With basketball turnouts beginning for our boys and girls high school teams this week, the cry once again goes out for the most important people on the courts: the officials.
When the pandemic and retirements cut the number of officials to about half of what it was before 2020, the lack of officials had a great effect on games, including forcing some varsity contests to be rescheduled and the limiting of officiating crews at lower levels to two referees a game instead of the usual three.
And don’t blame the men and women in pinstripes. Many work both games of doubleheaders and sometimes travel four or five nights a week to cover all the contests. There just aren’t enough officials to go around.
So while some new officials have joined the past five years, there’s still a shortage. The good news is that almost anyone with an interest in basketball and supporting youngsters can help.
“We encourage kids that are in college or even still in high school,” said Damon Bruland, the assignor for the Northwest Board of Officials Association for Whatcom, Skagit, and Island counties. “Officiating is a perfect part-time job for students.”
If you’re interested but have no experience, the association will help with training. Newcomers can start with middle school games. And rookies will be paired with veterans to start out.
The association also works with officials as far as their personal schedules and availability. In addition to being paid per game, there are stipends for travel and, when needed, ferry fees.
If you’d like to support young athletes, be involved in school sports, get some exercise, and get paid for it, contact the association by going to its website (www.nwofficials.com) or emailing nwbofficials@gmail.com. You can also text or call recruiting coordinator Bernie Upchurch at (360) 320-5594.
EDITORIAL COMMENT: Speaking for Whatcom Hoops and all our basketball fans, we want to thank our local officials for all they do in a job with little recognition and often a lot of pressure. Let’s all of us (fans as well as participants) continue to show our officials the respect they deserve … because we couldn’t do it without them.
