‘About to this tipping point’: Referee shortage weighs on South Dakota
Roughly 50,000 officials nationwide have left high school sports in the last 5 years
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Have you ever been in the stands at a high school sporting event and yelled at the referees for making a bad call?
Well, that’s just one of many factors that’s led to roughly 50,000 officials nationwide leaving high school sports within the last five years, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
One Midwest company is working to solve this problem by educating young people in the Mount Rushmore state.
“We’re about to this tipping point where we have a highly veteran industry that’s about to just go over the edge,” said Kyle Armstrong, founder and CEO at RefReps.
The average age of referees is 57, and many of them are looking to hang it up sooner rather than later. As a result, two years ago, Kyle Armstrong created RefReps, a company offering officiating courses with the help of longtime NFL referee Mark Baltz.
In the fall, RefReps partnered with the University of South Dakota and the South Dakota High School Activities Association to bring college courses to students in Vermillion.
“You don’t have to be a licensed official, you don’t have to have any officiating experience, the material will kind of do the work for you,” Armstrong said.
Starting this spring, students can enroll in two different two-credit classes; either officiating volleyball or officiating football. After passing either of the classes, students will have a chance to officiate high school sports, for real.
“If we can hook them up with mentors, if we can hook them up with veteran officials that work state tournaments or that have been around for several years, we really feel positive about that, that we can continue,” said Jo Auch, SDHSAA assistant executive director. “If we can keep them for 2-3 years, we’re going to keep them for a long time.”
Studies from the National Association of Sports Officials show that age isn’t the only reason why numbers are dropping; treatment of officials is also to blame.
Hot Springs Activities Director Mike Deming says this problem stems from spectators.
“There’s always an understanding of what proper sportsmanship should look like and sound like, and so we have tools as officials to help control those things,” Deming said. “What we don’t have a lot of control over is what’s happening out in the stands.”
Since RefReps launch in 2022, 42 states including South Dakota are teaching RefReps courses. That’s translated to over 19,000 new high school officials. Its one of kind “point-of-view” approach is what makes the modules unique.
“You see the game through the eyes of the officials,” Armstrong said. You hear the sounds, you feel the speed, you have to make those calls, we challenge you to make calls. And so, by the time young people get it out and actually work their first contest, it’s a little more comfortable, I felt this before, I know what this is like.”
The state activities association isn’t looking for people to drop everything and take on officiating full time. Instead, it’s their hope that people will get trained and work when they can.
“That’s the beauty of officiating, you’re an independent contractor,” Auch said. As a result, I can work one night a week, I can work two, I can work five. I can work as much or as little as I want.”
If you are interested in learning more about how to become an official in South Dakota, click here.
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