Let the officials officiate

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey
Reader Emeritus

More than 14 million people tuned in to watch the Final Four matchup between the Iowa and UConn women’s college basketball teams earlier this month, setting a new record for women’s basketball viewership. A foul called in the final seconds has drawn unprecedented ridicule in the days since, as many fans wondered aloud — and, in many cases, very angrily — whether a decision by an official led to the game’s ultimate outcome.

Such is the nature of sports, but it begs the question: What happens when the refs have had enough?

This unabashed outrage toward officials isn’t limited to high-profile, high-stakes competition. In North Idaho, youth sports organizations have been navigating a shortage of officials reflected across the nation, making it difficult to schedule events and maintain typical seasons.

Photo by Jason Duchow Photography.

“Baseball, softball and soccer have really struggled the most with low turnout. However, all sports continue to experience a shortage of officials,” said Rayna Longstreet, an official who also serves as the District 1 volleyball and basketball commissioner, coordinating refs for high school sports across the panhandle. 

“Basketball needs 70-75 officials on the roster,” Longstreet added, “and we have been operating with 58-60 for the past three years.”

Among the factors for this shortage, according to national data, is poor sportsmanship.

“Not only do people not want to sign up, but those that do often stop officiating between the first and third years,” Longstreet said. “New officials are learning and making mistakes; coaches and spectators can be unforgiving and abusive.”

Sports officials: Humans, too

If 17-year basketball officiating veteran Evan Ratcliffe could say one thing to folks who are quick to vocally criticize refs, it would be that he’s “never known an official that purposefully messed up a call.”

“There are calls that every official misses in every single game,” the District 1 referee said. “Sometimes those calls can be important mistakes, but I promise you their intent wasn’t to try and mess up the call.”

Mistakes are part of the learning process, he said, especially for new officials, so “grace and understanding” are important cornerstones of what it means to act in a sportsmanlike manner.

“I think if coaches and spectators understood how much we beat ourselves up for missed calls and how most refs are constantly working to get better at limiting those missed calls, they’d cut us a break more often,” Ratcliffe said. 

And it goes both ways.

“We as officials also need to know that coaches and spectators are human, too, and can let their emotions get the best of them in the heat of the moment,” he said. “In my experience, most of the disrespectful or rowdy actions are not a direct attack at you, but instead just an emotional response. That isn’t a justification for doing it, but it helps me let things go and not beat myself up for making mistakes.”

‘A new perspective on the game’

Before Briana Cysewski took the court as a basketball official, she hadn’t anticipated the willingness of coaches, spectators and even athletes to vocalize their displeasure with her work.

“I was taught growing up to never speak to the officials, so it wasn’t ever something I did,” she said. “I think it surprised me a little bit how comfortable some people were with yelling at me.”

Despite this, Cysewski said she plans to stick with it. 

A lifetime basketball player and mother of four, — including three kids who now play the sport as well — she found herself eager to get back on the court in a new capacity. With encouragement from her husband, Cysewski did just that during the 2023-’24 season.

“Watching them play and fall in love with the sport made me miss it so much,” Cysewski said, “so this was a good opportunity to get back into the game I love.”

She said she has gained new insights from each role she’s experienced: player, coach and official.

“Reffing gives me a new perspective on the game,” Cysewski said. “Deep-diving into the rules book has given me an opportunity to look at the game in a whole new way. It’s exciting, and so much fun.”

She said becoming a basketball referee has also helped her in everyday life.

“You have to be confident as an official. I think as I learned how to do that more, the confidence has helped me off the court as well,” Cysewski said. “As a stay-at-home mom, it’s hard sometimes to make friends. I love how this group of officials has been so welcoming and I feel like I’ve made some good friends, which is important.”

Cysewski said she has also experienced more concrete benefits of officiating, such as being “paid to get a workout”; the chance to work directly with local youth and ensure games are able to happen on schedule; and a flexible, fulfilling part-time gig she can manage as a busy parent.

Ratcliffe said he’s found similar benefits in his nearly two decades as an official, including a “sense of accomplishment being able to give back”; an opportunity to “stay busy and active” during the downtime he sees in his career as a wildland firefighter; comradery and lifelong connections with fellow refs; and supplementary income, which he has used to fund family vacations as a “thank you” to his family for tolerating his absences on several nights each basketball season.

Put me in, commissioner!

In the interest of recruiting and retaining officials, Commissioner Longstreet said District 1 is making moves to increase pay and encourage an environment in which refs want to make a career of it, as Ratcliffe has.

“District 1 is working diligently toward mitigating these issues and has really stepped up with increased game fees and an emphasis on all coaches for better sportsmanship,” she said. “Only time will tell the long-term effect.”

The process to become an official is fairly uniform across sports, and according to Longstreet, “fairly simple.” 

First, those interested should go to the Idaho High School Activities Association website and register at idhsaa.org/new-officials. Longstreet said new officials will have the typical registration fee — $47 — waived, then must complete two health safety courses and pass a background check. 

As for training, officials attend a state rules clinic hosted by the IHSAA commissioner for their chosen sport, then a minimum of two local clinics.

“Our local officiating groups within the North Idaho Officials Association provide all the training a person needs to become certified,” Longstreet said.

Getting trained is one thing, but nothing replaces on-the-job experience. Ratcliffe said new officials should stick with it for at least two seasons before considering stepping away.

“The first year or two can be a lot of new information and techniques, but it gets much easier the more games you log and the more comfortable you get. Your skin gets thicker and thicker, so the coaches’, players’ and fans’ comments don’t bother you as much,” he said. “The benefits you gain from a career of officiating, in my opinion, greatly outweigh the commonly talked about deterrents.”

As a new official herself, Cysewski is familiar with the apprehension that comes with deciding whether to wield the whistle — and the satisfaction that comes with taking the leap.

“For anyone on the fence considering becoming an official, I would say put your insecurities aside and come join us,” Cysewski said. “I was extremely nervous about starting — super insecure about my abilities — but I did it anyway, and it has changed my life.”

Those interested in officiating any sport can contact Rayna Longstreet at [email protected] and she will put you in touch with the commissioner for your chosen sport.

Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey is a writer, mother, volleyball coach and editor emeritus of the Sandpoint Reader.