Respect the Stripes

Dear Editor, August 28th marks the beginning of another year of Friday Nights under the Lights. High school football in Wyoming is what sport should be – players and coaches, coming together, representing their town, their team, and their families (to paraphrase HG Bissinger). Opponents will compete on the gridiron over the next dozen or so weeks, all in search of that mythical thing called a state title. However, there’s a third team on the field each Friday, and they are why I pen this letter. Without referees, there is no Friday Night Lights. There wouldn’t be football on the other nights of the week either. Across Wyoming, game officials are preparing to step on the gridiron and protect the game. They’ve been meeting as associations since July. Many went to officiating training camps in June. Most (hopefully all) have been studying game film, taking rules exams, and refreshing their on-field mechanics – all due to a deep desire to represent the game and our avocation with excellence. Yet across Wyoming we are desperately short of officials, and not just in football. Don’t be surprised if your local school has a contest postponed, rescheduled, or even cancelled due to a shortage of officials. It’s happening in all classifications in Wyoming – even Class 4A! The reasons for the shortage are plentiful, but the most significant reason is poor treatment. Now Wyoming is a far cry from other states in this department – it’s pretty rare to have a situation regarding the treatment of officials boil over – but it’s still a key factor in why officials are leaving… and why roughly 80% of new officials quit within the first two years. Let’s be honest, officiating interscholastic sports isn’t something we officials do for the money. We certainly don’t do it as an excuse to be away from our families multiple nights a week. We do it so this generation of student athletes can experience those same wonderful moments between the lines that many of us had in our formative years. As this season begins my request, and my prayer, is simple: Let the players play, let the coaches coach, and let the officials officiate. I assure you, we in the latter are taking our roles just as seriously as the first two. And P.S. – we don’t care who wins. Respectfully, Tyler S. Spear WHSAA State Coordinator of Football Officials President