[Pulp Fiction]

Respect officials that call sh*ty games? You want respect,, you earn it.. Not just because,, that's how it should be.. I hope that one ref pulled more than a hamstring. I hope he's wheelchair bound for life..

I agree to a certain extent about the bolded.

KHSAA doesn't have that good of a referee training/licensing process.

To be a referee, all you have to do is pay the fee, pass the background check and pass the Part 1 exam. 100 questions... and I think you have to get a 75% or better.

If you want to do post-season, you have to pay the fee before a certain date get an 80% or better on the Part 2 exam and take an online rules clinic that.... well, let's just say it's very generic and not that good.

I know every region has an officials association. And they do have some meetings and "training" amongst themselves.


The referee position in any sport is authority. Some referee's have never played the sport that they referee. So to say they don't understand what the kids go through in the off-season and every day in practice is true.
Some refs don't condition and aren't in the best physical shape for their sport. Athletic competition means more to the kids than getting to referee a sport. The kids that want to win and be a champion train and practice year round to be a state champion.

Some, not all, referee's do nothing to better themselves for the upcoming season. And that is not right. How can somebody respect somebody who does that? Just because they are a referee doesn't mean they know the sport or deserve to be in that position.

I know getting to referee the state tournament in any sport is an accomplishment. And the assigning secretary usually makes the recommendation to the KHSAA who is ready or deserves to referee the state meet from their region. However, I disagree.

The KHSAA really needs to change the way referee's are chosen for post-season play. Just because somebody says a ref is ready for the state meet doesn't make it so. The KHSAA needs to send their Commish./Asst. Commish. to the evaluate the prospected referee's.



The referee's have a hard job.
It's not about being 'liked' by everybody in the gym, but it is about Earning Respect from the coaches and players by being Fair, Firm and Consistent.