Be the Referee: Officials Demographics

October 29, 2015

This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl discusses the importance of recruiting young officials so they may gain experience now and prepare to replace veterans wearing the whistle.

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment - Officials Demographics - Listen



A daily activity of the MHSAA is to recruit more officials in all of our sports. There is an urgency to try and bring new, younger people into the game as the current average age of an MHSAA registered official is 51.86. 

Young officials are needed now so they can gain experience and be ready to step into the varsity and tournament ranks when many of our aging officials are ready to hang up the whistle. With players getting bigger and faster all of the time, it is important that our officials keep up with the pace of play, and the more younger, athletic officials we can recruit, the better off all of our games will be.

Past editions:
Oct. 15: Make the Call: Intentional Grounding - Listen
Oct. 8: Playoff Selection - Listen
Oct. 1: Kick Returns - Listen
Sept. 24: Concussions - Listen
Sept. 17: Automatic First Downs - Listen
Sept. 10: Correcting a Down - Listen
Sept 3:
Spearing - Listen
Aug. 27: Missed Field Goal - Listen

Registration for 2016-17 Underway

June 16, 2016

This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains how registration works for MHSAA officials and the benefits of signing up.

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment - Registration for 2016-17 Underway - Listen

This week, registration kicks off once again for the 2016-17 school year for all MHSAA officials, referees, umpires and judges in all of our sports.

An official must register annually with the MHSAA. Once registered, that official becomes eligible to accept game assignments in the sports that he or she are registered in.

With an officials registration fee, officials get insurance, both liability insurance as well as catastrophic medical coverage; rule books, officiating manuals, and other tools and resources as the training and preparation process begins for next school year.

Past editions:
June 9: Summer Camps - Listen
June 2: Use of Electronic Devices - Listen
May 26: Slide Rule - Listen
May 19: Wooden Bats - Listen 
May 12: Baseball Pitch Counts - Listen
May 5: Home Run or Not? - Listen
April 28: Norris Award Winner Linda Hoover - Listen
April 21: Legacy Program - Listen
April 14: Baseball/Softball Replay - Listen
March 24: Use of the Monitor - Listen
March 17: Block/Charge - Listen
March 10: Ball Stuck on the Rim - Listen
March 3: Three Seconds - Listen
Feb. 25: Deciding the Game - Listen
Feb. 18 : Cheer Safety - Listen
Feb. 11: Primary Areas - Listen
Feb. 4: Block/Charge Calls - Listen
Jan. 28: Dive on the Floor - Listen
Jan. 21: Hockey Officials' Options - Listen
Jan. 14: Recruiting Officials - Listen
Jan. 7: Wrestling Weight Monitoring - Listen
Dec. 31: Respect for Referees - Listen
Dec. 24: Basketball Instant Replay - Listen
Dec. 17: Basketball Communication - Listen
Dec. 10: Basketball Excessive Contact - Listen
Nov. 26: Pregame Communication - Listen
Nov. 19: Trick Plays - Listen
Nov. 12: 7-Person Football Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 5: Make the Call: Personal Fouls - Listen
Oct. 29: Officials Demographics - Listen
Oct. 15: Make the Call: Intentional Grounding - Listen
Oct. 8: Playoff Selection - Listen
Oct. 1: Kick Returns - Listen
Sept. 24: Concussions - Listen
Sept. 17: Automatic First Downs - Listen
Sept. 10: Correcting a Down - Listen
Sept 3:
Spearing - Listen
Aug. 27: Missed Field Goal - Listen