Do You Know the Next Gold Whistle Award Winner?

Service. Generosity. Community involvement. Those are all powerful words. Do they remind you of anyone? NASO is seeking your help to find the 2005 NASO Gold Whistle Award winner. Do you know of a referee or umpire who not only gives of his or her time to call the games, but also goes the extra mile in serving others? Maybe it’s a crewmember or someone in your association. Send us your nominations.

The NASO Gold Whistle Award was created to honor officials who have served other people above and beyond the call of duty through community service or involvement. NASO has been honoring the extraordinary service of those men and women with the award since 1988.

We know there are plenty of extraordinary men and women who wear the stripes, sell the calls and blow the whistles. Tell us about an official you know who exemplifies that "service above self" spirit that defines the Gold Whistle Award. They just might be the next NASO Gold Whistle Award winner.

To qualify for the award, a candidate must meet the following criteria:

The NASO Gold Whistle Award has been called the highest honor in officiating. NASO is asking for your help to find the next deserving honoree.

If you know of someone you think is deserving of recognition, drop us an e-mail at editor@naso.org. The 2005 honoree will be presented the Gold Whistle Award at the NASO Summit in Salt Lake City next July.

Advantage/Disadvantage Officiating

Naturally, the best officials are those who have a deep sense of what the game is all about, are on top of the rules and have a healthy respect for the players and the game that they are officiating. Their basic intent is to take charge of a game and run it as smartly and efficiently as possible, letting the players play when only minimal intrusion is necessary but intervening in a decisive way when events in the game show that measures of control need to be applied.

Even-handed could be one way to describe such officiating, but perhaps a better name for it would be advantage/disadvantage application of the rules. Officiating manuals invariably contain a section that advises officials to follow the spirit of the rules and not to act like overzealous enforcers of the letter of the law. One cannot keep a rule’s spirit, though, without a keen knowledge of what that spirit is. The key to going with the flow of a game is a thorough grasp of the sport’s ideals. What constitutes a good game? How can players be guided (rather than forced) into playing a fair, fervent contest? When does an act that borders on a violation stop short of giving one team a decided advantage? The following examples illustrate situations in which a good official must apply the advantage/disadvantage principle.

• In basketball, a player dribbling down the floor is met by a defender whose arms are outstretched. The dribbler executes a skillful crossover dribble and slides by the defender, although the defender’s arm swipes across the body of the ball handler as she moves.
• In soccer, a defender slides feet first toward a player dribbling the ball and momentarily causes the dribbler to disengage. But the dribbler hops aside, even though the defender’s slide caused a slight imbalance, and moves downfield in possession of the ball.
• In football, a wideout moves into the defensive backfield and cuts in front of a defender on what looks like a pass route. As the wideout moves past the defender, the defender sticks out his arms and gives the potential pass receiver a small shove outside the frame of his body. The play is a "draw," however, and no pass is thrown.

In each of the preceding cases, a discriminating official would say that although contact was technically illegal, in the spirit of the game no advantage accrued. That is not to say that possibly harmful acts should be overlooked. The point is that a genuinely savvy official makes distinctions about play action and penalizes behavior that is clearly illegal while bypassing calls on action that doesn’t impinge on the spirit of the rules.

It takes a very strong official to function that way and still retain staunch integrity. It means that an official must make discrete judgments about a game’s intricacies. It means, too, that a considerable amount of experience is necessary before an official can reach this point of making rapid-fire, astute decisions. The judicious no-call is sometimes the best call of all. Officials who approach this point in their development are considered top of the line. The middle way is usually the superior choice.

Pull Up a Chair…

Everyone who’s ever stepped onto a field, court or rink to officiate a game has a story to tell. Here’s one about the tough decisions we all make… and not just during the games.

My Knee or My Whistle

By Bobby C. Harraid Jr.

I know I was consciously aware of the fact that I might cripple myself, but it never really seemed as urgent as it sounds now when I say it out loud. The game is what was important, and I worked as many as I could. Finally it came down to a choice – my knee or my whistle. Who knew at 35 I’d have to make that kind of call?

Most basketball officials will agree that one of the toughest calls to make on the court is the block/charge. It was for me, too. But this was the toughest call that I have ever had to make. Six orthopedic surgeons told me the same thing: I could continue to officiate, destroy what knee I have, and accelerate the need for a total knee replacement, or I could take their advice, retire from the game, have a surgical procedure called a high tibial osteotomy (H.T.O.) and extend the life of my knee for 10 or more years.

It meant I literally had to walk away from the game while I was still able to.

I battled back and forth with the decision for two years and two more hardwood pounding seasons, thinking I could patch the problem by taking on fewer games. Reducing my schedule is ultimately what allowed me to see the light. It was simple: No games equaled no pain. Games equaled pain, no sleep and a lot of frustration. My body knew the answer to the call before I ever realized it.

When my last game came, I didn’t know that was going to be it. I’ll always remember it more for the pain than anything else.

I almost put off the call too long. One doctor refused to do the surgery because my window of opportunity for a successful surgery had passed. Another accepted, but said my chance for success had drastically decreased.

I’d been officiating for 18 years; that’s what I did in my free time. My first year of retirement was spent rehabilitating. I substituted officiating with running the clock and keeping the book at a nearby high school, but that only lasted one season. I was made to officiate, not to sit at a scorers’ table. I started the next season determined to become a loyal and dedicated fan and spectator. But shortly thereafter, I stopped attending games. I found myself isolated from the game, and I had to get back. Now, I find myself working with scouts and recruiters, organizing a regional all-star game and writing about my basketball memories.

I’m figuring out that I can never totally replace my enjoyment of officiating. But I feel I have to make a personal effort to keep contributing to a pastime that was so rewarding for me. I still try to attend a few games. I keep up now by reading the scores in the paper and watching the highlights on television. I cherish the opportunities I get to talk to an old officiating buddy. We embrace each other, and we still laugh about the first time we put on our striped shirts.

Sometimes I can hear the familiar noises of the gymnasium – the ball bouncing on the hardwood court, the swish of the net, the fans cheering and, especially, the sound of a whistle – and I find myself contemplating a comeback. The thought crosses my mind every season. But I shake it off. As a true official, I know the drill – you make the call, stick with it and sell it. I will have to sell this call for a long time, but only to myself.

I have many good memories. Those are the ones that I want to remember. I still love to talk about basketball and everything about it. I remember seeing a youngster at a summer camp once wearing a jersey with the words, "Basketball is Life." Oh, how I believed that at one time in my life, but I have accepted that there is life after basketball. And, more importantly, that the toughest call of all is walking away.

Bobby C. Harraid Jr. retired four years ago after officiating basketball for 18 years, working high school and junior college. He is employed with the Texas Department of Transportation as a Right of Way Agent and resides in Victoria, Texas.

Can Your Association Handle the Expense of Being Sued?

Game Situation: Your officials association assigned referees to a basketball game between two local high-powered high schools. The game was extremely physical, and many fouls were called. During a hard drive to the basket, the offensive player gets tattooed with an elbow from the defender. Toot! Flagrant foul. The player who was fouled is slow to get up and ends up collapsing on the floor. The player has three cracked ribs and a broken wrist.

Claim: Three weeks later, the officials who officiated the game and the president of the local officials association that assigned the officials are served with a lawsuit. The injured player is seeking damages from his injuries. The suit claims that the officials were negligent in controlling the game, and the officials association is partially negligent since it assigned what the suit considers to be "subpar officials."

Solution: The officials association had purchased optional general liability insurance through the National Association of Sports Officials-Organizations Network (NASO-ON). The general liability policy provided extended coverage including defense expenses with no deductible to the officials association.

That scenario is an example of your association’s potential exposure to legal matters. Through NASO-ON, associations have the ability of purchasing general liability insurance. Is your association covered?

For additional information regarding NASO-ON, visit www.naso-on.org or contact Tina Sagal, NASO-ON coordinator at tsagal@naso.org or by phone at 800/733-6100.

NASO is Leading the Way in 2005

NASO’s Sports Officiating Summit 2005 will be held July 30 through Aug. 1, 2005, in Salt Lake City. Leadership Officiating is the theme of the 2005 Summit. Along with leadership issues, other timely officiating subjects will also be discussed during the two-day Summit program. The 23rd NASO Summit will focus on topics directly impacting officiating leaders.

State high school leaders, local officials association officers, officiating supervisors and sport administrators will be in attendance. Ronnie Carter, Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association executive director and NASO board member said after last year’s event, "I’ve attended many conferences and training events and the NASO Sports Officiating 2004 Summit was one of the best experiences I have had. I picked up ideas, interacted with people across so many aspects of officiating and generally had a very good time."

Mark your calendar to build relationships and network with officiating leaders from all levels. For information on Summit registration, contact Tina Sagal, NASO special events coordinator, at tsagal@naso.org or by phone at 800/733-6100.

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