'Officiate Michigan Day' Welcomes 1,200
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
July 27, 2013
GRAND RAPIDS – April Martin aspires to move up the college basketball officiating ladder. Receiving an NCAA Tournament assignment someday is a dream.
So she spent the first half of Saturday's "Officiate Michigan Day" at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids receiving tips and learning what it takes to get to the top from two of the most respected referees in her field -- NBA Finals veterans Joe Crawford and Bill Kennedy.
Crawford and Kennedy were two of more than 40 officials representing the professional, college and high school levels who passed on their expertise to Martin and a total of 1,248 officials who attended Saturday's event, believed to be one of the largest gatherings of sports officials in U.S. history.
Officiate Michigan Day was a cooperative effort by the National Association of Sports Officials and Michigan High School Athletic Association in advance of the NASO annual summit, which kicks off Sunday in Grand Rapids.
"It's just a great day to be a Michigan official," said Martin, a 1997 Detroit Renaissance grad who currently officiates at the high school, junior college, NAIA and NCAA Division III levels. "Seeing your family, which is referees, … it was great seeing everyone here just knowing that everyone is trying to get something out of this day."
Officials from all corners of both peninsulas received the opportunity to learn and interact on a variety of topics and with a variety of officials regarded at the top of their respective fields in Michigan and in some cases nationally.
Sport-specific sessions provided training for officials working in baseball, basketball, competitive cheer, football, gymnastics, lacrosse, ice hockey, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball and wrestling. Joining Crawford and Kennedy among the best-known instructors and speakers were NCAA National Coordinator of Volleyball Officials Joan Powell, National Hockey League Senior Vice President and Director of Officiating Terry Gregson and official Dan O’Halloran, and National Football League officials Perry Paganelli, Carl Paganelli, Jr., and Dino Paganelli.
All three Paganellis have officiated Super Bowls, and O’Halloran is coming off working his fourth straight Stanley Cup Final. Crawford and Kennedy both officiated during the recent NBA Finals, and Powell also served as team leader of the U.S. women’s national volleyball team that won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics.MHSAA Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts and Barry Mano, founder and president of NASO, gave the opening address to a packed DeVos Center ballroom. Four-time Super Bowl official Jerry Markbreit addressed the entire group to close the afternoon.
"I hope you appreciate what you got here today," said Bill Topp, a presenter Saturday and vice president of publishing and management services for NASO and Referee magazine. "It's not just about the volume of people. It's the types of people you have here and the interaction that's going on and the fact that you've got sports talking to each other where they normally don't talk."
Martin learned but also taught. She sat on the "Officiating 101" panel that discussed issues for new officials, one of 13 lunchtime workshops on topics ranging from life in the NBA to female officials recruitment to outside views on high school officiating.
Marquette's Mark Petrie was one of a small group of officials who made the trip from the Upper Peninsula, and he spent his lunch hour listening to a round table discussion on "Making Good Associations Great." An MHSAA official since 1993, he's the trainer for volleyball for the Upper Peninsula Officials Association.
"It's an opportunity to get together with fellow officials, but more importantly an opportunity to learn and grow as an official," Petrie said. "The day any of us thinks we know everything is the day we should retire."
Commonality was a theme throughout the inaugural Michigan day, with presenters sharing mechanics and strategies that apply at every level of athletics. Equally emphasized was the responsibility of officials to take what they learned back to their local colleagues while working to recruit new officials to the ranks.
"This is pretty unique in that we have this many officials, both men and women, coming together in one place. We have a common theme to improve officiating and to make it consistent at the high school level," said DeWitt's Mike Brya, a high school official since 1995.
"I want to first off be a better official, but also to help our association. To help our officials, help our younger officials, and try to give back as much as I can.
NASO reported on its website that only Georgia's officiating day in 2011, with 1,600 participants, has outdrawn Michigan for a similar event.
PHOTOS: (Top) Clockwise from top left, Joan Powell, Joe Crawford and Bill Kennedy were among speakers at Saturday’s “Officiate Michigan Day.” (Middle) Cheer officials Candy Cox (left) and Stacy Smith present during a breakout session. Click to see more photos from Saturday's event.
Officials Sharpen Skills at MHSAA Clinic
June 28, 2012
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half Editor
ALMA --Frequently in pairs, they lined up beside linebackers, ran the sidelines and monitored the goallines earlier this week, next to many of Michigan's best recently-graduated high school football players.
The athletes were practicing for Saturday's Michigan High School Football Coaches Association All-Star Game at Alma College. But beside and all around them, officials also worked to hone their skills with the upcoming season only two months away.
A group of 34 attended the MHSAA's summer clinic Monday and Tuesday, run in coordination with the all-star game for the second year. Some were veterans brushing up on new rules, while others -- like Flushing's Tim Collick -- were newer officials hoping to pick up some knowledge from 12 clinicians providing instruction and feedback.
"The biggest thing is just the different tips from experienced guys you don't find in the books," said Collick, 32, who was one of 14 chosen from clinic participants to officiate Saturday's game. "Different, helpful clues like keys that made them successful, made things easier for them."
Instructors shadowed Collick and other participants during two practices and a Monday night scrimmage, providing guidance and feedback along the way.
Those practice sessions are combined with classroom instruction, similar to what the MHSAA has conducted during previous summers with basketball officials at Michigan State University camps.
Every participant this week came from the Lower Peninsula, but as far north as just below Mackinac Bridge, east from Detroit and west from the Grand Rapids area.
Two crews of seven officials were chosen from the camp participants to work Saturday’s game. The crews will alternate quarters, with five instructors also on hand to provide feedback.
The MHSFCA has been putting on the All-Star Game for 32 years, and has been a fantastic partner in providing an opportunity football officials don't often receive during the offseason, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl said.
"Football is unique in that there isn't a way to get live reps, while basketball, baseball and softball have summer team camps," Uyl said. "This is an opportunity for football officials to get training in the real thing."
Collick, a Flint Hamady grad who has been mentored by longtime Flint-area official Tom Rau, is heading into his third season of football as a back judge with a crew from the Genesee County Coaches and Officials Association. Although he'd heard a few of the speakers at the clinic before, he didn't know any of the officials before Monday. But he was sure to soak up as much as possible, with an eye on officiating for years to come and eventually, perhaps, at the college level as well.
"For me, one of the biggest things (at the clinic) is getting to make contacts with much more veteran officials. I'm learning from those guys," Collick said. "The instructors have worked at high levels as college officials, as high school officials for many years. It's nice to pick their brains."
PHOTOS: (Top) Longtime official and recently-retired MHSAA assistant director Tom Minter (center) works with an official during Tuesday morning's East practice at Alma College. (Middle) MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl (left) points something out to an official during the West practice. (Bottom) Officals at this year's clinic came from all parts of the Lower Peninsula, including the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Mackinaw areas.
