GETTING IT RIGHT

from Referee Magazine - October 2021

SOCCER

Gone, But Not Forgotten

By Luke Modrovsky

The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) has a great deal of communication with its officials. In fact, the AIA is responsible for assigning officials to games from the first pitch, tipoff or kickoff of the regular season through the final horn or walk-off home run at the state tournament.

The AIA lost a number of its sports officials to COVID-19 — 21 in fact were reported to have succumbed to the virus.

“In speaking with my baseball

and softball leadership, they wanted to do something for the umpires that passed away,” said Brian Gessner, AIA state commissioner of officials. “It hit me personally. There were two weeks in a row we sent notices out where we had lost three officials in each week.”

Gessner said he learned of the impact during various formal and informal meetings during the spring season — meetings he said are pivotal in learning that kind of information.

“Well, in speaking with my baseball and softball leadership, they wanted to do something for the umpires that passed away,” Gessner said. “When you start sending out notice after notice after notice, it’s like we need to take note. In the conversation with the three of us they said, ‘Well, what if we create a banner and hung it in the outfield?’ These guys came to me and said we need to do something, and I thought this was a great tribute.”

That banner — with the initials of 10 baseball and softball umpires — was displayed in the outfield in right-center field during the 2021 Class 5A and 6A state baseball championship games at Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. — the spring training home of the Los Angeles Angels. Prior to the games, the names on the banner were read and a moment of silence was held to remember the umpires, which Gessner called “a very touching moment” for the officiating community.

“I don’t think we as administrators, we as an officiating community, really recognized the effect of COVID when it comes to the officiating community,” Gessner said.

Gessner said after the banner was made, two more umpires had died due to COVID-19.

On the banner seen in the photo were the initials of Gary Appleberry, Larry Colar, John Diaz and Robert Frazier. Initials of Frank Amparano, Michael “Angel” Diaz, Paul Garabedian, Gaye Kelly, Mark Larkin and Norman Towns were also displayed. Not on the banner were Aaron Kennedy and Travis Jodie.

While some seasons were delayed and/or abbreviated during the 2020-21 academic year, the AIA was able to host some form of seasons and championships in every sport. Luke Modrovsky is an assistant editor for Referee. He officiates five sports. 

During its state tournament, the Arizona Interscholastic Association displayed banners with the initials of baseball and softball umpires who died due to COVID-19. FIFA Referee Officiates High School Game

As a FIFA official since 2016, Karen Abt officiates soccer’s top levels. But on June 26, she worked a match at a way lower level — and was completely thrilled.

Abt received an assignment that had her working the high school level for the first time since 2009. She served as referee for the Class 5A girls’ soccer state championship game in Colorado.

“I’m really excited to referee one of the Colorado high school state championships because it allows me an opportunity to give back to soccer,” Abt told CHSAAnow.com before the match. “The game and the people I have met over the years have afforded me so many opportunities to travel the world, experience things I had never imagined and make lifelong friends.”

Abt is a Colorado native who grew up in Fort Collins. She works at the Colorado School of Mines in the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center.

SOURCE: CHSAANOW.COM; 9NEWS.COM

Tournament Played in Honor of Umpire

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) honored the late Chris Long, a longtime sports official, by playing the 2021 state softball tournament in his honor.

Long was a five-sport official, working basketball, baseball, football, softball and volleyball, who died unexpectedly in June 2019 at age 62. He umpired high school softball for 38 seasons, working the state finals five times and serving as the UIC at the state finals 15 times. He was also the IHSA softball rules interpreter, head IHSA clinician and served three terms on the IHSA Officials Advisory Committee.

Long was superintendent for Kansas (Ill.) Unit #3 Schools.

Umpires who worked the state tournament — which was the first since the pandemic; the 2020 tournament was not conducted — wore a special patch on their sleeves with Long’s initials: CSL.