Spring 2000

STRIPES is published three times per year by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, Inc., 1661 Ramblewood Drive, East Lansing, MI 48823 (Phone 517-332-5046), Editor: Bill Bupp.

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Beckett, Newingham Receive Norris Award

The first co-winners of the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Vern L. Norris Award were honored by the Association at its 21st Annual Officials' Awards and Alumni Banquet Saturday evening, May 13, at the Sheraton Lansing Hotel. This year's recipients are Barb Beckett of Traverse City and Karl Newingham of Bay City.

Beckett, the first female to win the award, has been a registered official in basketball and softball. She is president of the Northern Sports Officials Association, of which she has been a member for the last 14 years.
Beckett was the first woman ever to officiate an MHSAA Boys Basketball Final, calling the 1995 Class C game between Ishpeming and Lakeview. In addition to that assignment, she also has worked MHSAA Softball Semifinals and Finals in 1990 and 1996, and Girls Basketball Finals in 1996 and 1999. She served as umpire in chief at the 1998 and 1999 MHSAA Softball Finals, and has worked the MHSAA Softball Quarterfinals for the last eight years. On the hardwood, she has officiated several boys and girls basketball semifinals during the 1990s.
An active community leader in the Traverse City area, Beckett has organized various recreational leagues, including the second-largest YMCA Pop Warner football league in the Midwest with 1,500 players. She also expanded a three-team women's basketball league into a 16-team league, and developed women's and co-ed softball league in Traverse City.
The District 19 Michigan Amateur Softball Association Commissioner since 1992, Beckett has been instrumental in hosting four women's state finals and one co-ed final.
A 1971 graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School and a 1973 grad of Northwestern Michigan College, Beckett is the program director for the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA.
Newingham's officiating career has now spanned parts of five decades, having first registered with the MHSAA in 1963. The 33-year veteran of officiating has worked football, basketball, volleyball and softball.
The executive secretary of the Tri-Valley Conference and the Bay Metro Officials Association since 1979, Newingham was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame in 1993.
He has worked four MHSAA Football Finals (1985, 1990, 1995, 1999); two MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals (1985, 1986); two MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals (1985, 1986), one MHSAA Softball Final (1995); and one MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Volleyball Final (1997).
A 1955 graduate of Mio High School, Newingham has been active in the Bay City area ever since graduating from Bay City Community College in 1957. He annually volunteers time for United Way campaigns; assists with and officiates Special Olympics events; served on the Essexville Hampton Board of Education for 12 years; worked the Can-American Games in 1994, and has been active on the Bangor Township Board of Review since 1994.
The Norris Award is presented annually to a veteran official who has been active in a local officials association, has mentored other officials, and has been involved in officials education. It is named for Vern L. Norris, who was executive director of the MHSAA from 1978-86, and well-respected by officials on the state and national levels.
 
Previous Norris Award Recipients
 
1992 - Ted Wilson, East Detroit
1993 - Fred Briggs, Burton
1994 - Joe Brodie, Flat Rock
1995 - Jim Massar, Flint
1996 - Jim Lamoreaux, St. Ignace
1997 - Ken Myllyla, Escanaba
1998 - Blake Hagman, Kalamazoo
1999 - Richard Kalahar, Jackson

Promotion of Officials Highlights Spring Representative Council Meeting

Measures designed to attract individuals to become officials, including expanding tournament opportunities for and improving the quality and reputation of officials, highlighted the actions taken by the Representative Council of the MHSAA at its Spring meeting, May 7-9, in Gaylord.

The Spring meeting of the 19-member legislative body of the Association's 1,293 member schools is usually the busiest of its three sessions each year. The Council considered 35 committee proposals and discussed a number of eligibility and operational issues.
As a result of the Council's actions, opportunities for high school students to become involved in officiating will expand; increasing the pool of available officials for MHSAA tournaments will take place; efforts to train officials through local officials associations will be stepped up; educating game participants and the general public about officials will occur; more recognition for officials work will be provided; and an ad hoc committee to address officials issues has been made an MHSAA standing committee.
 
"The role of the official in school sports is vital," said MHSAA Executive Director John E. "Jack" Roberts. "Michigan has been recognized as a state which has been progressive in what it does for and with officials, but we must increase those efforts. What the Council has authorized to recruit, train and retain officials is the groundwork for ensuring a larger pool of quality officials for years to come, and provides a mechanism for coaches, players and fans to better understand and respect the work of officials. The last item is just as important as the first. If we don't demand and get respect for our officials, all other efforts to recruit, train and retain officials will be for naught."
Responding to the recommendations of the MHSAA Executive Committee, Athletic Equity Committee and Volleyball Committee that not enough high school students are being recruited into the officiating field through the Legacy Program, and that those who enter at that age tend to leave officiating shortly after graduating, the Legacy program was changed to allow 11th-graders, 16 years of age and older, to officiate sub-varsity and junior high/middle school games with an approved official. Previously, the Legacy program was available only to 12th graders. A second change will allow 12th graders, 17 years of age and older, to officiate sub-varsity and junior high/middle school contests without a mentoring official. Both changes take place during the 2001-02 school year.
In the area of expanding the pool of available tournament officials, the Representative Council responded to recommendations of the Officials Review Committee on two counts. First, in baseball, softball and volleyball, selected officials associations will be provided the tools to administer MHSAA rules meeting information on a make-up basis in efforts to have more officials meet that essential requirement for working tournament contests. There will be a maximum of two make-up meetings in each of the eight officiating zones around the state. Officials who participate and score at least 85 percent on the closed-book exam administered by the local trainer would then qualify for and MHSAA postseason tournament assignment in lieu of attendance at a regularly scheduled MHSAA-conducted rules meeting. Beginning in 2001-02, an official may register under "inactive" status, so when that official returns to active status, he or she could resume activity with their previous ratings intact and be eligible for working MHSAA District Tournament contests.
To improve the quality and reputation of officials, the Council approved several recommendations of the MHSAA Basketball, Gymnastics and Officials Review Committees. In gymnastics, judges for the Lower Peninsula Finals will be required to attend one of three clinics offered by the Michigan Interscholastic Gymnastics Coaches and Judges Association in addition to the MHSAA rules meeting. In basketball, football and wrestling, effective in 2005-06 and expanding by one sport per year after that, officials must belong to an approved local officials association as a condition of being extended invitations to work MHSAA postseason tournaments. An appeal/waiver procedure will be developed for unaffiliated officials. The MHSAA will release a video in time for the 2000-01 school year to be shown at pre-season parent and team meetings to educate team members and spectators to promote respect toward officials and proper sportsmanship, and at the same time, serving the purpose of recruiting, retaining and encouraging officials. Beginning in 2000-01, officials will receive a usable gift of appreciation when registering for the 6th and 11th years of service; and a 40-year award will join the 20 and 30-year awards already provided. Finally, the MHSAA Officials Review Committee, which has been an ad hoc committee since 1995, has been given standing committee status. This committee reviews the concerns of officials and MHSAA services to them, and consists of 16 persons to represent every portion of the state and every sport the MHSAA provides post-season tournament competition in.

Tips for
Minimizing Ejections
 
At a Tri-County Soccer Referees Association meeting on March 13, Sheldon Larkey presented thoughts and ideas to officials regarding ways to minimize coaches ejections. The seven ideas gleaned from actual MHSAA ejection reports can apply to any official in any sport:
 
1. Take control of bench dissent early in the game.
2. Stop the game and discuss bench behavior with the coach in a calm manner.
3. Isolate the coach and talk away from players and fans.
4. Stay calm and try to let the coach talk in a rational manner.
5. Don't challenge or berate the coach.
6. Avoid baiting.
7. Avoid an authoritarian stance.


2000 Approved Officials Associations--Click Here

2000-01 Assignors Certified
Clint Abbott
Robert Allen
William C. Allen
John Avery
Ernest M. Ball
Robert Burger
Donald Button
Michael Conlin
James Corstange
Robert L. Czech
Jim Danhoff
Gillie David
Karey J. DelDuco
Bruce Doane
Sam Ellis
Jill Ferrio
William Fritsma
Ron Glass
Arnie Gray
James D. Hill
Richard Kalahar
Jim Kautzer
Duane W. Keck
John D. Kirk
Rudy T. Kocsis
Russell Koppitz
James S. Kowalczyk
Arthur Kurtze III
Phillip Long
Guy Marcoux
Gary Marsh
Joseph McCormick
Vic Michaels
Tom Montroy
Bruce M. Moss
Michael D. Mullin
Ron Nagy
Karl D. Newingham
James G. Niemiec
Daniel V. O'Grady
Michael Olszewski
Tom Rashid
Terry Rau
Steve Rechsteiner
Bill Rubin
Lyle G. Sanderson
Michael Skrzycki
Candice Spencer
Scott Spencer
Scott J. Strickler
Ken J. Sudall
Scott Tallmadge
Cal TerHaar
Rodney E. Terrill
Terry Wakeley
Richard B. Weiss
Joan Whitmore
Bill Wilder
Dennis Wildey

2000-01 Trainers
Baseball Trainers
Michael Allen
John Avery
Thomas Barnum
David Benham
William Chadwick
William Charon
Dennis Collett
J C Colville
Joseph Denomme
Ricky Elko
Gibbon Goulish
Jeffrey Greene
Ronald Hansen
Hogey Holtz
Theodore Horning
Cornell Kahn
Jeffrey Kloster
Brian Lovelace
Duane Luedecking
Terry Myers
Steven Nuyen
Richard Olson
Paul Oshanski
A. Dean Parling
Ross Schuch
Daniel Schultz
John Tuttle
Charles Vernon
Roger Wenzel
Blaine Wilding
Carl Wilson
 
Basketball Trainers
 
Benjamin Armstrong
Bruce Arter
William Bartholomew
James Bauer
Bene Lynn Benedict
Patrick Carey
William Chadwick
Charles Chambers
Thomas Crampton
Jerry De Lisle
Marcus Endicott
David Eubank
James Ferguson
David Fisher
Faith Heikkila
Kevin Herendeen
Kevin Hetherington
Artel Horton
Candace Jakob
Richard Kalahar
Michael Knabusch
Albert Koskela
Arthur Kurtze
Charles Lindsay
Terry Lyons
Richard Massa
Randy Melvin
Daniel O'Neil
Tony Payne
Scott Pelham
Walter Popyk
Thomas Post
William Redmond
David Smith
Eugene Smith
James Smith
David Sprague
Bryon Taylor
Rodney Terrill
Michael Terwilliger
James Ticknor
David Turley
Daniel Ulrich
Todd Vandenakker
Terry Wakeley
Brian Wakeman
Willie Watson
Bart Wegenke
Greg Zolman
Tammy Zolman
Conroy Zuiderveen
 
Football Trainers
Robert Adams
Mark Bauer
Roger Beebee
Robert Bennett
Randy Bicard
Gene Bouwman
Fred Bowen
Glenn Bowles
William Bricker
Ronald Briney
Clayton Brown
Timothy Burdon
Patrick Clark
James Clement
Duane Corstange
Daniel Covey
Thomas Crampton
William Cynecki
James Davies
Michael Duff
Mark Dushane
Gary Frens
George Friday
Mark Gentle
Michael Gentry
Norman Gozalka
Cary Grant
John Gravier
Jeffrey Greene
Donald Gustafson
Ronald Hansen
James Hayes
James Heffner
Michael Hessen
James Hinojosa
Frank Jaskula
David Johnson
Duane Keck
Thomas King
Nick Kocsis
Kirk Kujawski
Mark Larson
Mark Lennemann
Ralph Lock
Phillip Long
Michael Lutenske
Douglas Mascho
Richard Massa
Leslie Miller
Thomas Minter
Charlie Morrison
Timothy Palmer
Thomas Rau
Ronald Routhier
John Sacchetti
David Schmeiser
Timothy Schramm
Larry Schutt
Michael Smith
Kevin Sommers
Lloyd Teller
Calvin Ter Haar
Rodney Terrill
Michael Terwilliger
Robert Thompson
James Ticknor
James Valliere
Carl Van Heck
Ned White
Robert Williams
Marlin Wilson
Frederick Wirth
Brian Zdanowski
 
Soccer Trainers
Byron Beattie
Robert Farrar
Stephen Harsh
Richard Haycox
Charles Holbrook
Dean Kimmith
Daniel Kolosar
Sheldon Larky
Heinz Meyer
Thomas Minter
Bob Quinnell
Terry Shannon
Frederick Swegles
Thomas Tabacchi
Stephen Tesler
Joan Whitmore
 
Softball
D. Bruce Arney
Francis Bazner
Barbara Beckett
Lawrence Burdo
James Connors
Dennis Freeland
Stephen Graves
Douglas Harpel
Gerald Mc Caffrey
Bruce Moss
Carl Olson
Peter Osborne
Gerald Purgiel
Jim Sanford
David Selden
Thomas Shearer
Theodore Shipp
David Smits
Lloyd Teller
Carl Van Heck
William Van Horn
Daniel Wilson
 
Volleyball Trainers
D. Bruce Arney
Rose Mary Craft
Alice Ellsworth
Patricia Folkertsma
Arnold Gray
James Hayes
Fusako Hines
Robert Knizacky
Evelyn Langlands
John Mc Feters
John Meyers
Steven Miller
Thomas Montpas
Patricia Rintamaki
Deborah Schug
Jack Servis
Jay Shaheen
Jeanne Skinner
Anne Spruit
Kenneth Steiner
Brien Van Schoick
Carol Willson
Amy Zdanowski
 
Wrestling Trainers
Trent Anderson
William Brooks
J. Russell Edwards
Sam Ellis
Edmundo Flores
Ronald Glass
Michael Heinritz
Rudy Kocsis
Gary Kowalewski
Anthony Leonardo
Clayton Mc Creight
Ronald Minoletti
Phillip Westheimer
Brian Zimmerman



NOW IS THE TIME TO READ THE

2000-01 OFFICIALS GUIDEBOOK!
 
* Schedule the rules meetings you'll attend
* Check important dates on pages 10, 17 and 51
* Review emblem placement
* Examine tournament dates
* Refresh your understanding of ejection protocol
* Check out an Approved Association in your area
 
The Officials Guidebook is intended to assist you; please use it to your advantage -- carry it with your officials gear so it is readily available.