The Official View: Eyes in the Sky
By
Brent Rice
MHSAA Assistant Director
September 10, 2018
By Brent Rice
MHSAA Assistant Director
Welcome to “Official View,” a weekly feature on the MHSAA’s Second Half website designed to deliver must-know information to Michigan’s 10,000 high school officials – while also showing administrators, athletes and fans a slice of the officiating life from those in the avocation.
Each edition will include a rule of the week, present an “It’s Your Call” segment, keep our officials up to date on important news and notices and provide a behind-the-scenes glance at officials making our games possible.
It’s Your Call
SOCCER In the video clip below, a player takes control of the ball in the area at the top of the goal box and behind two defending players and fires a shot toward the net. Is this player offside?
(Click the video play button below; you'll then need to click again to view on YouTube, starting at 2:20 and ending at 2:39.)
You make the call: No, the player is not offside. The ball was last played by an opponent – in this case through the air on a header – and the player receiving the ball only would’ve been off-side if receiving the ball from a teammate. Rule 11-4-1b (included paragraph).
Rule of the Week
VOLLEYBALL The right-side hitter on Team S spikes the ball to the opposing side floor for a point. As she comes back to the ground following her leap, she both strikes the net and steps completely across the center line. The ball touches the floor before the hitter lands.
Ruling: This is a legal point. In order for either violation to be called, the ball must still be in play.
It’s Official!
Deadline for Tournament Consideration Requirements: Both the 2018-19 Rules Meeting and the Sport Rules Exams must be completed by Sept. 13. Check your Rules Meeting and Rules Exam status on MHSAA.com by logging in, clicking “Official Services” and then selecting the links for Exams and Rules Meetings.
If you haven’t already, get your current season schedules into the MHSAA and confirm your MIGS (Member in Good Standing) status on the MHSAA website to make certain you are eligible for postseason consideration. You must complete all of the above requirements to ensure your eligibility.
Official View
In the photo at the top of this edition, pilot Dean Lefebrve flies his football crew to its Week 2 varsity game, Negaunee at Calumet. The crew also included, just above, Dean Nelson, Rich Lundholm, Paul Angeli and Andrew Lewis.
2022-23 Officials Registration Underway with New Benefits to Help Grow Ranks
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 23, 2022
The Michigan High School Athletic Association is accepting registrations online or by mail for game officials for the 2022-23 school year, and is providing a pair of significant new benefits intended to attract new officials and bolster the number of current officials who work multiple sports.
The MHSAA annually receives registration by more than 9,000 officials, but dipped below 8,000 for 2020-21 as school sports navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021-22 school year saw a slight bounce back to 8,128 officials registered – an increase of two percent compared to the previous year – and officials who register for the upcoming school year will receive additional perks that will further boost the already high level of support provided to those serving MHSAA member schools.
Beginning this summer, all officials who register may sign up for up to two sports as part of that registration. Officials previously registered separately for each sport they wished to work, providing 13,896 sport registrations total in 2021-22 – or with every registered official signing up for approximately 1.7 sports on average.
Officials also will receive membership in the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), which comes with a variety of educational and training resources including a subscription to an MHSAA-branded “Referee” digital magazine, and the NASO’s Shield liability insurance that will provide $6 million in coverage for officials while they are working both MHSAA and non-MHSAA events. The previous MHSAA-provided liability coverage, while still substantial, covered those officials only during MHSAA events.
“We are excited about the potential of these new benefits to not only attract new officials, but drive growth of our officiating pool from within,” said MHSAA assistant director Brent Rice, who supervises the officials program. “We hope our current single-sport officials will take advantage of this opportunity and help us bolster our numbers in other sports. Add in the resources and insurance from NASO – the largest officials advocate in the world – and we hope this package attracts officials to join us and stay with us at a time when we are facing our greatest need for these indispensable contributors to school sports.”
For all new and returning officials, a $70 fee covers registration for up to two sports. Officials may register for additional sports at $16 per sport.
To avoid a $30 late fee, all fall sport registration applications must be received by Aug. 16, 2022. Winter sports registrations must be received by Nov. 11 to avoid the late fee, and spring sports registrations must be received by March 17, 2023.
Online registration can be accessed by clicking “Officials” on the home page of the MHSAA Website. More information about officials registration may be obtained by contacting the MHSAA by phone at (517) 332-5046 or by e-mail at [email protected].
There is an officials' registration test for first-time officials and officials who were not registered during the past school year, derived from the MHSAA Officials Guidebook. New officials and those who didn’t officiate during 2021-22 also must complete the online MHSAA Principles of Officiating course. Additional exams must be taken by those registering for football or basketball for the first time or those who were not registered for those sports during the previous school year. Links to the Officials Guidebook, Principles of Officiating presentation and the football and basketball mechanics manuals can be found by following the “New Officials” link on the Officials page of the MHSAA Website.
There also are opportunities to officiate for students at least 14 years old and in grades 9-12 through the MHSAA Legacy Program. Juniors and seniors may officiate subvarsity contests, while freshmen and sophomores may officiate contests at the middle school/junior high levels. Mentor officials will work events with Legacy participants to provide guidance and support. Find information on the Legacy Program by clicking “REGISTER NOW” on the Officials page of the MHSAA Website and following the “Legacy Official Information” link.