Be the Referee: Losing a Shoe
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
November 4, 2025
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Losing a Shoe - Listen
In cross country, all runners must start the race wearing two shoes. But how many must they have on at the end of the race?
If a runner loses one – or both – shoes during the course of the race, they are not required to stop and put it back on. If your shoe gets stepped on and comes off, or if you run through a muddy portion of the course and lose a shoe, you can continue on.
A runner can finish the race with both, one, or no shoes. But the race must be started with two.
And as to what makes up a shoe – it must have two parts, an upper and a lower, such as a sole and a fastenable top portion.
You would not be able to start a race wearing just socks or slippers.
Previous 2025-26 editions
Oct. 28: Unusual Soccer Goals - Listen
Oct. 21: Field Hockey Penalty Stroke - Listen
Oct. 14: Tennis Double Hit - Listen
Oct. 7: Safety in Football - Listen
Sept. 30: Field Hockey Substitution - Listen
Sept 23: Multiple Contacts in Volleyball - Listen
Sept. 16: Soccer Penalty Kick - Listen
Sept. 9: Forward Fumble - Listen
Sept. 2: Field Hockey Basics - Listen
Aug. 26: Golf Ball Bounces Out - Listen
Finals Partners Now Long-Distance Friends Reunite to Officiate Together Again
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 15, 2025
Portland’s Tony Costello and Houghton’s Rob Fay first connected when officiating the 2022 Division 3 Boys Basketball Final together at the Breslin Center. They shared a meal after the game, met each other’s families and have kept in touch since – hoping to someday have another chance to work together again.
Living about 500 miles apart, the opportunities seemed limited. But last month, they made a long shot happen.
Fay also serves as Houghton’s athletic director and was scheduled to be in East Lansing on Dec. 11 for an MHSAA committee meeting. The trip also seemed like the possibility they’d been seeking to reunite.
Costello’s tournament partner Alex Schrauben put in a call to the Mid-Michigan Assignors Association to find out if there might be a game available – and trio ended up working the Dec. 10 boys basketball game at Alma against Beal City. Costello is in his 24th year as an MHSAA-registered official, while Fay is in his 22nd and Schrauben his 17th wearing the stripes and Schrauben also has recent Breslin experience as last season he officiated a Division 4 Semifinal.
The game was still much closer to the mid-Michigan pair – Fay ended up traveling more than 440 miles to get back home. But it might be just the first of the reunion tour, as Costello and Schrauben are hoping to make the trip across the Mackinac Bridge and work a game with Fay sometime in the future.
PHOTO From left: Rob Fay, Tony Costello and Alex Schrauben take a quick selfie during their meet-up to officiate a Dec. 10 boys basketball game at Alma. (Photo courtesy of Tony Costello.)