GUEST EDITORIAL

OFFICIALS COMMITMENT TO RULES, ATHLETICS, AND ACTIVITIES

by Warren Carter
Executive Secretary

Over the last thirty to forty years, the relationship of coaches and officials has changed considerably. I have been told and can recall that in many incidences coaches and officials were close friends both on and off the field or court and in many s ituations socialized together. On the game day or night, the official would arrive at the event to be escorted to dress in the coach’s office. There would be an extensive conversation with the coaches before the contest about items pertaining to the co ntest and other pleasantries. During the contest, situations would occur, sometimes even heated issues; however, after the contest, it would return to what had been displayed prior to the event — a friendly yet professional relationship. After the se ason, a banquet would be sponsored by the officials with all coaches invited and attending the event. In the off-season, coaches and officials would have family outings, hunt, fish, and attend other events to-gether. Today, in most situations, this is no longer the case!
My question is: why has this occurred? There are several reasons why it has occurred. Years ago, there were very few changes in coaching positions; therefore, coaches had time to develop rapport with officials. At that time, there were fewer sport progr ams consequently fewer personalities with which to deal. Also, many of the coaches were coaching several sports, and many of the officials worked several sports; therefore, they had more contact and more opportunities to learn to know each other.
Additionally, more and more stress has been placed upon coaches and officials. Coaches have too often been hired, dismissed, criticized or praised based upon a winning or losing season. In society today, success or failure is too often determined by the results on the scoreboard. Many are quick to blame a loss on the officials or the coaches. The stress coaches and officials are under can intensify the loss of the comradarie between the coach and official.
As a result of this loss of relationships, several problems have occurred. Many officials and coaches continue to maintain a professional relationship; however, that relationship has often developed into an adversial one. Unfortunately, a lack of res pect for each other’s
role has increasingly developed. We have experienced more unsportsmanlike calls against players, coaches, other bench personnel, and fans. In some situations, we have seen numerous ejections which have led to other problems. Over the last few years, we have seen bench clearings, court cases occurring, officials attacked, dressing rooms damaged, and numerous other acts of violence.
In an effort to improve the professional relationship between coaches and officials, we have required more and more training for both groups. Today, there is an extensive program in place to prepare officials. They must first complete a training clas s of 20 hours of classroom instruction and 10 hours of a practicum and have a physical examination. Next, they must register with the WVSSAC office to be provided with information and materials needed to perform the task. Each year, they must take an open book Part I test used in eight to ten local meetings to improve their knowledge of the game. Officials must attend at least four of those meetings. Each local board must have representation at an all-day meeting at the WVSSAC office prior to the se ason for that sport to discuss problems from the previous year, interpretations of specific issues and extensive study of new rule changes for that year. All of the above are also discussed in the local meetings. Each official must take a closed book Part II examination which will be used as a part of his/her classification. They also have a handbook containing numerous other rules and regulations which must be followed to denote they are people of the highest ethics and integrity. Finally, there i s a classification and promotion scale consisting of years of experience, meeting attendance, total games worked test scores and coaches; ratings utilized to determine their expertise. This rating is used by our office to determine who will be eligibl e to work sectional, regional, and state events. With the preparation, obviously officials are better prepared to do the job and certainly deserve the respect of coaches, players, and spectators.
In summary, what else can be done to improve this relationship? I believe all parties must go back to “square one.” Administrators, coaches, officials, fans, and this office must realize the true value of activity programs. In the WVSSAC statement of p hilosophy, we say “Interscholastic activities shall be an integral part of the total secondary school educational program which has as its purpose to provide educational experiences not otherwise provided in the curriculum, which will develop learning outcomes in the areas of knowledge, skills, and emotional pattern s and will contribute to the development of better citizens. Emphasis shall
be upon teaching “through” activities in addition to teaching the “skills” of activities. We must be reminded that these contests are only a game and not a “means to an end.” Let us work together both individually and collectively to reestablish the t rue meaning of sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity in our programs.