Awareness

The sophomore center drives the lane. As last year’s conference MVP goes up to slam the ball home, his seven-foot opponent comes across the lane and lays some body on him. There is contact but there is no whistle echoing through the gym on that play.

Did the official not see that? There was contact and no foul was called. The confident eight-year veteran referee was in position to look through the players, refereed the defense, saw the contact, evaluated the play for advantage/disadvantage and passed on the opportunity. The no-call was well received by the crowd, except the heavyset woman in row 12.

Early spring baseball finds two neighboring towns in their first game of the season. The second inning pitch is away from the catcher’s chest, far enough away the catcher falls to his right knee to make the grab. Since some part of the ball passed over the plate the umpire bellows, "Strike." As you can imagine, a furor erupts with offensive coaches (that’s the team batting, not a reflection on their character) pouring out of the dugout and down the baselines.

While accurate, the home plate umpire had a tough call to sell. OK, it was a strike, but who believes the umpire as they watch the catcher teeter on one knee. To the coaches and fans the pitch "looks" a foot outside. Former major league umpire Eric Gregg took some heat during the 1997 NL Championship Series for his wide strike zone, so let’s analyze what he saw. He watched a catcher set up toward the outside of the plate, saw a pitch delivered to the spot where the catcher set up and called a strike. Some might argue he pressed the outside limit, but in the days before all the fancy gizmos and television replays, that pitch is a strike without all the furor.

Soccer referees tend to call two seasons every calendar year so a 15-year veteran actually has 30 seasons of experience. They have developed the awareness to no-call a through ball that will roll to the goalkeeper even though a player was offside.

As you make the transition to higher levels of sports officiating, watch the player’s and fan’s reaction the first time you no-call a handling the ball decision you would have called in earlier games. A small cry will go up from some neophyte observer, but your no-calls that do not place a team at a disadvantage will be well received.

Developing a greater awareness of the effects of the infractions will allow you to judge when actions must be penalized. Watch veterans, either at the professional level, Division I collegiate level or just the best of the local officials as they judge sports contests. Watch the no-calls and observe players and coaches reactions. As you begin to move up, adjust your perceptions of fouls and violations to meet these experienced veterans. The added awareness will ease your transition.

NASO Summit Will Take on Sportsmanship and Other Critical Issues

Sportsmanship. Liability. Independent contractor status. Accountability. Recruitment. All those topics and more will be covered during the NASO "Sports Officiating 2004" summit conducted Aug. 7-9 in Arlington, Va., in suburban Washington D.C.

"There is a link between administrators, coaches, players and officials when it comes to enforcing sportsmanship on the field and we’ll explore what we, as officials, can do to improve what is becoming a very bad situation," said NASO President Barry Mano.

The 2004 summit is being conducted in cooperation with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the NASO staff is already hard at work developing session themes.

"Gathering officials who really care about the future of the profession is important and that’s why a summit of this kind is necessary," adds NASO Chair Randy Christal. "Sharing ideas, gathering facts and developing solutions is what it’s all about."

Regular attendees will notice several changes to the format in 2004. Sportsmanship will be at the top of the agenda, but other critical issues facing the industry will also take center stage at times. There will be more interaction among attendees as opposed to panel sessions or speakers.

"We want to get more input from attendees," notes Mano. "It’s important that there be interaction. We want to hear from the attendees what works and doesn’t work in their community."

In addition to the educational sessions, NASO will present its 2004 NASO Gold Whistle Award, conduct its semi-annual board of directors meeting and host another Officiating Development Alliance (ODA) meeting. Members of the NASO board and ODA will have an integral role in many of the summit sessions too.

For registration information and to secure your accommodations at the Crystal City Marriott Hotel – located just a little more than a silver dollar’s throw across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., – contact NASO Summit Coordinator Tina Sagal at 262/632-5448 or visit the NASO homepage at www.naso.org.

Gerry Davis Sports Renews Education Partner Program

Gerry Davis is among the best umpires in professional baseball. He’s worked the "big games" and he’s handled all the tough calls.

Recently he made an easy call – renewing his company’s Silver Level membership in the NASO Education Partner program. As an NASO Education Partner, Davis is demonstrating his commitment to NASO educational programs by contributing financially to NASO. His contribution supports the NASO summit and the development of new educational materials.

Gerry Davis Sports is among the nation’s fastest growing officials’ equipment companies and there are good reasons why. Davis is a stickler for quality. It’s just one of the reasons he has developed his own line of equipment from chest protectors to plate shoes.

"Last season 71 of the 78 umpires in the major leagues wore our shoe," says Davis. "That says a lot about quality and comfort."

"From Day One our goal has been to become the definitive name in officials equipment, apparel and education. My promise to NASO members is simple: We will work hard to meet the needs of the third team in every game."

By identifying yourself as an NASO member, you receive a 7.5 percent discount on all orders placed with Gerry Davis Sports. Call 800/916-9088 or visit www.gerrydavis.com to browse the hundreds of officiating products now available online and in their catalog. Call and request yours today.

Uyl to Direct Officials Programming as MHSAA Assistant Director

Mark Uyl, already recognized as an outstanding athletic administrator at

Thornapple Kellogg High School in Middleville, and an accomplished official, teacher and coach, has been named an assistant director at the Michigan High School Athletic Association. He will begin his duties in late January 2004.

Uyl will have responsibilities for the administration of several post-season tournaments, and oversight of programming and services to the over 12,000 registered game officials at the high school level in Michigan.

Uyl is a 1996 graduate of Calvin College, where he was a four-year starter in baseball, serving as a team captain and earning all-conference honors on two occasions. His Bachelor's Degree was earned in History and Physical Education. He received a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Valley State University in 2001.

Most of Uyl's educational career has been at Thornapple Kellogg Schools in Middleville. He started there as a high school history and physical education teacher after graduating from Calvin, and he also was an assistant football coach. He spent the 2000-01 school year as athletic director at Caledonia High School and Middle School, and then returned to Thornapple Kellogg to assume the athletic director's and assistant principal's post there.

While at Thornapple-Kellogg, Uyl has been instrumental in upgrades to the district's athletic facilities, including the installation of an artificial playing surface at the high school football stadium.

As an official, Uyl has been registered in at least three sports with the MHSAA every year since 1992, and worked the Baseball Finals in 1999. He has also served as a collegiate baseball umpire at all levels since 1996, and has professional experience at the minor league level. He is also active with the West Michigan Umpires Association.

Uyl has also been active in his community as an elected member of the Thornapple Area Recreation Committee.

"Some would call Mark Uyl one of the up-and-coming high school athletic administrators in our state - I would simply call him one of the best," said John E. "Jack" Roberts, MHSAA executive director. "Mark displays a passion for his work and a maturity that exceeds his years. We have secured the services of one fine individual who will serve our schools and our officials well for many years to come."

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,200 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools, which enforce these rules, are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

NASO Board and ODA to Meet in Dallas

The NASO Board of Directors will hold its semiannual meeting on Feb. 21. A day earlier, the NASO-initiated Officiating Development Alliance will meet. Both meetings are in Dallas. Planning for the August summit in Alexandria, Va., along with the normal business of the association will be discussed by the NASO board. NASO members who desire to have items considered by the board should submit their input to NASO headquarters in Racine for the board’s attention.

NASO Assault Fact Sheet

• Seventeen (17) state have enacted assault legislation: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia,

• States that have passed "resolutions" acknowledging the value officials play in society: Utah and Washington.

• Several communities have passed ordinances that specify behavior expectations and provide local penalties. These include small fines or expulsion from programs; denial of public property use, etc.

• NASO website address for the Special Report: Officials Under Assault

http://www.naso.org/rprt/SpecReptAssault.pdf

• NASO website address for "Bad Behavior" examples:

http://www.naso.org/sportsmanship/badsports.html

• NASO website address for Video Clips of sports officials’ under assault:

http://www.naso.org/sportsmanship/clips.html

Important Point:

NASO is urging legislatures to provide sports officials with a special designation protecting them from physical assaults because too often assaults against officials are lumped on the court dockets with such things as drunken driving charges, barroom brawls, domestic disputes, etc., and do not have the appropriate visibility for a crime committed in public.

For example, an attack on an official might only be written up in the police report as a "fight at a softball game." This incorrectly states the severity of the act, especially since the assaulted umpire is a representative (and possibly) the only authority figure at the event.

It is important to raise the consciousness of the judicial officer. We must call attention to the seriousness of these types of assaults and having a designated class helps.

Also, with a special designation, the decision in the case might be admissible in a civil action filed afterwards.

NFL Referees Blow the Whistle on Cancer this Weekend

Second Year for Football Officials to Support The V Foundation for Cancer Research

The National Football League Referees Association (NFLRA) designated this past weekend as the 2003 NFL Officials Blow the Whistle on Cancer Campaign.

All 120 NFL game officials donated a portion of their salaries from the weekends games to The V Foundation for Cancer Research to help fund essential cancer research. Blow the Whistle on Cancer is an on-going fundraising initiative to raise funding and awareness for cancer research sponsored by The V Foundation in partnership with the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO). Nationwide, throughout the year, sports officials from all sports, at every competition level, donate all or a part of their game stipend to The V Foundation.

This was the second annual Blow the Whistle campaign participation by the NFL game officials. Last year the on-field officials were joined by their colleagues in the booth, replay officials and scouts, as well as NFL Officiating Department front-office staff members, retired officials and Arena Football League officials for a combined effort. The NFL matched donations from their employees and all together, the campaign raised funding for one entire cancer research grant, which was awarded this summer by The V Foundation to a researcher at The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.

"Cancer will strike one of every two men and one of every three women in the United States in our lifetime," said NFL Director of Officiating Mike Pereira, who spearheads the campaign. "It has, or will, unfortunately hit close to home for every member of our officiating family. This is our way to help The V Foundation fund the essential research that will create survivors and eventually erase many types of this disease," Periera concluded.

The first-ever Blow the Whistle on Cancer grant was awarded to Johns Hopkins’ Ben Ho Park, M.D., PhD to further his work in breast cancer research. The grant was officially funded by the NFL Referees Association in honor of their wives and mothers. This year the group hopes to reach their goal to fund another research grant, this time in the area of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, and an estimated 220,900 new cases occurred this year. Prostate cancer incidence rates are significantly higher in African American men than in white men.

"The NFL Referees Association’s commitment to this program is fantastic," said V Foundation CEO Nick Valvano. "We are extremely grateful that they have chosen to add their voices, visibility and resources to participate for a second consecutive year. We extend our most sincere thanks to Mike Pereira, the membership, both active and retired of the NFL Referees Association, as well as Commissioner (Paul) Tagliabue and the entire NFL family," Valvano concluded.

Additional Background

Since its 10/02 announcement, the Blow the Whistle on Cancer campaign has raised more than $75,000.

The V Foundation for Cancer Research was started in 1993 by ESPN and former basketball coach and broadcaster Jim Valvano. The Foundation’s mission is to raise awareness and funding for essential cancer research to locate the causes and develop the cures for the over 100 diseases that are cancer. Since 1993, The V Foundation has raised more than $32 million and funded more than 190 research grants nationwide. The Foundation operates efficiently 85 cents of every dollar raised designated for research. For additional information on The V Foundation for Cancer Research, visit their website at http://www.jimmyv.org or call 1-800-4JimmyV.

January Issue Mailed

The January issue of REFEREE has been mailed and has lots of important news and information.

Here’s a preview:

Look for your issue of REFEREE any day. www.referee.com