PUBLISHER’S MEMO

Just Two Weeks Worth …

Fewer games being played mean fewer assignments for us. You would think that in turn, we at this magazine would be getting fewer officiatingrelated items in our feeds. Not so. Every day, we receive and uncover lots of interesting news items and tidbits about officiating. Our edit team is plugged into the officiating milieu. They post items to our shared Teams account many times each day (and into the night!). We share hard news, soft news, going-to-be news, no news and general banter about officiating. Here are a few from one recent quite-ordinary twoweek period.

• The Bay Area (San Francisco) Silicon Valley Sports Officials Association offered virtual yoga classes and other group training workouts to keep its officials prepped for when sports restart in California.

• Official Angie Enlund was injured when she was inadvertently run over after the Rutgers-Michigan State women’s basketball game. After the final buzzer, Rutgers player Tekia Mack was heading back to the Scarlet Knights’ bench when she inadvertently ran over Enlund at center court, hitting her hard. Enlund was on the ground for a few minutes and taken off on a stretcher. She did have mobility and movement of her extremities and went to a hospital to be further evaluated. (See p. 10)

• Winnebago, Ill.: Three high school basketball referees who worked the Rockford Lutheran at Winnebago boys’ game had quite the experience. They were picked up and returned home in a limousine. The limo is owned by Patrick Burke of Rockford, a retired basketball referee who had worked games for 45 years. Burke calls the Cadillac limousine the “Pat-Illac.” He knows officials have been working hard doing games practically every night during this compact season, so Burke thought this idea was a good way to show his support.

• NHL referee Garrett Rank is living two dreams: as a top-level amateur golfer and referee in the NHL. He plays in many amateur events and qualified for the U.S. Open in 2018. He said if he was asked whether he would want to either referee the Stanley Cup Finals, or finish in the top-10 in the U.S. Open, the correct answer would be refereeing the Finals but …

• The Hope College women’s basketball team started nine players against Kalamazoo College. Game day was Senior Day for Hope, and head coach Brian Morehouse told all nine seniors to take the court because they were starting. His seniors have been so special to him and his program that he just couldn’t pick five. Yes, he was given a technical foul. Coach Morehouse said it was the best technical he ever got.

• Boys’ high school varsity coach Joe David of Mt. Lebanon, Pa., was shocked to learn that one of the officials dressing for his game was Mario Seneca. David had blackballed Seneca because of an incident nine years earlier, in which the coach received a technical foul. Seneca had not worked a game involving Coach David in those nine years. David said he offered to go to the officials’ dressing room and talk to Seneca, but the referee that night felt doing so would only escalate the situation. Seneca was informed that David did not want to play the game with Seneca officiating. Rather than risk having the game canceled, Seneca agreed to take his game check and go home, and the game went on as scheduled with only two officials.

• (From a letter published in the News Graphic in Port Washington, Wis.): I attend high school basketball games and agree wholeheartedly that something needs to be done regarding the abuse doled out to referees. It starts with the coaches. How many of us would continue to work in an environment where they had to endure the same abuse refs do?

Peace,

the same abuse refs do?

Peace,

Chief Strategy Offi cer/Publisher Barry Mano Chief Operating Offi cer/Executive Editor Bill Topp Chief Marketing Offi cer Jim Arehart Chief Business Development Offi cer Ken Koester Managing Editor Brent Killackey Assistant Managing Editor Julie Sternberg Senior Editor Jeffrey Stern Associate Editors Brad Tittrington Scott Tittrington Assistant Editor Luke Modrovsky Copy Editor Jean Mano Director of Design, Digital Media and Branding Ross Bray Publication Design Manager Matt Bowen Graphic Designer Dustin Brown Video Coordinator Mike Dougherty Interactive Media Developer Michael Kielas Director of Audience Development Dan Olson Comptroller Marylou Clayton Data Analyst/Fulfi llment Manager Judy Ball Account Manager Joe Jarosz Director of Administration and Sales Support Cory Ludwin Offi ce Administrator Garrett Randall Customer Service Support Specialists Michelle Murray Lisa Burchell

Editorial Contributors Jon Bible, Mark Bradley, George Demetriou, Alan Goldberger, Jerry Grunska, Judson Howard, Peter Jackel, Steven L. Tietz, Tim Sloan

These organizations offer ongoing assistance to Referee: Collegiate Commissioners Association, MLB, MLS, NBA, NCAA, NFHS, NISOA, NFL, NHL, Minor League Baseball Umpire Development and U.S. Soccer. Their input is appreciated.

Contributing Photographers Ralph Echtinaw, Dale Garvey, Carin Goodall-Gosnell, Bill Greenblatt, Jack Kapenstein, Ken Kassens, Bob Messina, Bill Nichols, Ted Oppegard, Heston Quan, Dean Reid, VIP

Editorial Board Mark Baltz, Jeff Cluff, Cynthia Do, Ben Glass, Reggie Greenwood, Tony Haire, Wade Labecki, John O’Neill, George Toliver

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