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Umpire's Heart Healed, Back in the Game
April 4, 2017
By Mike Spencer
Special for Second Half
Ken Allen can’t wait to say the words “Play Ball!’ today.
Weather permitting, the Traverse City softball umpire is expected to be behind the plate at Kingsley this afternoon after missing all of the spring season last year due to a heart double by-pass surgery.
“I’m sure It’s going to be exciting,” said Allen, a 32-year MHSAA umpire, basketball and football referee. “Especially after taking a year off from softball.
“But once the game gets started and you make that first call, it’s going to be right back to the old business.”
Allen, who has hardly missed a game since Dick Simon recruited him to officiate in 1985, was glad he went to his primary care physician after he noticed he was slowing down at the end of the 2015-16 boys and girls basketball season.
Allen’s doctor did an EKG and referred him to a heart surgeon, where he underwent a cardiac catheterization. Before the visit with the heart specialist was over, Allen was wheeled up to the second floor for heart surgery.
“It changed things, but I keep telling everybody that the man above gave me a second chance and I’m going to take full advantage of it,” said Allen, who was told he’d need at least three months to recuperate. “It was hard to be idle.”
“Ken is an ‘old school’ die hard,” said Barb Beckett, a charter member of the Northern Sports Officials Association, former officiating partner and assignor. “He is an assignor’s dream because he will go anywhere, work any level, and anytime.
“It was tough on him missing the last part of the basketball season and entire softball season. He makes a difference every time he steps on the court or the field."
Allen, who has officiated two MHSAA Finals in softball and another in football, never thought about retiring after his double by-pass on March 3, 2016.
“I never had a thought about quitting, and I don’t have a plan to retire,” Allen said. “I’m going to go as long as I can.
“When I can’t give the kids a full 100 percent, it’ll be time to get out.”
Allen had a clean bill of health to officiate football last fall, but he missed two weeks of the season after having his gall bladder removed. He then went on to work the entire boys and girls basketball season, which ended last month.
“Ken has always been a very hard-working official, and it’s no surprise to anyone that he has worked so hard to get back on the field and court,” said MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl, the association’s coordinator of officiating. “Ken always had a true passion for officiating, and this passion has helped him recover and has been a source of motivation to get healthy and rehab so he can return to the competitive arena.”
Uyl said life-threatening illnesses and injuries often send veteran officials into early retirement.
“For many other officials, what Ken endured would have meant retirement or the end of their career, certainly in a sport like basketball,” Uyl said. “It shows how important working with the kids and schools is to Ken that he’s persevered so hard to get back.”
Allen also officiated baseball until the day he lost a coin flip and had to leave his softball game because no one showed up at the baseball field. His softball partner Tom Post tooted his horn departing after two quick softball games and Allen was still in the bottom half of his opener.
Although Allen has officiated two MHSAA softball championship games, football is his No. 1 sport. He worked a 2003 MHSAA Final as the umpire.
“When I first started out, I was on the chains,” said Allen, who played freshman football at Clio High and ran track and cross country. “Then I decided that I wanted to get in the middle where the action is. I really love it.”
Allen’s taken a few knocks in the middle of the football field, even suffered a couple of concussions. But until the heart double by-pass, he was always able to get back up on his feet without hardly missing a down.
“Ken is a great official because he’s got such good people skills,” Uyl said. “The officiating business is a ‘people business’ first and foremost, and this is why this has been such a great fit for Ken for the past 30-plus years. The MHSAA and all member schools are thrilled to have Ken back!”
Author Mike Spencer is a MHSAA registered official in boys and girls basketball and soccer. He spent more than three decades as a newspaperman before becoming a marketing communications specialist two years ago.
PHOTOS: (Top) Ken Allen, a 32-year veteran official from Traverse City, shows off his most memorable moment in high school officiating with photos and items he received after doing a 2003 MHSAA Finals assignment. (Middle) Allen kneels behind the plate; today he’ll return to action for the first time after heart surgery.
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2021-22 MHSAA Officials Registration Underway
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 29, 2021
The MHSAA is accepting registrations online or by mail for game officials for the 2021-22 school year.
The MHSAA annually receives registration by more than 9,000 officials, but in part due to COVID-19 precautions had just 7,968 during the 2020-21 school year – a decrease of nearly 14 percent from 2019-20.
“We are thankful for the leadership shown by our officials as they worked together to provide coverage of all levels of school sports events during this unpredictable year, but certainly we’re looking forward to refilling our ranks and taking some of the pressure off the many officials who worked nearly daily during the pandemic seasons,” said MHSAA assistant director Brent Rice, who supervises the officials program. “With the elimination of restrictions this spring and the return of full schedules anticipated this fall, there’s no better time for experienced officials to return and those interested in registering for the first time to become part of this essential and valued group.”
For all new and returning officials, those who register online again will receive a $5 discount off their processing fees. A $16 fee is charged for each sport in which an official wishes to register, and the online processing fee is $40. Officials submitting registration forms by mail or on a walk-up basis will incur a $45 processing fee. Officials registered in 2020-21 will be assessed a late fee of $30 for registration after Aug. 15. The processing fee includes liability insurance coverage up to $1 million for officials while working contests involving MHSAA schools.
Online registration can be accessed by clicking “Officials” on the home page of the MHSAA Website. Forms also are available online that can be printed and submitted by traditional mail to the MHSAA Office at 1661 Ramblewood Drive in East Lansing. 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. The test is derived from the MHSAA Officials Guidebook, which also is available on the Officials page of the MHSAA Website. 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. Manuals for both sports are available on the Officials page. New officials and those who didn’t officiate during 2020-21 also must complete the online MHSAA Principles of Officiating course, also available on 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.
PHOTO by Jamie McNinch.