, Kyle Atkins, Logan Brown, Ismir Pekmic, Younes Marrakchi, TJ Zablocki, Jose Da Silva.

• North Texas SC defeated Philadelphia Union II, 3-2, to win the MLS NEXT Pro Cup. Officials for the championship match were (crew order is referee, assistant referees, fourth official, reserve assistant referee): Joshua Encarnacion, Art Arustamyan, Jeremy Smith, Jeremy Scheer, Max Smith.

• The Toronto Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 41-24, to win the 2024 Grey Cup, the championship of the Canadian Football League.

Officials were (crew order is referee, umpire, down judge, line judge, side judge, back judge, field judge): Ben Major, Adam Paradowski, Chris Shapka, Walt Hawrysh, Iain Cropper, Kevin Riopel, Brian Chrupalo.

• These officials were assigned by the Illinois High School Association to work 2024 fall sports championships: Cross country — Kenric Bond, Lisle; Timothy James, Crete; David Mitchell, Peoria; Mike Pruden, Quincy; Tiffany Seay, Chicago; Bruce Weiman, Fisher.

Boys’ soccer — John Anderson, Vernon Hills; John Bouc, Belleville; Bryce Cann, Naperville; Peter Cavanagh, Springfield; Tom Franken, Peoria; Gabriel Lutterschmidt, Oakwood; Tony Martinez, Plano; Somxay Nachampassck, South Beloit; Kevin Parker, Lombard; Tim Reger, Northfield; Chris Rudolph, Libertyville; Tom Schaefer, Ottawa; Marcin Sierak, Schaumburg; Brad Steinhagen, Sterling; Boris Vukovic, Berwyn; Michael Wilson, Berwyn; George Schaub, Andalusia; Peter Stavropoulos, Vernon Hills.

Girls’ swimming and diving — Mark Anderson, Arlington Heights; Fred Gafrick, Barlett; Kathy McWhorter, East Dundee; Kevin Moss, Peoria; Joe Plack, Deerfield; Thomas Strunk, Evanston.

Girls’ volleyball — Patti Blumhorst, Mendota; Darryl Cherry, Swansea; Julie Colwell, Lincolnwood; Patrick Doyle, Manhattan; Debra Ghere, Colfax; Douglas Jones, Silvis; Kym McKay, Aurora; Karen McNaught, Chatham; Travis Pate, Greenville; David Sands, Salem; Jacqueline Skyrd, Naperville; Chris Somers, Ashton; Brian Stone, Chicago; Jean Taylor, Pawnee; Andrea VanLeer, Fairmount; Ed Vesely, Aurora; Rhonda Williams, Naperville; Michael Woodard, Yale.

Girls’ flag football — Katrina Cook, Chicago; Carolyn Crost, Prospect Heights; Eric Cunningham, Belvidere; Fallon Dickens, Chicago; Chris Hart, Rockford; Joey Herring, Chicago; Thomas Ross, Chicago; Bryan Walczak, Oaklawn.

Football — Class 1A: Mark DiMarzio, Springfield; Seth DiMarzio, Chatham; Aaron Eisfelder, Jacksonville; Kent

Holsopple, Sherman; Mike Wiley, Williamsville. Class 2A: Mike Critcheloe, Vandalia; David Givens, Vandalia; Larry Rebbe, Brownstown; Jerry Schukar, Shobonier; Todd Thoman, Vandalia. Class 3A: Brian Cuffle, Riverton; Kurt Cuffle, Sherman; Tim Ervin, Taylorville; Daniel Held, Morrisonville; Aaron Lane, Taylorville. Class 4A: Matthew Benning, Glen Ellyn; Ed Bjes, Arlington Heights; Timothy King, Genoa; Ben Kostelny, Westmont; Matthew Sands, Chicago. Class 5A: Kenneth Davidson, Lansing; Chris Head, Chicago; Larhone Miles, Chicago; Mike Outten, Chicago; Ivan Palamore, Chicago. Class 6A: Ben Clark, Kankakee; Hollice Clark, Bradley; Samuel Clark, Ashkum; Dale Lehnus, Bourbonnais; Tom Longtin, Bourbonnais. Class 7A: Michael Dwinnells, Yorkville; McLane Lomax, Bensenville; William Sherlock, Chicago; Chris Terpstra, Lisle; Stephen Walliser, Darien. Class 8A: David Bollmann, Bloomington; Kevin Copelan, Normal; Kenny Hanshew, LeRoy; Mark Jontry, Normal; Josh Olsen, Normal.

• These officials were assigned by the Arizona Interscholastic Association to work 2024 fall sports championships: Football — Class 1A: Scott Manley, Antonio McClary, Dave Rugolo, Michael Taylor, John Torres. Class 2A: Scott Baker, Chuck Coplan, Steven Coplan, Adrian Perkins, Chance Snead, Neil Yazzie, Mark Youwer. Class 3A: Brian Eekhoff, Bennett Gillespie, James Gillespie, Mike Gillespie, Tyler Nelson, Patrick Walker, Tommy Wells.

Class 4A: Guy Giordano, Rich Hall, Travis Keady, Jake Neff, Michael Ramirez, James Sims, Dustin Smith. Class 5A: Derek Deardorff, Rafael Federico, Jeremiah Hann, Alex Herrera, Marques Johnson, Jeff Martin, Spencer Shockness. Class 6A: Brad Chocholousek, Luke Gross, Mike Payne, Troy Stuart, Brendon Ulatowski, Philip Way, Scott Williams.

Open: Caden Gustafson, Max Heckel, David Hyams, Kainan Kieser, Drew MacDonald, James Moore, Bob Shreves.

Flag football — Class 4A:

Kirby Bollnow, Rick Fuller, Lee Tompkins, Dale Whitmore.

Class 5A: Barrett Fuhrmann, Rich Hamilton, Tracy Hernandez, Justin Nash. Class 6A: Jeff Barker, Patrick Fisher, Kurt Geitzenauer, Rich Pineda.

Girls’ volleyball — Class 1A: Angel Antone, Scott Nodes.

Class 2A: Denise Davis, Laura Marino. Class 3A: Jennifer Braudt, Serena Langen. Class 4A: Joshua Gregg, Leonard Lopez. Class 5A: Larry Neidich, Kurt Stueck. Class 6A: Doug King, Greg Williams.

• These officials were assigned by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association to work 2024 fall sports championships: Field hockey — Sara Ashbacher, Alexa Bearden, Rachael Blackman, Stephen Leon, Chris Niblock, Greg Smith.

Volleyball — Dave Anderson, Mark Booker, Jeremy Boyle, Justin Cason, Carolyn Dillard, Nathan Hall, Richard Harp, John Hunley, Josh Johnson, Thomas James, Don Kurapkat, Tommy Roberts, Curt Scifres, Brad Stephenson, Mark Tullis, Kevin Welch.

Soccer — Nick Adkins, Herve Antoine, Alan Archbold, Eric Baker, Caleb Bland, Christian Caudill, Manny Cisneros, Brian Crafton, Kevin Crosby, Jordan Doenges, Jennifer Douyere, Kaleb Eisenman, Logan Enxel, Jesus Espinoza, Myles Felt, Nathan Floyd, Nate Freund, Dan Galito, Cody Gibson, Maleah Hendrix, Brandon Hibbard, Kyle Hoisington, Jeremiah Johnson, Sean Jordan, Jacob King, Frank LaBoone, Marisa Larkin, Brian Leanhart, Adam Lewis, Tony Lloyd, Derrick Mattingly, Michael McCarthy, Arlen McNabb, Brian McPherson, Russell McReynolds, Michael Montgomery, Jason Morgan, Brian Oberg, Jean Paul, Eddie Phelps, Clint Poague, Martin Polo, Taw Reh, John Reinick, Mark Ruddy, Azer Sabanovic, William Salyer, Sidi Savadogo, Matthew Seamands, Bethany Sergent, Steve Shelton, Darren Somerville, Lievi Stewart,

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Andrew Stuber, Zachary Sutherland, Paul Terry, Gustavo Turmero, Jonathan Webb, Ben Wells, Matt Wigger, Jason Wilson, Brayden Yates, Austin Zachary, Brad Zuber.

Football — Tommy Adams, William Ahart, Brian Alsip, Keith Balesk, Matt Bell, Jay Blackwood, Perry Colley, Josh Conder, John Dixon, Jeremy Donelan, Toby Durham, Ben Evans, David Fields, Nathan Francis, Lorhn Frazier, Bernie Fugate, Marty Gibson, Danny Griffin, Eric Hamelback, Daniel Harless, Tyler Hart, Henry Hays, Stewart Hawkins, Matt Hutchinson, Hilton Isable, Aden Johnson, Marc Johnson, Nikolaus Knipper, Joe Lippert, Travis Perry, Woody Perry, Jeff Porter, James Powell, Brian Sandlin, Jason Seligman, Chance Stayton, Mark Surber, Brad Tierney, Chris Turley, Curtis Ward, Clay White, Gene White.

• These officials were assigned by the University Interscholastic League (Texas) to work 2024 fall sports championships: Volleyball — Sheri Alba, Francis Alleman, Michael Allen, Steve Atkins, David Bloodworth, Connie Brennan, Miranda Brown, Carlos Cosme, Gail Edwards, Mia Edwards-Nelson, Jose Fernandez, Chris Knight, Charles Miller, Greg Morris, Teresa Navarro, Billy Ross, Shea Sapp, Lonnie Snyder, David Srygley, Dana Stavinoha, Shernett Thomas, Allen Warren.

Water polo — Edwin Barrera, Andrew Brown, Nick Calapan, Stephanie Delostrinos, Dustin Devaney, Mitch Dooley, John Duncan, Mason Imrie, Wes Mahan, Andrew Pomier, Marco Torres.

• These officials were assigned by the Iowa High School Athletic Association to work 2024 football state championships: Dave Baker, Dubuque; Terry Baumer, Davenport; Sean Berens, Atlantic; Dusty Berning, Peosta; Josh Bevins, Cedar Falls; Noah Bevins, Davenport; Ronnie Blocklinger, Cedar Rapids; Casey Bowen, Mediapolis; Marty Bowen, West Burlington; Gerald Bowhay, Ankeny; Jeff Buenting, Ankeny; Brad Bunting, Indianola; Michael Caley, Clive; Gabe Capps, Indianola; Jeff Carson, Grundy Center; Shawn Collins, Sloan; Bill Connolly, Marion; Troy Cory, West Des Moines; Dan Cummings, Sperry; Wayne Cusick, New Vienna; Russ Dempster, Ankeny; Dan Dingman, Mason City; Matt Donnolly, Mount Pleasant; Steve Ebert, Cherokee; Michael Elsinger, Peosta; Jay Flora, West Des Moines; Ryan Freese, Sheldon; Brent Fridley, Prairie City; Scott Fritz, Cedar Rapids; Scott Fruehling, Marion; Kyle Gansen, Epworth; Chris Girres, Council Bluffs; Jay Grabinoski, Armstrong; Joel Grabinoski, Armstrong; Fred Griffiths, Mount Vernon; John Halma, West Des Moines; Tony Halsted, Rudd; James

ROSTERS MLB Arizona Fall League MLB selected the following umpires to work the 2024 Arizona Fall League.

David Arrieta Darius Ghani Macon Hammond Inkwon Hwang Steven Jaschinski James Jean Austin Jones Tyler Jones

Dexter Kelley Louie Krupa Koichi Nagai Felix Neon Jen Pawol Willie Traynor Hiroya Yamaura

Handy, Minden; Konnor Handy, Minden; Jorge Harwood, Altoona; Randy Heimerman, Ankeny; Paul Hein, Blue Grass; Jason Higgins, Johnston; Andy Hoefer, Peosta; Chris Hoffert, Monona; Steve Hoffert, Fort Atkinson; Dan Hoyka, Norwalk; Spencer Hoyka, West Des Moines; Larry Jacobus, Des Moines; Reilly Jacobus, Windsor Heights; Greg Jenness, Spirit Lake; Brad Johnson, Marion; Mike Johnson, Calmar; Phil Johnson, Grundy Center; Matt Kappenman, Carlisle; Griff Karr, Marion; Grant Ketel, Urbandale; Steve Leabo, Davenport; Jay Leach, Pella; Marty Lester, Ankeny; Travis Luttenegger, Mediapolis; Patrick Lincoln, Maynard; Tobias Lunsford, Burlington; Greg Manske, Marion; Troy Matthaidess, Eldridge; Gregory Miller, Davenport; John Miller, Davenport; Doren Montgomery, Lisbon; Mike Morrison, Clive; Kevin Moser, Atkins; Adam Moyers, Burlington; Matt Nost, Solon; Shawn Ostlund, West Des Moines; Aaron Pattee, Underwood; Jim Pfeifer, Milford; Travis Pike, Mason City; Bill Prange, Ankeny; Jim Prouty, Oelwein; Brian Ranum, Davenport; Dale Reinke, Manning; Shane Remington, Marion; Dave Rittman, Ankeny; Jason Rude, Waukee; Rod Russell, Bondurant; Ken Sabin, Swea City; Mike Sayre, Sperry; Kent Sesker, Cedar Rapids; Nate Steege, Parkersburg; Eric Stenberg, Palo; Chuck Stetzel, Algona; Patrick St. John, Waukee; Mitch Stollil, Sloan; D.J. Tann, Ankeny; Gary Tomlinson, Blue Grass; Don Umland, Eldridge; Jerome Vaughn, Council Bluffs; Jon Vrieze, Charles City; Kevin Wegner, Estherville; Kevin Welsch, Ankeny; Andrew Wetrich, Sioux Rapids; Shawn Wharton, Panora; Scott Whitehill, Mason City; Loren Wood, Cedar Rapids; Andy Woodley, Johnston; Greg Worrall, Mediapolis.

AWARDS • USA Field Hockey announced its annual award winners in January, with Benjamin Peters taking home the 2024 USA Field Hockey National Umpire Award.

OBITUARIES • Sergio Jimenez, 64, of Norfolk, Va., died Oct. 29.

Jimenez, a softball and football official, was a USA Softball Elite umpire and was the white hat of his crew for the Peninsula Football Officials Association.

After stepping off the field, he became a Junior Olympic Commissioner with USA Softball of Central Virginia; he worked in the role from January 2021 up until his death.

• Jack Bell, 84, of Gainesville, Ga., died Nov. 17 after a brief illness. Bell officiated basketball, football and baseball for over 60 years.

• Michael Woods, 66, of Oshkosh, Wis., died Nov. 26.

Woods officiated volleyball and softball, among other sports, for over 20 years.

• David Chester “Chet the Jet” Kersten, 82, of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., died Dec. 7.

Kersten refereed high school and college basketball during an officiating career that spanned 54 years, working NCAA, World Junior Championship and NAIA playoff games.

He served as the Midwest Conference commissioner and was a founding member of the Wisconsin Valley Officials Association in the Wisconsin Rapids area. Kersten was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a referee in 2018 and was named the Wisconsin Conference Commissioners Association Official of the Year in 2022.

He was also a professor and coached basketball and golf at Mid-State Technical College (Wisconsin Rapids) and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame.

• Ron Held, 76, of Slinger, Wis., died Dec. 8. Held officiated softball, basketball, soccer and baseball, and had recently been recognized for 50 years of officiating by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Do you have any rosters, assignments or awards that warrant mention?

Send info to us at ForTheRecord@referee.com

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LAW

ISSUES AFFECTING OFFICIALS

When Ball Turns to Brawl

By Alan Goldberger Experienced officials know a big part of getting the call right is being able to move quickly and react decisively when necessary. When a fight is about to start, it’s necessary. Officials who are content to “stand back and take numbers” rely on ill-advised information, baked into officials’ training for decades.

Not so with the consummate official, like the late Mason “Red” Cashion. Cashion, a 25-year NFL official, once said, “The key to officiating is learning to focus completely for eight seconds at a time, 160 times in a row.” Cashion, to be sure, knew a thing or two about moving quickly and reacting decisively. So, in the eight seconds before a fight happens, what to do?

If a severe injury results, a lawsuit may follow.

It’s no secret: The covering official immediately moves to separate opponents before the first blow is struck. Fight doesn’t happen. Order restored. Life, and the game, goes on.

Does it always work? No, but when the sheriff is in town, fights are extinguished considerably faster than in games where officials — sternly cautioned to “never touch a player” — are indifferent to the risks.

The Pregame and the “First Rule of Officiating” Before the contest, crew chiefs should discuss the first rule, “Don’t turn your back,” as well as the importance of recognizing potential trouble spot scenarios that can lead to fighting.

The Main Event Once the game starts, are game skills being replaced by excessive contact, trash talk or confrontation?

What if an angry shove, punch or kick is delivered? All is not lost, but it’s time to sharpen your focus.

The officials, according to plan, 1)

speed to the scene, 2) attempt to separate the players involved, 3) herd remaining players to their bench area, 4) enforce penalties, and 5) as soon as possible, get the ball back into play.

Remember: None of the above will work if the official covering the play is …

A Deer in the Headlights Why do officials balk at managing fight situations?

Well, why do deer stop in their tracks when they happen upon automobile headlights at night? As it turns out, deer have diminished vision in bright lights, so, not knowing what to do, they do nothing. You don’t have that excuse. Deer-in-headlights officials are not hard to recognize. You can see them, almost every month, on YouTube. Pick a sport. Angry words, threatening, demeaning gestures or “flexing” over an opponent after the play. Instead of the “focus” that Cashion described, the official, flatfooted, stops, then takes a halting step forward — the ominous words, “Never touch a player,” dancing in his or her head. Official steps back.

Frozen in place, sometimes extending arms at each side as if to fence in all who would join in the fun. The fight begins. Other players may start swinging. On film, those officials look as animated as figures in a wax museum.

Later, coaches and onlookers will announce, “The officials lost control of the game.” If a severe injury results, a lawsuit may follow. In your game report that will be required, the crew can explain it all.

The End of Fighting: We Have Rules for That Demeaning speech, taunting and unnecessary roughness are not only rules infractions, but frequent precursors of fighting. Control the game. Avoid the fight, eight seconds at a time.

Alan Goldberger is an official and attorney from Fairfield, N.J. This column is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. *

Fight Protocol Examples

Here are some examples of bedrock, practical fight protocols for interscholastic and intercollegiate football officials. Officials in all sports can learn from these: • Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Football Officials Manual (2022) “The presence of more than one official on sideline plays is imperative to maintain control of the game.

The back judge and referee should help on sideline plays as required.

Officials should use voice commands to let the players know an official is present. If opposing players begin taunting, shoving, or fighting, the covering official should drop a beanbag at the dead-ball spot and move quickly to separate the players and any other sideline personnel involved in the confrontation. The back judge and the referee should quickly close on the area to help control the situation. The officials should accompany any players who have gone out of bounds into the opponent’s team box area back onto the field. The officials should not leave the spot until the area has been cleared. Officials not needed on the sideline must continue to observe the players on the field.”

• Collegiate Commissioners Association Football Officiating Manual (2024) “The tasks multiply when the play ends in or near a team area. An unseen (and unpenalized) personal foul gives players the impression that anything goes outside the boundaries of the field.

“The official can use voice commands to let the players know an official is present and to encourage them to return to the field quickly and without incident. Phrases such as, ‘We’re done,’ or ‘That’s all, fellas,’ are more effective than repetitive blasts on the whistle. Regardless of the ferocity of the tackle or the reaction of sideline personnel, the presence of more than one official on sideline plays is imperative in maintaining control of the game. How many officials are needed depends on the location of other players on the play, the proximity of the action to the team boxes and the actions and reactions of those involved at the sideline. … At no time while players are out of bounds should officials turn their backs on the play.”

PRESENTED BY

Go to www.naso.org and click on member benefits for more on MICP.

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CLASSIFIEDS CAMPS/CLINICS/ SCHOOLS  ATTENTION ASSOCIATION LEADERS! — Are you holding a camp or a clinic? Do you know of a camp or a clinic coming up? Referee can help get the word out! Call our sales department at 262-6328855 for more information.

LEADERSHIP RESOURCES  Association Advantage Membership to Association Advantage provides officials, associations and their leaders the tools to conduct wellrun meetings, education resources for officiating training and access to years of association

management articles.

Member associations also receive 12 issues of Referee magazine, monthly Advisor newsletters, e-newsletters, massive discounts on training materials and optional insurance coverage exclusive to membership.

For additional membership information, contact Ken Koester at 262-632-5448 or visit the Association Advantage website at nasoadvantage.com.

EQUIPMENT/APPAREL  Purchase Officials Supplies — Everything for Life Inside the Lines. Call 800-767-2233 or visit our website purchaseofficials. com for the best products and prices in the market.

 Ump-Attire.com — The #1 website for officials’ sporting goods. Now serving free returns to go along with more brands, product reviews, same-day shipping and world-class service.

TRAINING RESOURCES  Referee Training Center — The largest library of officiating training materials in the world. Rules study, mechanics updates and materials on important topics can all be found in one location 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with sample chapters and video samples. Discover it all at store.referee.com.

BASEBALL 1 — NFHS, NCAA – d (NFHS 3-3-1p; NCAA 5-16c); pro – a (6.04) 2 — NFHS – b (2.16.1A, 5.1.1C); NCAA, pro – a (NCAA Appendix E; pro 8.02c)

3 — All – a (NFHS 6.2.5A(b); NCAA 9-3m; pro 6.02a7) 4 — All – b (NFHS 8.2.7B; NCAA 8-5i; pro 5.09b4) FOOTBALL 1 — NFHS – c (9-2-3c); NCAA – d (9-3-4e) 2 — NFHS – c (6-2-3); NCAA – a (6-3-6a, 8-5-1a) 3 — NFHS – a (9-7-2); NCAA – b (9-4-1c) 4 — Both – b, c (NFHS 8-35; NCAA 8-3-3b, 9-1-16) SOCCER 1 — All – c (NFHS 12-33b2; NCAA 12.3.1.2; IFAB 12.2) 2 — All – a (NFHS 4.1; NCAA 4.1; IFAB 4.4) 3 — NFHS, NCAA – b (NFHS 14-4; NCAA 14.3.2.4); IFAB – c (14.2) 4 — All – b (NFHS 13-3-1; NCAA 12.4.8; IFAB 12.3) 5 — All – c (NFHS 12-8-3; NCAA 12.7.2; IFAB 12.3)

40 YEARS AGO …

1985

• With his Super Bowl XIX assignment, back judge Tom Kelleher becomes the first official in NFL history to work five Super Bowls.

Four more officials — Bob Beeks, Ron Botchan, Jack Fette and Al Jury — would later achieve the same feat.

30 YEARS AGO …

1995

QUIZ ANSWERS BASKETBALL 1 — NFHS – d (4-34-2, 10-5-1d Pen.); NCAAM/W – e (NCAAM 4-4, 10-3.2.d, AR 10-31; NCAAW 4-5, 10-12.5.a.4, AR 10-40) 2 — NFHS, NCAAW – d (NFHS 4-34-2, 8-5-2, 10-51d Pen.; NCAAW 8-6.8, 10-12.4.a.2, AR 5-16, AR 11-7); NCAAM – c (8-6.5, 10-3.1.b) 3 — NFHS – a (3-3-4); NCAAM/W – d (NCAAM 3-6.1.j Exc. 1; NCAAW 3-6.1.j.1, AR 3-19) 4 — All – d (NFHS 4-43-2, 5-11-7, 5.11.7B; NCAAM 5-14.13.b, AR 5-33; NCAAW 5-14.13.b, AR 5-54)

MARCH FLASHBACK

SOFTBALL 1 — NFHS, USA Softball, USSSA – b (NFHS 7-4-4 Pen.; USA Softball 7-6R Eff.; USSSA 7-12 Pen.); NCAA – d (11.20.2) 2 — All – c (NFHS 8-8-1; NCAA 12.17.2.1.5.2; USA Softball 8-8A; USSSA 8-18G) 3 — All – a (NFHS 8-4-3b Pen. 2; NCAA 9.5.4.1 Eff.; USA Softball 8-5B Eff. 3, R/S 36; USSSA 8-13 Eff. A) VOLLEYBALL 1 — All – d (NFHS 11-41; NCAA 11.3.5.1; USAV 17.1.1) 2 — NFHS, NCAA – a (NFHS 10-3-6 Note; NCAA 11.3.6.1.3); USAV – b (15.7, 15.9.1d, 16.1.3) 3 — All – c (NFHS 9-6-7d-1 Pen.; NCAA 15.2.3; USAV 11.1.1)

MISSION Referee is a magazine written from an officiating perspective, blending editorial credibility and business viability. It educates, challenges and inspires officials at the youth, recreational, high school, collegiate and professional levels in all sports, with an emphasis on baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball. Referee is the journal of record for officiating and takes informed positions on selected issues.

The magazine provides a forum for its readers, facilitates the flow of information, raises public consciousness about officials’ roles and serves as a catalyst for improved officiating worldwide.

• Former NBA referee Roger McCann, 53, dies by suicide. In addition to working in the NBA from 1976-79, McCann worked in the Women’s Basketball League and the European Professional Basketball League. He was also a longtime FIBA-licensed international referee and had a stint with the Harlem Globetrotters.

20 YEARS AGO …

2005

• MLB rehires three umpires who previously lost their jobs as part of the union’s failed mass resignation strategy in 1999. Bob Davidson, Tom Hallion and Ed Hickox were promised the next three openings on MLB’s staff; all three had been in the minor leagues trying to work their way back to the majors.

10 YEARS AGO …

2015

• New York track and field official Douglas Koban, 75, dies after being struck by a hammer throw during a college meet. Koban was inside the 35-pound weight hammer throw area during warmups for the meet at Cornell University when he was struck in the head by a throw. He was treated at the scene and then taken to a hospital, where he died the next day.

REFEREE March 2025 |

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LAST CALL

A PERSONAL A PERSONAL STORY STORY

BY DARREL

BY XXX CANEIRO

Owed to Joe I had always wanted to become a football official, I just didn’t know how to go about it. While I was at Emerson College in Boston in the late 1980s, the fraternities would play “flag” football games — which always devolved into tackle games — at the Esplanade near the Charles River. I would be their referee along with three friends of mine. Our pay? Well, whichever frat won would host a party and the losing frat had to provide the kegs that would be consumed. The officials would be invited to the parties free of charge — not a bad deal.

I owe it all to this one special man who made sure I got better every time we spoke.

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with four people at the high school level and in college, we work with seven. And every time I take a play off, 25% of our crew is missing. He was probably right. He usually was.

Joe loved to talk about my family.

I had two young sons and he would send a check every Christmas with a note saying, “Buy the boys something nice.” He would always ask about my wife and always mispronounce her name ever so slightly. I stopped correcting him through the years; it was part of his nuance. Joe didn’t have an immediate family of his own, but he adored his nieces and nephews. His extended family was his brothers and sisters in the officiating community.

During the pandemic, he decided to finally leave Brooklyn and move to Florida, and a few of us gathered for a farewell dinner in his honor. When I said goodbye to him that night, I wondered if I would see him again.

This past year, Joe was complaining about some health issues. But he always did. That was part of his persona. We spoke in July about the surging Mets and getting ready for another football season.

When our conversations came to an end, he always said, “Keep in touch.”

In mid-August, a mutual friend called and told me he had been trying to reach Joe for a couple of weeks with no success. My friend called me a few days later and said he had spoken with Joe’s nephew, who happened to answer Joe’s cell phone.

Joe had died two weeks earlier.

Joe was an NYC officiating legend. He was beloved by many. He was a mentor and friend for 25 years.

Every time I step on a football field, I think of the many lessons he taught me and the examples he set for me.

I’ve had a great career. I owe it all to this one special man who made sure I got better every time we spoke.

Darrel Caneiro, Valley Cottage, N.Y., is a high school baseball umpire as well as a high school and college football official. * Do you have a personal officiating story to tell?

SHUTTERSTOCK

Upon moving back to the city — I was raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. — I still longed to work football, but in the preinternet days I never knew how to get involved. I caught a break in the fall of 1998. One day, a guy in my apartment building came out of the building wearing stripes. He was on his way to work a semi-pro game. I stopped him and told him I had always wanted to become a football official. He told me he was the guy to see since he taught the rules classes for the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) of New York City. His name was Joe Dede, and the classes would start the next March.

Joe became my mentor. He lived in apartment 6A and I lived in apartment 4C. When I began working high school games, Joe would contact whomever

I was working with that weekend and then I would get what I thought was the “dreaded Sunday night phone call.” Joe wanted me to come upstairs and see him. A two-story walk up to see the godfather of NYC officiating. Joe would always ask how the game(s) went, what I learned and how I could improve. And after I gave him my answers, he would pull out a legal pad and give me the feedback he had received and what I needed to do to really improve. He always ended our conversations by reminding me to learn and get better.

Joe eventually retired from the field and became an observer within the PSAL. He always tried to help anyone he watched get better. He’d bristle when he saw officials not give 100% and mail in a performance.

After a few years of high school football, I applied to the local college chapter. At first, I had a difficult time getting letters of recommendation to join the group since members I knew had already written on behalf of others and I was attempting to join later than most. Joe was a former college football official who had worked numerous big games and contacted another former college official who knew me. They both wrote my letters of recommendation and Joe was overjoyed when I made it.

During the season, Joe and I had weekly discussions about high school and college football games that either I’d worked or he’d observed. I eventually moved out of the apartment building with my young family and settled north in the suburbs of New York City, but our relationship never changed. He always checked on me. One day, Joe observed me work a big high school game. When I was driving home, he called me. He was unhappy with my performance. He didn’t think I gave 100%. He felt I wasn’t giving the high school kids the same effort I might on a college field. I tried to explain that my mechanics may have been a little different. He reminded me we work

Send your story or queries to lastcall@referee.com

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N AT I O N A L AS S O C I AT I O N

OF SPORTS OFFICIALS

IT’S OFFICIAL Holman Receives NASO Great Call Award N

igel Holman, Las Cruces, N.M., has been a soccer referee in southern New Mexico for 33 years. He’s also a longtime volunteer with the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, a nonprofit supporting the homeless population of Las Cruces.

Last fall, Holman’s two passions intersected. During Mesilla Valley’s 2024 Tents to Rents campaign from Aug. 19 to Sept. 27, Holman donated his referee match fees to support the Community of Hope’s Tent City and assist residents when they move into permanent homes.

Holman’s efforts netted him NASO’s Great Call Award in November. The Great Call Award recognizes a “great call” that has a significant impact on someone or to officiating in a general sense, often taking place off the field, court or ice.

A sports official taking the time and care to help someone in dire need, as Holman did, is an example of a great call made by an official that has nothing to do with a game situation.

Dana Pappas, NFHS director of officiating services and NASO board member, nominated Holman for the award.

“For as long as I have known Nigel Holman, he has

epitomized integrity, fairness and the very highest standard of officiating,” said Pappas, who was previously the New Mexico Activities Association’s commissioner of officials. “To find out his contributions to the homeless in New Mexico was not surprising, as he is someone who has lived a life of others before self and has been steadfast in a lifestyle of servant leadership.”

Holman said he wanted to find some similarity between his unpopularity as a referee and the “all-too-common” judgmental attitudes toward unhoused people in Las Cruces, though he admitted it’s impossible to compare the two experiences.

“We harshly judge what we assume to be their life choices,” Holman said. “But if we were to talk to an unhoused person, we would likely discover that they are only in this predicament because of a series of misfortunes that could befall anyone.

“I choose to be unpopular because I choose to referee.

Nobody chooses to live on the streets.”

He mentioned that he and his crewmates sometimes see unhoused people while working games.

“One of the soccer complexes

march 2025

in Las Cruces is close to where many unhoused people receive services (from the Community of Hope and other agencies) and so we often see them when we are at games,” Holman said.

“The restrooms (at the soccer complex) are used by unhoused people because they have very few other options.”

Holman encourages other referees to donate to the cause and “show a red card to homelessness in Las Cruces.” So far, Holman has raised more than $1,500 for the cause. Donations to the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope can be made in Holman’s name at tentstorents.org/bios/ bio_29.html. 

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IT’S OFFICIAL - march 2025

Organizations Step Up to Recruit

“T

hat’s just the way we’ve always done it.”

Perhaps no one phrase should induce fear in a company, organization or industry as strongly as those eight words. Show us an entity that steadfastly hangs on to its traditional way of doing business and that refuses to innovate and think of new means geared toward not just surviving but thriving in the future, and we’ll show an entity that is unwittingly greasing its skids to extinction.

A willingness to step outside the comfort zone may seem scary, but out of that fear comes the necessary growth that is

Editor: Julie Sternberg Sports Editor: Brent Killackey Graphic Designer: Dustin Brown Contributors: Don Collins, George Demetriou, Alan Goldberger, Joe Jarosz, Patrick Rosenow, Tim Sloan, Brad Star, Jeffrey Stern, Brad Tittrington, Scott Tittrington, Bill Topp

NASO BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lisa Jones, Salt Lake City, Chair Ron Torbert, Hanover, Md., Vice Chair Bill Topp, Racine, Wis., President Dana Pappas, Lebanon, Ind., Secretary Mark Uyl, DeWitt, Mich., Treasurer Dean Blandino, Santa Monica, Calif.

Paul LaRosa, Hendersonville, N.C. Jason Nickleby, Lake Elmo, Minn.

Sandra Serafini, Yachats, Ore. Rob Wigod, Los Alamitos, Calif.

Gary Zielinski, South Jordan, Utah *Ron Foxcroft, Hamilton, Ontario, Special Adviser *Barry Mano, Racine, Wis., Special Adviser *Non-voting members

NASO MISSION STATEMENT The mission of NASO is to: • Serve members by providing benefits and services.

• Improve officiating performance through educational programs.

• Advocate opportunities for officials and engage in programs to recruit and retain officials.

• Create alliances with organizations that benefit from healthy officiating programs.

• Enhance the image of officials. © 2025 NASO/Referee Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. It’s Official is published by the National Association of Sports Officials and Referee Enterprises, Inc.

Find NASO @ facebook.com/NASOofficiating

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essential in all walks of life, and that includes officiating. If one is to look at where both Referee and NASO stand today, nearly 50 years after the former’s founding, they will see two bodies that have taken bold risks and approaches in their ongoing quest to educate and advocate for officials and to provide the necessary tools to help the avocation advance during a period in time when, quite frankly, it is not so easy to do so.

It’s no secret that officiating, while never luxurious, has lost some of the luster it did enjoy. No longer are local, statewide or national officiating organizations flush with people fighting for the opportunity to work every assignment. For whatever reason one might want to single out — low pay, poor working conditions, a general lack of sportsmanship and respect — the numbers just aren’t there, and the officiating braintrust at all levels is continually exploring strategies and programs to bring new waves of eager arbiters into the fold.

The following organizations are among that growing field of creative problem-solvers looking at ways to continually promote officiating and recruit the type of people who are needed and necessary to allow athletes of all stripes to continue participating in the games they play.

At the state association level, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) has formed a strategic partnership with the NBA to address the ongoing referee shortage, launching an initiative called “Whistle Up Louisiana 2024.” This program aims to

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attract recent high school graduates into officiating by offering hands-on training and support. The initiative offers recent high school graduates access to mentorship programs, officiating clinics, and opportunities to join local officiating associations. The goal is to make officiating more accessible to younger generations, creating a pipeline of fresh talent for Louisiana sports.

“We’re trying to think outside the box and find new ways to attract people,” said LHSAA Assistant Executive Director Lee Sanders. “This partnership with the NBA’s Officiating Operations Office and the Junior NBA is an exciting step in that direction.

The New Orleans Pelicans have been great partners in helping us engage young people.”

The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) secured a $50,000 grant from the Atlanta Falcons Youth Fund (AFYF), an associate-led fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, to increase the number of youth sports officials in the state. The grant not only aims to bolster the number of sports officials statewide but also alleviates the financial burden on new GHSA youth sports officials, who typically invest around $500 of their own funds to become an official.

To address these recruitment and financial concerns, the grant from AFYF will help GHSA establish a Georgia Youth Sports Officials Recruitment program. New officials will receive grants ranging from $200 to $400, depending on the sport. GHSA will attract high

A S S O C I A T I O N 1/15/2025 10:43:20 AM

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N

“We’re trying to think outside the box and find new ways to attract people.”

– LHSAA Assistant Executive Director Lee Sanders school and college studentaged officials through career fairs and first-responder recruitment programs. Funding for this program will cover the registration and startup costs for 100-200 new sports officials.

“Our sport is facing a critical need to increase the number of officials at the youth and high school level,” Atlanta Falcons CEO Rich McKay said.

“The Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia High School Association have been long-time partners in support of youth and high school football and we are proud to work with them to tackle this important issue. Our hope is that this grant removes perceived barriers and shows support not just for officials, but for all student-athletes.

“Additionally, we want to inspire other NFL teams and corporate entities to create similar programs in their cities to tackle this urgent need nationwide.”

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) is once again hosting Officiating Recruitment Forums to provide information for those interested in learning more about officiating. The online forums are held three times throughout the year, in February, July and October, and give participants the opportunity to hear from top-level officials who are able to speak to the benefits of officiating and the necessary steps one must complete in becoming a new official. More information is available at mshsl.org/who-are-you/sports-

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S P O R T S

officials/officiating-recruitmentforum.

It’s not just state associations that are advancing the cause. The Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) has created a rewards program for officials who work any JVA Hosted or JVA Challenge Series event.

Points are awarded and kept track by the JVA and officials receive rewards such as officiating gear, gift cards and cash as they advance through various tiers. There is also a new JVA Referral Program where officials can earn rewards for bringing new officials into the fold. Details may be found at jvavolleyball.org/officialrewards-program.

Meanwhile, the Alabama Sports Officials Association (ASOA) has worked with a video production company to create recruitment videos for sports officials that are housed on YouTube and has created a recruitment poster that was sent to all Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) member schools to get students interested in officiating.

The ASOA has also provided a state-wide radio campaign to help recruit officials for all sports and is building a directory of officials associations in Alabama for all levels of the sports officiated in the state.

What’s the next great idea to recruit officials? Share what your organization is doing to bring new officials into the fold?

Email naso@naso.org to share your efforts. 

MORE GREAT OFFICIATING CONTENT WEEKLY - DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX

Sign up for the Referee.com Review and get more articles, sport information and special offers emailed to you weekly.”

O F F I C I A L S

3 1/15/2025 10:43:24 AM

IT’S OFFICIAL - march 2025

NFL Team Foundation Says ‘Yes’ to Officiating A

s part of its annual grant program the Green Bay Packers Foundation awarded NASO a $3,000 grant for its Say Yes to Officiating campaign. The grant money will be used in various efforts to recruit, retain and celebrate sports officials in Wisconsin through public service announcements, how-to guides, branded presentations and videos, social media resources, educational and training resources, and more.

The Say Yes to Officiating program is an initiative sponsored by NASO which premiered at and served as the event theme for the 2018 NASO Summit in New Orleans.

The Green Bay Packers Foundation is part of the allencompassing community outreach initiative which sponsors community events, educational enrichment, literacy programming, MakeA-Wish visits, monetary donations, veteran outreach and much more. These efforts contribute to a comprehensive charity impact that was in excess of $11 million last year.

The 2024 grant program was focused around projects in the areas of arts, culture, athletics and education. NASO was among hundreds of 501(c) (3) organizations located in the state of Wisconsin which applied for the grant process disbursements.

“The shortage of sports officials is no secret to those of us in the industry,” NASO President Bill Topp said. “We

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are appreciative of the Green Bay Packers Foundation and all organizations who recognize the crucial need to recruit and retain individuals in officiating.

This grant money will support the great programming and work of our Say Yes to Officiating campaign.”

On Nov. 21, NASO was honored at Lambeau Field as one of 398 civic and charitable organizations receiving a total of $1.5 million in grants.

A luncheon of nearly 700

individuals sponsored by the Green Bay Packers Foundation featured descriptions and logos for NASO and for Say Yes to Officiating as recipients.

There’s an urgent need for sports officials in this nation.

More people are needed to step up to do the tough job of making sure sports are fairly played and wellmanaged. Invite someone you know. To learn more, visit sayyestoofficiating.com. 

Free Quizzes Available

A

s part of its ongoing efforts to provide the best in educational resources for high school officials, Referee and NASO are proud to offer free yearly quizzes across a variety of sports to help arbiters sharpen their skills for a new season.

In 2022, Referee and NASO partnered with Guy Bradbury to create the Referee Rules Challenge, a 20-question, multiple-choice quiz focused on NFHS rules in six sports: baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball. The quizzes are built via The RulesR platform, developed by Bradbury, a longtime Canadian volleyball official, with the purpose of aiding, improving and perfecting sports officials’ knowledge and understanding of the rules of their respective sports.

Each quiz is available at the

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2025 beginning of its respective QUIZ sports season and can be accessed via a RulesR sign in at referee. com/quizzes.

The RulesR platform also allows officials to pause and restart quiz attempts, and to track their progress and compare results against crewmates, fellow association members, even nationally.

Once on the page, officials can also download a printable PDF of the quiz to further their rules study offline. These PDFs are great resources not just for ongoing rules study, but for use in crew pregames and local association meetings.  Sponsored by the National Association of Sports Officials and prepared by the editors of Referee magazine.

Is it considered interference

1

when a batter makes contact with the catcher What happens if there during the follow-throu are runners on base gh of his swing? who are trying to advance? See question 8.

With the bases loaded and one out, F1 balks as he delivers to B1.

B1 doubles scoring all runners, but B1 misses first.

The defense properly appeals the missed base: a. The balk is ignored. b. The balk is enforced. c. B1 is awarded first.

2

With R2 on second and one out, B1 singles as R2 attempts to score. F2 misses the tag on R2 as R2 slides and misses the plate. B1 tries for second

and is thrown out as F2 forgets about R2:

a. R2’s run counts unless it is appealed. b. R2’s missed base cannot be appealed after the subsequent play on B1. c. R2 may not return and touch home after the subsequent play on B1. d. R2 may return and touch home after the subsequent play on B1.

3

In the top of the fifth inning, Adams is ejected by the home-plate

umpire after intentionally throwing a pitch at Baxter, who homered earlier in the game. Adams’ coach brings in his shortstop, Clark, to pitch: a. Clark is allowed five warmup pitches. b. Clark is allowed eight warmup pitches. c. Clark is allowed however many warmup pitches he needs as authorized by the home-plate umpire. d. Clark is not allowed any warmup pitches since he is already in the game.

4

With an 0-1 count, B1 strides and swings at a pitch. He nicks the ball, which goes directly into the catcher’s mitt and is caught.

When B1 made contact with the ball, the heel of his left foot was in the batter’s box and the toes of his left foot were touching home plate: a. This is a foul tip and a strike on the batter. b. This is a foul ball and a strike on the batter. c. Because the batter’s foot is not entirely out of the batter’s box, there is no penalty. d. B1 is out because his foot

Copyright © 2025 by Referee Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. resale or publication without the express Copy these quizzes written permission for handout but not of Referee Enterprises, for Inc.

A S S O C I A T I O N 1/15/2025 10:43:27 AM

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Assault Protection?

NASO Is Here for You

T

he assault of sports officials is a topic that doesn’t get enough coverage in mainstream media. And yet, in just about every issue of Referee magazine, you can find at least one story in the news section about an official being assaulted.

Sometimes these stories make national or even international headlines, but most of the time they are buried at the local level.

In other words, officials are assaulted more than most realize.

According to the 2023 National Officiating Survey, nearly 12% of respondents said they have been physically assaulted by a fan, coach, player or administrator during or after a game. The potential of being assaulted is something officials should consider. All it takes is one call that is perceived as “controversial,” regardless of whether it was the correct call, to set off a player, coach or fan.

If you’re attacked while doing your job as an official, what will you do? Maybe you sustain nothing more than a minor injury, but should you still pursue charges? What if you end up needing more serious medical attention? And what if you need to turn back games to your assigner due to injury?

If you’re an NASO member, you don’t need to worry about guidance, or expenses or loss of income related to any of the aforementioned issues.

NASO’s Member Information and Consultation Program is available to share information on what to do after an assault.

Experts are available to talk you through your options and support you.

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S P O R T S

Through NASO’s Assault Protection Program, every NASO member receives $30,500 in protection. The coverage provides for reimbursement of expenses and loss of game fees resulting from injuries suffered when an official is a victim of an assault and/or battery by a spectator, fan or participant while performing officiating duties, or as a result of performing the duties at an organized sporting event. NASO will also provide up to $4,500 reimbursement of reasonable non-contingent attorney fees incurred by the member in bringing a non-frivolous claim against the perpetrator. Travel expenses, lost wages and other reasonable expenses may also be reimbursed if a claim is made.

Reimbursement will be made upon conclusion of the matter and is based on a verified fee agreement and attorney invoice.

It will be made on a 60/40 percent co-pay basis with the member paying 40 percent.

Further expenses incurred beyond the $4,500 are the sole responsibility of the member.

Additionally, NASO’s Assault Protection benefit pays up to $100 for each game lost within 21 days after the injury with a maximum total of $1,000. There is also a maximum of $25,000 medical expense, to the extent not covered by other insurance, reimbursement available under the terms of the insurance policy.

MICP and Assault Protection are included in an annual NASO membership. For details on NASO insurance, contact NASO at naso@naso.org or call 262-6325448. 

GROUP MEMBERSHIP AVAILABLE

SAVE UP TO $35 On individual membership when your association joins together For more information: Call (800) 733-6100 or go to naso.org/promo/MyGroup

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5 1/15/2025 10:43:32 AM

IT’S OFFICIAL - march 2025

Use Member discounts to Boost Your Officiating Education

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s an NASO member, you can enjoy a variety of benefits, including special discounts to help you grow in your officiating skills. NASO members receive a 20 percent discount on publications from NASO and Referee. They also receive a deep registration discount to the sports officiating industry’s event of the year.

So, what does that mean for you?

Check out the Referee Training Center, the world’s largest library of officiating training materials and videos, at store.referee.com to find great basketball, baseball, football, soccer, softball,

volleyball and all-sport resources for which to apply your 20 percent discount. The educational resources can improve your individual skills or build your association’s training program. The discount works for a wide variety of merchandise. All you need to do is log in or register on the Referee Training Center homepage to activate your discount.

In addition to boosting your officiating library, your membership provides a special discount on Sports Officiating Summit registration. You can go to the industry event of the year and improve your leadership and officiating skills

by attending great workshops and networking with officials and officiating leaders from all levels. You’ll gain insights into the latest techniques and initiatives shaping contemporary officiating.

This year’s event will be held July 27-29 in Montgomery, Ala. For more information about the event, go to sportsofficiatingsummit.com.

Make your officiating education a priority. Consider using your special NASO member discounts for educational publications or to attending this year’s NASO Summit for less. You’ll be glad you did. 

Members Utilize MICP Benefits in 2024

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ne of the great benefits of being an NASO member is having access to the Member Information and Consultation Program (MICP). Every year, the NASO staff fields calls and emails from members seeking to utilize the program, which provides guidance and information. In 2024, the NASO staff received more than 75 MICP inquiries from across the country.

MICP covers a range of topics, including discipline, independent contractor guidance, liability concerns, assigning issues and insurance guidance. Those topics and more are addressed in a timely manner.

Associations and individual officials will inevitably encounter

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issues each season. Having the chance to go to a proven mentor with experience in dealing with those problems can be invaluable.

NASO fits the bill.

MICP includes a free information program handled by the NASO staff. NASO provides, free of charge but subject to availability, documents from its legal library to members. Model bylaws for associations, reprints of pertinent articles, or sample contracts are a few examples sent to members by request. It is an unlimited benefit to members.

Members can also use the consultation part of the program up to three times per year. NASO can put a member in contact with an outside professional

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YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES for an initial free consultation.

That need is determined on a case-by-case basis by the NASO staff. The professional may be an attorney or be from any other field that will offer added value to an NASO member.

If you have a question or concern, reach out to NASO in 2025 at 262-632-5448. 

A S S O C I A T I O N 1/15/2025 10:43:34 AM

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Increase Dues the Right Way

By Joe Erwin

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et’s face it, nobody likes to have their dues increased, and having to sell it to the membership isn’t much fun, either. However, from time to time associations find it necessary to increase dues. So, let’s focus on why a dues increase may be necessary and how to do it the right way.

The why. The question members will ask when told of a dues increase is “Why?” Leaders should be able to articulate the purpose of the increase. While the cost of running an association has risen over the years, to simply state the increase is to cover higher costs is not enough.

Members are entitled to know where their money is going, if the association is being fiscally responsible, and what line items in the budget are increasing to where a dues increase is necessary. The easier it is to answer the “why” question, the easier it will be to implement the increase.

Budget focus. Your group should be preparing an annual budget and make it available to members. This will promote full transparency between the leadership and the membership and allow everyone to see where money is being spent. The budget should include detailed line items for each expense category and the amount allocated. The greater the detail the easier it will be to explain it to the members and track actual vs. budget expenditures. The budget should also include a year-over-year comparison and highlight line items that have increased and are most likely the contributors to

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the proposed dues increase.

Encourage participation.

There are likely members who have experience in running a business, budgeting, finance, etc. Use their expertise to help review the operations of the association with an eye toward cutting costs and saving. This will promote open discussion about the operations and help support the proposed dues increase. My experience is there is little active involvement by the membership when it comes to reviewing the finances of the association; however, when a dues increase is proposed, suddenly everyone starts asking questions. Seeking participation on the front end will help build consensus for a dues increase.

Focus on priorities. Each association has its own priorities when it comes to spending money, and it’s important to show how these will benefit the members. Budget priorities may include training, recruiting, evaluating, etc. Members need to see the benefit to spending money on these priorities, and what they can expect in return.

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Implementing a dues increase will go smoother if the spending priorities align with the needs and mission of the association.

The how. How do you implement an increase?

Communication is critical. The sooner you can communicate to the membership the better.

A well-written letter or email explaining the reason(s) for the increase should come from leadership. Give as much detail as possible touching on budget items causing the increase, with an emphasis on how those tie into your group’s priorities. If there hasn’t been an increase in years, state that. Attach the budget and be prepared to answer questions. Transparency and communication are keys, and how you implement the increase will help you find success when one is necessary.

Joe Erwin is president of the East Coast Basketball Officials Association in Palm Beach County, Fla. Prior to becoming president, he served as the group’s treasurer. He has worked multiple state basketball finals in Florida. 

assigning, legal issues and best practices specific to local officials association management.

TITANIUM & TITANIUM SHIELD The Titanium solution is ideal for officials associations that want to maximize their organization’s performance while fully protecting both their organization and individual members.

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To learn more, go to NASO.org/Advantage or call us at 262-632-5448

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7 1/15/2025 10:43:36 AM

IT’S OFFICIAL - march 2025

Should Disciplinary Action Remain Private?

By Patrick Rosenow

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Should discipline be kept under wraps?

You won’t have to surf the sports channel long to find somebody complaining that officials aren’t held accountable. It doesn’t matter whether they are working an NFL game, NCAA basketball, or a high school baseball playoff. But the question of discipline in officiating depends largely on the level. Generally, only those few officials who work in the pro leagues can be considered employees. The rest of us are independent contractors. That distinction is important for more than reasons of tax, insurance, and collective bargaining.

Independent contractors provide services on a series of contracts. If they fail to perform properly, the option is to not hire them. I don’t know that you could actually describe that as discipline, but that doesn’t mean it’s insignificant as a motivating factor or penalty. Officials don’t want to be sitting at home when everyone else is working.

I suppose if the performance were bad enough, the school could refuse to pay an individual game contract. I’ve never seen that happen, but I have worked a SoCal junior college game where the coach’s complaints were enough to convince my partner to refuse to leave our locker room for the second half until we got our checks — fun times!

The one area officials below the professional level might

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be subject to discipline would be through their local or state licensing associations. Depending on its bylaws, an association may elect to impose a censure or fine.

It also might assign training to a member to retain their good standing and eligibility.

On the other hand, employees can be fired, albeit within the limits of the collective bargaining agreement. However, they can also be counseled, admonished, placed on an improvement plan, and perhaps even suspended or held off the schedule with or without pay. Those are all standard disciplinary tools used by managers in organizations.

At the professional level (and to be fair, at the highest collegiate levels) the activity is not simply sports, but sports entertainment.

It is a business where the teams exist to make money and win.

On the other hand, at the lower collegiate and scholastic levels and in recreational sports, the purpose is to provide participants competitive recreation and students an extension of the classroom in which they can develop into responsible adults.

Consequently, it’s not unfair to expect more transparency about discipline at the professional level where officials are employees and part of a multibillion dollar business that also involves millions of wagers turning on their decisions.

Another consideration is the reason for the discipline. Is the discipline for missing an obvious pass interference, giving a team five downs, misapplying the rules for clock management, not disclosing a relationship with one

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of the teams, or breaking rules related to gambling? There’s a difference between having the lowest accuracy rate for balls and strikes and confronting a fan.

Generally, at the non-sports entertainment levels, there should be little reason for publicly discussing corrective action or discipline. Leagues can’t take disciplinary action against independent contractors. If they decided not to use them for a few games or the rest of the season, that will be obvious when the schedule comes out. No league at any level discusses why they assigned officials. Similarly, officials associations at the lower levels have no obligation to announce or discuss disciplinary action against its members. If an official loses his or her good standing and becomes ineligible, that too will become obvious.

Schools have no obligation to discuss administrative discipline taken against a player or coach (short of firing, which again, is obvious). In fact, privacy laws probably prohibit them from doing so. There’s no reason officials at that level should be treated differently. So, with the narrow exception of officials working in sports entertainment, discretion is the best practice when it comes to publicly discussing personnel and personal issues related to officials.

Patrick Rosenow, Mandeville, La., is a retired Air Force judge who sits as a federal labor administrative law judge. He officiated basketball at the high school, college and international levels. This article is for informational purposes and not legal advice. 

A S S O C I A T I O N 1/15/2025 10:43:38 AM

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OF SPORTS OFFICIALS

sports section Are You Prepared for the Season?

By Jeffrey Stern

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s a new season approaches, you probably feel a number of emotions. Anticipation.

Excitement. Impatience.

But how about confidence?

Not in your ability, but in your preparedness? Have you done everything you need to do to get your season off to a good start?

In the time between seasons, there are some things you simply must do before you step on a court or field. Here are the most important tasks.

Conditioning. Even if you’re a jogger, yoga enthusiast or Pilates participant and you’re in good general shape, your sport requires specific tasks of your body. Whatever those are, work on the muscles and joints that will be used.

It’s never a good idea to go work a game after sitting on the couch for six months.

If hitting the gym isn’t your thing, do something as simple as stretching and taking a half hour walk three days a week.

But get started early. It can’t be put off until a month before the season. As the saying goes, you can’t referee to stay in shape; you have to stay in shape to referee.

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S P O R T S

It isn’t a bad idea to visit your physician for a preseason physical. That’s especially true of us (ahem) more senior officials. A check up can catch something we’re not aware of and for which symptoms have not yet appeared.

Gear check. Inspect your equipment to make sure it’s

it. Chances are if you have to order from an officiating equipment vendor, it may take a week or more for the shipment to arrive. If you wait to the last minute to buy items, supplies will be low, particularly if you need a common item (e.g. shirt, pants) that comes in a popular size.

It can’t be put off until a month before the season. As the saying goes, you can’t referee to stay in shape; you have to stay in shape to referee. all in working order. Check all straps and laces for wear and tear. Does the watch you use for timekeeping need a new battery? Do you have indicators, whistles, lanyards and other necessary items?

Make sure uniforms fit, especially hats. Working in hot weather leads to sweat which leads to hat shrinkage.

Go through the entire list — shoes, long- and shortsleeved shirts (if appropriate), pants, jacket, etc. — sufficiently early so that if something isn’t there or isn’t in presentable or workable condition, you have enough time to replace

Bookkeeping. Doublecheck your schedule. Make sure you have correct dates, times, game sites, etc. Input everything into your calendar or smartphone. Online assigning has made it easy to keep current with your blocked dates as well as your availability.

Schools often change athletic directors, athletic department secretaries and pay policies. Check to make sure the schools or teams for whom you’ll work have correct contact information for you. If you’re working somewhere for the first time,

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IT’S OFFICIAL - march 2025 you may have to provide tax forms before you’ll be paid.

Have all of your required dues been paid? Those who forget to take care of that until a deadline has passed, or don’t handle it at all, generally find themselves out in the cold, no longer a member in good standing of whatever organization is involved and with assignments having gone to other officials. Being lax in that area is also likely to affect your ability to get rulebooks and mechanics manuals.

Rules brush-up. Speaking of rules, it’s time to dig into the books once again. If you’re part of a study group, find out when meetings will be held or organize them yourself. While it’s important to hone in on the new rules and interpretations, don’t forget about the changes that were approved in the recent past as well. And give those pesky points of emphasis a good going over as well.

Partner/crew communication. If you work with a regular partner or crew, touch base to make sure your schedules agree. If you travel to games together, confirm meeting places and times. Working with someone new? Arrange a meeting to get acquainted on a personal level before you head into the season.

Are you splitting the driving chores? How are travel expenses being handled? Will you be stopping for a bite to eat after games? Getting answers to those questions can save turmoil down the road.

Jeffrey Stern is Referee’s senior editor. He formerly officiated high school and college football and high school baseball. 

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BASKETBALL

When Do I Go Long?

By the Referee editors It comes up in almost every pregame discussion among high school officials working three-person mechanics: “Are we long switching tonight?”

First, there is only one correct answer according to the approved NFHS officiating mechanics: “Yes.” However, in order for that to be a correct answer, all three officials working on the crew must understand when a long switch is supposed to occur and when it’s not.

And there’s the rub. Between officials who don’t know the proper mechanic to begin with, officials who have been taught by other associations not to long switch, and officials who are just plain lazy and don’t want to partake in any “extra” movements, there is always a possibility someone on a crew is not even sure about when to long switch, even when the entire crew enthusiastically supports doing so.

So here is a simple refresher.

If the lead official makes a foul ruling against the offense, NFHS mechanics mandate a long switch. For example, the lead official rules a charging foul against A1 on the low block tableside. The ruling official is going to move to the reporting area, report the foul and become the new lead official on the opposite end of the floor. The trail official is going to remain the trail official, making the long tableside switch with the ruling official and administering the team B

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throw-in on the endline. The center official remains in that position, opposite the table.

If the trail official makes a foul ruling against the defense in the backcourt, NFHS mechanics mandate there is no long switch. For example, A1 secures a rebound and is preparing to bring the ball up the floor on the tableside, and the trail official rules a foul against B1. The trail official is going to move to the reporting area, report the foul and remain the trail official, administering the backcourt throw-in for team A. The center and lead officials will also remain in their positions.

There is no long switch between the trail official and the lead official on this play.

Where do things sometimes get confusing? During rebounding action. A1 shoots and misses, and during the battle for the rebound, A2 commits a foul that is called by the official standing on the endline. The defensive team has not yet secured possession when the foul occurs. So, if you are the ruling official on this play, are you the lead or are you the trail? And since the ball is now “going the other way” following the throw-in, is this a long switch or not?

The answer is yes.

Remember, if you are the official on the endline and you have not yet begun a backcourt count, you are still the lead official. And if you are the lead official, any foul ruling you make on the tableside that is going to result in an endline throw-in going the other way requires a long switch. 

A S S O C I A T I O N 1/15/2025 10:43:42 AM

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BASEBALL

finding the balance

By Jon Bible For umpires, balancing the letter of the law with the spirit of the game can be challenging. While rules provide the framework for fair play, the art of umpiring often involves knowing when to strictly enforce a rule and when to let advantagedisadvantage philosophy guide your decision-making.

This philosophy emphasizes fairness, focusing on whether a violation gives one team an unfair advantage.

Black-and-White Rules vs. Judgment Calls Certain rules are clearcut and leave no room for interpretation. A batter walks on four balls, strikes out on three strikes, and a runner is out if tagged while off the base. These black-and-white situations are simple to enforce and are non-negotiable.

However, many situations require nuance. For example, should a first baseman who leaves the bag slightly early on a throw be penalized if the runner is clearly out by two feet? What about a pitcher who separates his hands momentarily while on the rubber? Technically, these are violations, but enforcing them strictly could disrupt the game’s flow without serving any practical purpose.

Understanding Context and Expectations A savvy umpire considers the context of the play and the expectations of players, coaches and fans. For instance, the “neighborhood play”

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on double plays has long been understood as a safety concession, where a fielder doesn’t need to strictly touch the base if the throw is accurate. However, this allowance becomes irrelevant if the throw is errant, as the lack of contact could disadvantage the opposing team.

At the amateur level, especially in youth games, flexibility is even more critical.

Over-enforcing technical violations, such as balks by inexperienced pitchers, can disrupt the game and alienate players, coaches and spectators. Instead, consider a teaching moment or a quiet correction between innings for minor infractions.

Intent Over Literalism When dealing with ambiguous or unconventional scenarios, the rule’s intent should guide your decision.

A prime example is the NCAA collision rule, designed to protect fielders from dangerous plays. Situations like a collision occurring before a fielder has full possession of the ball may challenge a literal interpretation of the rule.

Instead, consider the rule’s purpose: preventing unsafe contact when the fielder is vulnerable.

Applying intent-based judgment ensures fairness and preserves the integrity of the game. When new scenarios arise, it’s essential for governing bodies to provide guidance and refine the rules over time, as seen in rulebooks filled with interpretations and approved rulings.

Accelerating Your Learning Curve Developing the judgment

to balance technical accuracy with practical enforcement takes experience. Early in your career, seek out mentors — veteran umpires who can share their insights and help you understand the nuances of different levels of play. Today, there are also many training materials and resources available, including from this publication, that can help new umpires accelerate their learning.

The Bottom Line Applying rules effectively requires a blend of knowledge, context awareness, and common sense. Use the advantage-disadvantage philosophy as your guide, enforce black-and-white rules consistently, and adapt your approach to the level of play. With experience and mentorship, you’ll gain the confidence to make decisions that serve the game’s fairness and flow, ensuring a positive experience for everyone involved.

Jon Bible, Austin, Texas, worked seven NCAA Division I College World Series. In 2019, he was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock, Texas.  SOFTBALL

Like a Polaroid Picture

By Brad Tittrington “Don’t think, you only hurt the team.”

I use this phrase a lot, especially in postgame conversations with newer umpires. A mentor of mine said it to me one time, and I never forgot it. He used that phrase on me when I was

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IT’S OFFICIAL - march 2025 trying to think about where I was supposed to go on a particular play when I was new to the college game. Like a lot of new umpires, I spent a lot of time thinking about where I was supposed to go instead of just reacting and going there.

The innate ability to just react and go — muscle memory if you will — takes a while to acquire. It is nearly impossible to open the manual and memorize every detailed movement in every conceivable situation. And if you try to memorize it all, you most likely will eventually suffer from analysis paralysis.

You will spend so much time thinking about where you are supposed to go that you will actually forget to get there, or at the very least you will be late.

Or conversely, you will “think” a certain play is going to happen one way and it ends up happening another.

And you excitedly move to a position anticipating a play that never happens and then you are out of position for the play that actually happens.

Having the ability to slow everything down (pause), digesting what is happening (read) and then moving to the correct position (react) are crucial to being a successful umpire. Notice there is no thinking in this process.

Thinking slows everything down and you end up somewhere you shouldn’t be, which ultimately hurts your crew.

So, instead of overthinking every time the ball is put into play, instead rely on the pause, read, react technique.

Pause. This first step can be the most difficult in the threestep process. As umpires, we

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always feel like we should be moving somewhere. However, the most important thing is not to overreact and begin moving before we need to.

Instead, wait. Take a second to let your mind digest what your eyes are seeing. Moving too quickly can cause you to miss an important element of a play. Instead, pause and digest what is happening and allow the play to develop instead of racing somewhere you don’t need to be. A great evaluator once said umpiring is like taking a polaroid picture.

You have to allow the play to develop, which takes time.

If you rush the process, the picture will not come out clear.

Read. Now that you are paused, you can effectively read the play. Your mind isn’t racing and your eyes are still, which allows you to see the play clearly. In this phase of the process, your mind digests everything your eyes are seeing. Take everything in and let the picture fully develop.

Make sure you have the whole picture before you move to step three. Otherwise, you may miss an important clue that will help tell the whole story. Once the picture is fully developed, move to step three.

React. Now is the time to move to prepare to make a call or move to the next possible play. This part of the process becomes second nature with experience. Newer umpires struggle the most with this step. Instead of instinctively moving, they tend to think and try to remember where they are supposed to go instead of letting muscle memory take over. On the softball diamond, plays happen quickly and that thinking process can cause umpires to be late and miss an important element

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of a play and try to make a call while out of position.

Repetition (game experience) is the best way to develop this sixth sense. It is why evaluators try to get newer umpires the opportunity to work scrimmages and nonconference games to build up repetition and game awareness in umpires before throwing them straight into the fire. It is also why watching game film is critical so umpires can increase their repetitions and more quickly recognize situations so when it happens in real time, they can simply react and move.

This process happens rapidly. The more games you work and more situations you are a part of, the quicker you will pick up on the clues and the quicker your mind will develop the picture. The best umpires are the ones who can slow their heartbeat, slow the game down, quickly recognize what is happening and then react quickly to get in position to make the call. They also go through all three steps instinctively so they don’t end up out of position.

So, if you are struggling with slowing the game down, feel like you are struggling to get in the right places to make the call and things are blowing up on you, or you feel like you are always going one direction and the play is going the other, fall back on this technique.

Sometimes doing nothing is better than doing too much.

Brad Tittrington is an associate editor for Referee. He umpires D-I softball and officiates high school basketball, college and high school volleyball and high school football. 

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Playing the Gap

By George Demetriou Defensive line strategy can influence the manner in which fouls occur in and around the neutral zone. Knowledge of the techniques employed by defensive linemen can assist the umpire and the referee in detecting fouls.

There are generally two ways responsibility can be assigned to defensive linemen: one gap or two gap.

In a one-gap scheme, a player is responsible for only one side of his blocker: one gap between that blocker and the adjacent lineman. The objective is to blow into the backfield through that one opening as often as possible and disrupt the play.

The defense cannot control the line of scrimmage to stifle running plays by using that approach. For a good run defense, the defender must stand in a fixed position and block a route until he determines exactly which gap the runner will use.

Consequently, the one-gap defense works best against passing plays.

The one-gap defensive rusher has a narrow responsibility and does not present a stationary target to the offense. Defensive players like it because it allows them to get off the ball fast and attack the blocker with little risk of getting pushed down the line. The quicker the defender, the greater is the potential for the blocker to grab or trip him. Holding is a 10-yard penalty while tripping is 15 yards.

The two-gap assignment is

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when the defender is assigned responsibility for the openings on either side of the blocker he is facing. That scheme is primarily a run defense and requires a defender big and strong enough to plug up either gap.

When the ball is snapped, the defensive lineman will hold his ground and will know immediately if it is a run or a pass. If his blocker holds his ground or steps back, it is a pass play. If the blocker charges forward it is a run.

If the defender commits to the wrong gap, he has taken himself out of the play, and it is highly unlikely a foul will be committed against him. It won’t take much of a block to keep him out of the play.

However, if the defensive player is in the intended path of the runner, the offense must move him out of the way. To do so legally, they cannot grab and physically control him.

That is a prime opportunity for a foul. Also, if the defender has a clear shot at the ball carrier, an opponent must get between those two players and either push the defender beyond the path of the play or impede his effort to get to the ball. The latter is an opportunity for the blocker to grab from behind in an effort to restrain.

In addition to gap responsibility, there are several other factors which increase the likelihood of a foul. Size is one such factor. When the defensive player overmatches the offensive player, the blocker may resort to illegal techniques. Undersized players may have a tendency to hang on.

Cutback runners or runners who simply decide to go through a hole different than the one that was called present

a challenge to their blockers. In most cases, the defender sees the change of direction before the offensive lineman figures it out. That sometimes gives birth to the wraparound block, in which the lineman puts his hands and arms outside the frame of the opponent.

The umpire, who is initially focused on the original point of attack, must judge the play based on the severity of the restriction and its impact on the play.

Another area where defensive action precipitates holding is a stunting defense.

At the prep level, the focus tends to be on whom to block versus where to block. When the defender stunts, his original blocker usually still pursues resulting in a reach out and grab.

Officials who are cognizant of what the players are trying to do, will be better prepared to observe the fouls that may occur.

George Demetriou has been a football official since 1968. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. 

ASK U S BASKETBALL Stepping Out of Bounds Play: A1 is running up the court along the side boundary line without the basketball. As A1 enters team A’s frontcourt, B2 is standing a few steps in front of A1 and is in A1’s path.

A1 steps out of bounds to avoid colliding with B2. A1 then re-enters the playing court and (a) immediately catches a pass from teammate A2, or (b) runs toward the basket to get into position for a rebound of

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IT’S OFFICIAL - march 2025 A2’s try. Has A1 committed any infraction? Ruling: In both scenarios, A1 is not assessed a technical foul since they did not leave the playing court to deceive or gain a more advantageous position. In (a), when A1 returns to the playing court and is the first to touch the ball, a violation has occurred since they left the playing court of their own volition. In (b), A1’s action is legal, and play shall continue uninterrupted (NFHS 9-3-3, 10-4-2; NCAAM 9-3.1, 10-4.1.j, AR 10-39; NCAAW 9-3.1, 10-12.4.h, A. 10-38).

Illegal Dribble Play: A1 is dribbling the ball up the floor during a transition play. During the dribble, A1 pushes the ball from their right hand toward the side, and after the ball is no longer touching A1’s right hand, A1 pushes the ball to the floor with their left hand. Does the fact that A1 touched the ball with each hand before the ball hit the ground cause the dribble to be illegal?

Ruling: During a dribble, the ball may be batted into the air, provided it is permitted to strike the playing court one or more times before the ball is touched again with either hand. Since the ball did not strike the floor after it touched A1’s right hand before touching A1’s left hand, a double dribble violation shall be ruled (NFHS 4-15-2, 9-5 4.15.4D; NCAAM 4-13.3, 9-7, AR 4-9; NCAAW 4-12.3, 9-7, AR 4-9).

BASEBALL Fair Play or Foul Appeal?

Play: With the winning run scoring in the bottom of the seventh inning, the umpires attempt to leave the field of play. One umpire

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has stopped for a drink of water at the dugout and the visiting team appeals that the runner who scored missed third base. At this time, the pitcher and infielders are on the field in foul territory, and the appeal is made by the outfielders. Ruling: In NFHS, this is a valid appeal since there is at least one umpire still on the field of play. In NCAA and pro, the requirement for an appeal is that it is made before “the pitcher and all infielders have left fair territory,” therefore it is not a valid appeal (NFHS 8.2.2 Sit. J; NCAA 8-6b; pro 5.09c).

Hands Together, Coach Confused Play: With one hand at the side and the other hand in front of the body, F1 looks into the catcher for a sign from the windup position. F1 then brings the hands together and pauses. The opposing coach yells that this is a balk and that the runner on third base should score. Ruling: This is not a balk. This is a legal pitching position. The pitcher is permitted to have one hand forward prior to bringing the other hand forward (NFHS 6-12; NCAA 9-1a1; pro 5.07a1).

Spectator Snag: Bases Awarded!

Play: R1 is on first when B2 hits a fair ball into the leftcenter field gap. A spectator picks up the ball in live-ball territory and tosses it to the fielder. Ruling: The ball is dead immediately at the moment of interference and the umpire shall award R1 and B2 the bases they would have reached, in the umpire’s opinion, had there been no spectator interference (NFHS 8.3.3 Sit. G; NCAA 4-8a; pro 6.01e).

N A T I O N A L

FOOTBALL Safety?

Play: Second and seven at team B’s 32 yardline. A1’s pass is intercepted by B2, who is standing at his own two yardline. Before stationary B2 can take a step, he is contacted by intended receiver A3 (still running full speed) and driven back into his own end zone. B2 is able to regain his balance and runs laterally for a few yards before tripping and falling down in the end zone. Ruling: The ball belongs to team B at its two yardline because B2’s forward progress was stopped in the field of play. The momentum rule cannot apply because the contact by A3 and not B2’s momentum resulted in his ending up in the end zone (NFHS 2-15-1, 4-2-2a; NCAA 2-8-2, 4-1-3a).

Both Teams Foul Play: After the ball is ready for play and the center has made his final adjustment, A1 and B2 are lined up in the neutral zone. Ruling: Both have fouled. Because the fouls were simultaneous dead-ball fouls, no yardage is walked off. Whenever possible, the officials should use preventive officiating to prevent such a situation (NFHS 7-1-5, 10-2-5; NCAA 7-1-3a-3, 10-1-5).

SOFTBALL Extra-Inning Substitute Play: In a game using the tie-breaker rule, the score is tied, 2-2, after regulation. The visiting team places Adams on second base to start the eighth inning. After the first pitch, the home coach tells the plate umpire Jones should be

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the runner on second base.

Adams is an eligible substitute, but the visiting coach never reported her into the game.

Ruling: In NFHS, the umpire shall issue a team warning to the visiting team head coach and the next offender on that team and the head coach shall be restricted to the dugout/ bench for the remainder of the game for a second violation, and play stands (3-3-4, 3-6-7 Pen., 4-2-6, 8-9-7). In NCAA, “no pitch” is declared, the unreported substitute (Adams) shall be called out and declared officially in the game (6.16, 8.3.3.4 Eff.). In USA Softball, there is no penalty and the runner is officially in the game (4-6C-6 Eff., 5-11). In USSSA, a team warning shall be issued to the visiting team and play stands. A second offense will result in the head coach being ejected from the game (4-5, 5-5 Pen.).

Wild Pitch Play: R2 is on second base and attempts to steal third. The pitched ball hits the plate and bounces up over the backstop and goes out of play. The plate umpire awards R2 home.

Ruling: Incorrect in all codes.

The ball is dead when it goes out of play and R2 is awarded third base only. Runners are only awarded one base from the base legally occupied at the time of the pitch on a pitched ball that is blocked (NFHS 8-43c Pen.; NCAA 12.12.7.2 Eff.; USA Softball 8-5C Eff.; USSSA 8-14D-1).

Legal Delivery?

Play: B1 is up to bat with a 1-2 count. F1 throws a changeup on the next pitch.

F1, in delivering the pitch, released the ball on her first pass through the hip.

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S P O R T S

After releasing the ball, she continues her motion for another full revolution. The batter swings and misses the pitch. Ruling: In all codes, this is an illegal pitch. The pitcher may not continue her motion once the ball is released. A ball should be awarded to the batter’s count, making it 2-2 (NFHS 6-1-4e Note and Pen.; NCAA 10.6.5 Eff.; USA Softball 6A-3M Eff.; USSSA 6-1G-5 Note and Eff.).

SOCCER Accidental Handball Play: A2 takes a throw-in and throws it to A3 who is approximately 25 yards from the goal. A3 chest traps the ball and it bounces in front of A3 and strikes A3’s hand which was in a natural position. The ball goes to A3’s foot who shoots and scores. Ruling: The goal should be disallowed and the game restarted with a direct free kick from the point where the ball struck the hand. Although the hand was in a natural position, a goal cannot be scored directly from the player touching the ball with the hands (NFHS 12.2.2b; NCAA 12.2.8.1.2; IFAB 12.1).

Frustration Boils Over Play: A4 has control of the ball, feints a move that deceives B3 and then goes around B3. B3 becomes frustrated and grabs A4’s shirt and pulls A4 away from the ball. A4 turns and strikes B3 in retaliation for the shirt pull. Ruling: B3 is to be cautioned for pulling the shirt.

This was not a violent act. A4 is ejected for striking B3. For an NCAA game, the report is Violent Conduct II (NFHS 12-5-1f3, 12-6-1f; NCAA 5.6.4, 12.7.10.1; IFAB 12.3).

Fair Charge Play: A3 is moving forward and enters the penalty area.

B4 is running on a diagonal and trying to catch A3. B6 is moving toward the two players and is between them and the goalkeeper. B4 catches A3 and makes contact with the shoulder. A3 falls to the ground and the ball rolls over the goalline. Ruling: This is a fair charge since it was shoulder to shoulder and the ball was within playing distance. The game is restarted with a goal kick (NFHS 12-1-2; NCAA 12.3.2.12; IFAB 12.1).

Building the Wall Play: Team A is awarded a direct free kick approximately 30 yards from the goal. Team B forms a wall with only two players. A4 stands right next to the wall. As A2 is moving forward to take the kick, B3 quickly runs up and joins the wall just before A2 makes contact with the ball. Ruling: Allow the kick to be taken.

The wall was established with two players from Team B and A4 had a right to take up the position. A4 did not have time to move prior to the kick when B3 joined the wall (NFHS 13-31; NCAA 13.2.2.1; IFAB 13.2).

Look Out! Play: A3 is about to take a throw-in within the attacking zone. B3 stands in front of A3 and is less than two yards from A3 in an attempt to delay the throw and all teammates to get into position. A3 becomes frustrated and throws the ball at B3 and it hits the head of B3.

Ruling: B3 is to be cautioned for failure to move away from the thrower (unnecessary delay). A3 is to be cautioned for reckless play. A3 could be ejected if the throw was

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IT’S OFFICIAL - march 2025 violent in nature (NFHS 15-3; NCAA 15.2.3; IFAB 15.2).

VOLLEYBALL Ball In or Out Play: During the prematch conference, the first referee goes over the ground rules with the captains of both teams. During the first set, A1 shanks a pass that is headed over the bleachers. The ball strikes a beam that is over the bleachers and comes back into a playable area, where the ball is successfully attacked by A2 and lands inbounds on team B’s side.

The first referee awards a point to team A. Ruling: Incorrect in all codes. The ball struck an obstruction that was over a non-playable area (bleachers), in this case the beam over the bleachers. The first referee should have whistled and

signaled out of bounds the moment the ball struck the beam and awarded a point to team B (NFHS 2-3f and Pen.; NCAA 16.2.2.3; USAV 8.4.2d).

Officials’ Duties Play: The referees are scheduled to officiate a match that has a scheduled start time of 5 p.m. Both officials arrive at the site at 4:15 p.m. They go to the locker room and change into their uniforms. They then make their way to the gymnasium and arrive at the court for their prematch meeting at 4:30 p.m. Is this the proper protocol? Ruling: Correct in NFHS and USAV. The first and second referee should arrive in uniform at the site of the match no less than 30 minutes before the scheduled match time (NFHS 5-4-1a, 5-51a; USAV Basic Procedures for Referees 2a). Incorrect for

NCAA. It is recommended the first and second referee arrive on site 60 minutes before the match start time.

The jurisdiction of the referees begins with their arrival on the court, which should be at least 40 minutes before the match is scheduled to start (NCAA 19.1.2).

The Serve Play: A1 serves, the ball hits the tape and straddles down the length of the net where it is blocked by B3 while the ball is on top of the net. The ball lands inbounds on team A’s side. The first referee whistles, signals in and awards a loss of rally/point to team B. Ruling: Incorrect in all codes. A served ball cannot be blocked and the correct ruling should be a point to team A (NFHS 9-6-5; NCAA 14.6.6; USAV 14.5). 

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