9 minute read
GETTING TO YES
By Jason Franchuk
Yesterday’s approaches to recruiting, retention won’t get the results needed for the industry’s future.
Julian Tackett likes to say, “Don’t
let process get in the way of progress.”
In this day and age, when camp attendance and various other tedious rites of dues-paying passage are still the norm, the commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association has made it possible to stop worrying about outdated requirements and start focusing on genuine opportunities for advancement.
“We’ve had second-year officials in some of our state events. Is our staff totally comfortable and sleeping well at night when you put them in there? No,” Tackett said. “Do they generally do as good or better than perhaps the people that were working before? Yes. So sometimes we’ve got to be willing to take a chance. The last thing, and this is really for my state association brethren because we’ve all got different roles here, leadership is not simply repeating the status quo.”
In this day and age, when camp Tackett went way beyond the attendance and various other tedious status quo last spring, when he rites of dues-paying passage are introduced a female official to the still the norm, the commissioner of largest-classification boys’ basketball the Kentucky High School Athletic championship game. Association has made it possible Now, Hannah Reynolds did not to stop worrying about outdated come out of nowhere. She’s been an requirements and start focusing official for 10 years. The Kentucky on genuine opportunities for native started primarily on the girls’ side and has done three state
“We’ve had second-year officials tournaments, including the 2021 title in some of our state events. Is our game. But she’s also heading into her eighth year of officiating collegiate women’s basketball, working in the Sun Belt, Missouri Valley and Horizon League among others, with her big goal being a crack at the SEC. (Full disclosure: The author has officiated a handful of games with Reynolds at the junior college level in Illinois.)
brethren because we’ve all got different roles here, leadership is not simply repeating the status quo.”
Tackett went way beyond the status quo last spring, when he introduced a female official to the largest-classification boys’ basketball championship game.
Now, Hannah Reynolds did not come out of nowhere. She’s been an official for 10 years. The Kentucky native started primarily on the girls’ side and has done three state tournaments, including the 2021 title game. But she’s also heading into her
GETTING TO YES
Hannah Reynolds, right, and Sean Samsel officiate during the KHSAA boys’ state basketball tournament in 2022 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
“Kentucky is a pretty basketball-rich state,” Tackett said. “It’s almost religious in some areas. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of people that really expected us to have a female as the lead official in our state championship game this year on the boys’ side. She was the best official we had both weeks.”
As only the third female to officiate the boys’ state tournament, the second to work the final, and making history as the first female to be the lead referee, it was a huge accomplishment and could be once in a lifetime for some.
Reynolds plans to give up high school officiating for the foreseeable future, though she has kept her license.
But beyond Reynolds, Tackett sees plenty of virtue in
promoting Reynolds all the way to the top of the local ranks: Allowing others to see what is possible. a whole lot of people that really “We’ve got to all be in this together, and that’s the first step, recognizing you can’t do it the way you did it before,” Tackett said. That means taking some chances. Younger people have plenty of reasons to get out of officiating around age 26, when life — careers, families, etc. — tend to take over priorities. But Tackett’s hope is to get people interested early and give them reasons to want to come back. Perhaps young men and women seeing Reynolds reach the top — even if they’ll never advance like she has in the college game — will be the carrot to lure more talent.
promoting Reynolds all the way to the top of the local ranks: Allowing others to see what is possible.
“We’ve got to all be in this together, and that’s the first step, recognizing you can’t do it the way you did it before,” Tackett said.
That means taking some plenty of reasons to get out of officiating around age 26, when life — careers, families, etc. — tend to take over priorities.
Reynolds is consistently professional and optimistic and her passion carries from the parking lot to pregame and into the entire game. But her charisma still isn’t always enough.
“Over the last several years I have tried to bring several females in,” Reynolds said. “But I haven’t had much luck. None of the three officiate any longer. It just wasn’t for them. They actually coach now. Officiating isn’t for everyone. It’s super hard getting new officials to commit after seeing the news of all the abuse. Not to mention the travel time involved and the time spent away from family and social events. Females may not feel comfortable or competent in a maledominated profession.”
Reynolds’ pitch: “The best part of officiating is the camaraderie. We all need work friends. Camaraderie is more than just having fun, though. It’s also about creating a common sense of purpose and the mentality that we are in it together. Having these relationships form a strong social support network for each other, both personally and professionally.
“There can be downsides to these work friends,” adds Reynolds, who officiates full-time during the season and runs a lawn-care business during the offseason. “Professional jealousy, negative cliques, split loyalties and broken friendships. But these are all manageable and the benefits of positive relationships far outweigh any negative outcomes. I tell people all the time that I’m out here living the dream, because at the end of the day I’m making a living doing what I love. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am very passionate about my job.”
Tackett has been a believer in Reynolds since meeting her in 2015.
“I was just a young JV official at that time,” Reynolds said. “I have so much respect for Julian for opening the doors for us as females and never doubting me. He has believed in me from the start.”
Tackett couldn’t have asked for a better environment. It’s no secret that there can be cliques and jealousies in the officiating world when it comes to assignments, particularly at the state level. Reynolds hardly felt any of it, though.
“When we all arrived in Lexington, all the guys kept saying I was ‘Queen of the Court’ and that I would be throwing the ball up in the championship game,” Reynolds said. “Mind you, I had just met some of
these guys for the first time so it made me feel really special that 15 men believed in me.
“The experience is unlike anything in the world. It’s a very special moment. It’s an honor of a lifetime. Not many people get the opportunity to work a state tournament.
“There were so many doubters out there who didn’t want to see me succeed,” Reynolds added. “But I did. And I went out with a bang doing it. As far as the crowd goes, there was some criticism but I got several compliments as well being a female working the boys’ state tournament because it’s very rare. Several people stopped me in the stands telling me how great of a job that I did, that I looked professional and my self-confidence demeanor was like none other, and that I was able to communicate assertively with the coaches and handled the criticism well.” Jason Franchuk, Carbondale, Ill., officiates high school and junior college women’s basketball.
Commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association
Session Explores Ideas to Recruit, Retain
Allowing others to see what’s possible — taking chances on younger or underrepresented officials as a carrot to get others involved — wasn’t the only idea discussed during the “Say Yes to Officiating” session at the 2022 NASO Sports Officiating Summit in Denver.
Panelists shared a variety of approaches to recruit and retain officials at different levels.
Ryan MacDowell, USAV and D-I volleyball official, spoke about a USAV program aimed at attracting players into officiating.
The program takes high schoolaged players and gives them the chance to officiate lower-age competition. “We make sure that it’s a super safe area for them to go into,” MacDowell said, noting that coaches and parents are warned to be on their best behavior with the newer officials.
Lee Sanders, assistant executive director at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and director of officials in Louisiana, said camps were good for creating a supportive environment. But it was important to go beyond rules and mechanics.
“We usually try to do a meal and a social and give everybody a chance to kind of tell their why, their officiating story, and to find that common ground, and to see some of the success,” Sanders said. “Because really it’s about relationships, right? So to give opportunities for new officials to come together and learn their craft, but really to lean on each other and to network.”
Raquel Wagner, MLB’s manager of umpire operations, outlined changes that will allow minor league umpires to move up more quickly through the ranks, skipping levels similar to what can happen with players who show talent. Additionally, MLB changed the future path to pro umpiring jobs, screening candidates at free one-day umpire camps and offering all-expenses paid prospect camp in Florida.
SIZE: 8”X11” | PAGES: 40
Focus your thinking on crucial plays you’re seeing every game, and get the tools you need for successful rulings every time. 33% more content
DIGITAL PRINT $1095* $1295*
COMBO $1695
*NASO member discount available.
