SOLVE THE PROBLEM: DON’T YELL AT REFS, BE ONE!
As we pass from fall to winter sports, it is a good time to reflect on an issue that has affected our local sports teams this past season. There have not been any local headlines about the subject, but there is a shortage of sports officials in North Idaho that has reached a crisis point. This season, there were soccer games canceled, and multiple football and volleyball games rescheduled at the high school level in District 1, which covers the four northern counties of Idaho. Many youth leagues had to cancel or postpone games due to this problem.
The decline in numbers is a national trend. The economy certainly is a factor. When the economy declines, people need extra money and officiating is a viable part-time opportunity. However, when the economy is good, then officiating is not worth the aggravation to most. I use the term “aggravation” because officiating is something that you really must “want” to do, as opposed to “have” to do in order to succeed. As a long-time football official once told me, being a ref is something you are … not what you do.
For more on this story, go to http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com/article/20161229/AP/312299983
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