Being a referee is a labor of love

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

You must be physically and mentally tough to officiate basketball games. "Sometimes, after dealing with coaches, players and fans, they decide it's not for them," says veteran official Sam Delos Reyes. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

"Eh, ref! Open your eyes!"

"One, two, three — shoot the ..."

Hold on, folks.

Giving some referees the hook may be a tempting thought, but the hard truth about high school sports — any level of organized sports, for that matter — is that without officials, the games cannot be played.

Fans, players and coaches may take them for granted, but high school officials can be hard to find. In Hawai'i's oldest high school league, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, the shrinking number of football officials has become a major concern.

"It's pretty tough. We're really struggling," said Lloyd Hisaka, president of ILH officials. "We need to do something."

Jim Beavers, O'ahu Interscholastic Association football commissioner, said his league is adequately staffed but acknowledged that attrition and injuries can quickly deplete the pool.

"It's rare if we go one week (during the season) without missing at least one person," Beavers said. "People have business trips, and people start to get hurt as the season goes along."

Sam Delos Reyes, OIA basketball commissioner, said he can never have enough officials.

"We don't have the numbers we can be comfortable with," Delos Reyes said. "Our officials range in ability from beginners to college officials, but some (beginners) don't last long enough to get to the next level. We have transient people, people in the military, new people, and repeaters who are not getting better.

"And our people range in age, too. The players now are faster and bigger, so some have a hard time keeping up with the sport."

Of course, some try officiating and find out they have a low tolerance for verbal abuse.

"Sometimes, after dealing with the coaches, players and fans, they decide it's not for them," Delos Reyes said.

Although some coaches and fans might think otherwise, high school football and basketball officials on O'ahu are not just pulled off the street and assigned to varsity games.

In OIA football, for example, prospective officials begin by attending clinics twice a week throughout July. Then, they are assigned to "box and chain" duty on the sidelines at the junior varsity level for at least one season.

"That's 'pay your dues' time; everybody's done it," Beavers said. "It's a good learning experience, because you get to see how crews work and learn the rules and mechanics."

To become a varsity referee or varsity back judge, the OIA requires five years experience at the JV level.

During the season, OIA officials meet every Monday to discuss incidents during the previous weekend. There's also an informal "mentor program" where veteran officials try to help younger ones.

"I had one young guy who was a police detective, and he'd call me every Sunday to talk about the game he did and ask questions," Beavers said. "He was hungry to learn, and those are the kind of guys who move up."

The OIA also offers rules clinics to every school, although Beavers said only five or six signed up last year.

"We go to the schools to do it," Beavers said. "If I had my druthers, I'd try to make it mandatory. A lot of coaches think we're clueless, but there are over 50 differences between high school rules and the colleges and pros. I think if everyone knew the rules, half the controversies would stop."

Last football season, several OIA coaches said the officiating appeared to be particularly bad. Beavers said those concerns were not relayed to OIA executive secretary Dwight Toyama, who ultimately would decide a course of action.

"We all want a product we're not going to be embarrassed by," Beavers said. "If we're not doing our part, then that's something we would look at."

Prospective OIA basketball officials must go through five mandatory meetings involving rules and mechanics before wearing the whistle. As in football, basketball officials meet weekly during the season for game reviews and even veterans are continually evaluated.

Depending on perspective, officials' pay can be inadequate or pretty good — $50 or $55 per game for OIA varsity football and $40 per game for OIA varsity basketball. But it requires a thick skin, among other qualities.

"You have to have a love for the game," Delos Reyes said. "You need a real passion for the sport."