For many officials, the NASO Sports Officiating Summit can seem like something they know about from a distance. They may recognize the names of the speakers, see photos afterward or hear about the discussions taking place among leaders in the officiating industry.
For a group of Michigan officials and officiating leaders this summer, that changed.
Scholarships provided in conjunction with Michigan hosting the 2026 Sports Officiating Summit in Grand Rapids gave local officials and leaders an opportunity to stay beyond Officiate Michigan Day and experience the full three-day Summit.
For many, it was their first time.
And according to Michigan High School Athletic Association Executive Director Mark Uyl, the reaction was striking.
“There have been so many people who were attending the NASO Summit for the first time who said this was the best experience so far in their officiating careers,” Uyl said. “The things they were getting exposed to and the networking and making connections with people — you really can’t put a dollar value on that.”
Uyl said bringing the Summit back to Michigan for the second time in 13 years provided a rare opportunity for officials in the state.
“Hosting the event twice in 13 years, we are incredibly fortunate to give a once-in-a-career experience like that to our local folks,” he said.
More Than She Expected
Among those experiencing the Summit was Laura Roberts, officials registrar for the MHSAA and secretary for the Michigan High School Field Hockey Officiating Association.
Like many first-time attendees, Roberts arrived without knowing exactly what the next three days would bring.
“I honestly had no idea what to expect — it turned out to be so much more than I could have imagined,” Roberts said.
Her goal was straightforward: learn.
“I wanted to be a sponge: meet officials from other sports, find out how much overlap there really is in what we all deal with, and just soak up whatever I could from people who’ve been doing this a long time,” she said.
What Roberts discovered was one of the qualities that has long defined the Summit: Officials from very different sports often face many of the same challenges.
“It’s amazing how comparing notes with someone from a totally different sport can either confirm you’re on the right track, or gently show you there might be a better way,” Roberts said. “Mostly, I just wanted to learn how to be a better official.”
That cross-sport exchange is a central part of the Summit experience. The 2026 event brought together nearly 500 officials, officiating administrators and leaders from around the world for three days of general sessions, focused educational tracks, meetings and conversations about issues affecting officiating at every level.
The Conversations Between the Sessions
For Roberts, some of the most useful lessons did not necessarily arrive from behind a microphone.
They came during the moments that happen when hundreds of people who care about officiating are in the same place.
“It was the small comments dropped in between sessions, the stories shared over lunch, the quick tips picked up during a hallway conversation,” Roberts said.
Those informal exchanges gave her access to experiences and ideas she could apply to her own work.
“Learning from some of the best of the best, hearing their experiences, and picking up tricks and habits along the way,” she said. “All of it added up to something I can bring back to my own officiating to make me better at what I do.”
It is a sentiment echoed by officials who have attended the Summit over the years. The value is not limited to who appears on the program. It is also found in who is sitting next to you, who you meet at lunch and who you find yourself comparing notes with between sessions.
Opening the Door for Michigan Officials
The Michigan scholarships were designed to make that opportunity available to officials and leaders throughout the state.
Recipients represented different sports, associations and roles within officiating. The MHSAA initially reached out to a group that included association officers, assigners, trainers and observers, providing people who help lead officiating at the local level an opportunity to experience the national event firsthand.
The impact does not necessarily end when those attendees leave Grand Rapids.
What they learned, the people they met and the ideas they exchanged can travel back with them to their local associations, crews and officiating communities.
That multiplier effect is part of what makes bringing officials together valuable. The Summit gives people throughout the officiating industry an opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss common challenges and find approaches they can put to work in their own programs.
A Summit to Remember
Uyl has a particularly long perspective from which to judge the experience. He has attended every NASO Summit since 2004.
His assessment of Grand Rapids was not subtle.
“This year’s NASO Summit was off the charts good,” Uyl said. “I really do think the 2026 Summit, and I have been to every one since 2004, I think the educational program I would put up against any Summit ever.”
For the Michigan officials experiencing it for the first time, that programming was only part of what made the week memorable.
“It was really a unique, once-in-a-career type experience and a really special week in Grand Rapids,” Uyl said.
For Roberts and the other first-time attendees, the Summit offered something difficult to fully understand until they were there: three days surrounded by people who understand the challenges, rewards and responsibility that come with officiating.
And they went home with more than they expected.
