REFEREE VOICES

At the first in-person NASO Sports Officiating Summit since the pandemic, four officials from various sports and levels took to the stage in Denver to talk about defining moments and the lessons they have taken away from those moments. Their stories are online at referee.com/voices.

DENVER

“I didn’t ask to be the poster child for offi cial abuse, but somehow I kind of wound up there. With that came an overwhelming sense of obligation and responsibility for me to share my story and get it out there in the hopes that it would prevent this from happening to someone else, and also to try to advocate for stricter laws in my state.”

“Whatever it is that you may be facing in officiating, or your personal life, or your job, or whatever, you are way stronger than what you give yourself credit for.”

“I would be lying if I said there were not some moments of fear that I had, and extreme anxiety, but I haven’t looked back. I just push through it and keep on going because I don’t want her to win. I don’t want her to take that from me. There’s only going to be one winner in this situation. I want it to be me.”

Kristi Moore

United States Fastpitch Association Umpire in Chief for the state of Mississippi who was assaulted during a youth tournament “Principles matter in life, and they matter in officiating. Fairness, honesty, integrity, excellence, finding balance, just to name a few. You should live out your principles based on who you’re called to be in your heart.”

“… The NCAA tournament should be a tournament of advancement based on performance.”

j.d. collins

Retired as the NCAA national coordinator of men’s basketball officiating on Oct. 31, 2022

“The only thing that I can take away with me is my word. One of my guiding principles is my priorities, and that’s my faith, my family, my business and officiating.”

Brad Watson

NHL on-ice offi cial from 1993-2019; worked eight Stanley Cup Finals

“Why can’t we celebrate the good calls? When we do that, we can enhance the development of our young officials.”

“More times than not we remember our bad calls. It’s crazy because we’re so critical of ourselves. … I think it’s important that we pull those back and we start celebrating some of those good calls.” “It’s important when (young people we’re mentoring) make a great call … that we concentrate on that positive play, and when we’re talking to them after the game, it’s, ‘That was a great job, that was a good call, and this is why.’ … We do enough of negative calls.”

“My wife says there’s a picture and there’s a video on the internet (showing my important World Cup call was correct). … I look at this and I’m like, oh my God, there is a God. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So all of a sudden I go from goat, to GOAT.”

“This referee family is not only in the U.S., it’s worldwide. You have friends all over the world.”

“Let’s make sure that we provide more kindness, more respect, and pass it on forward. … If you can do that, not only are we going to be better referees, we’re going to be better citizens, and we’re going to make this country a much nicer and friendlier place than what it has been.”

Esfandiar “Esse” Baharmast

Retired American FIFA referee best known for officiating two matches during the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France