ORIGINAL STORY
OFFICIATING CAN BE FOR ANYONE
By ALEXIS DOWNIE | December 2, 2018
EAST LANSING, Mich. — “People don’t hate you, they hate the stripes.”
A piece of advice that college student and part-time referee, Eric Bach, always carries with him whenever he is at work.
“Most people don’t even see or care about the person wearing the stripes, it’s just the stripes in general that they have problems with,” said Bach. “If you look at it that way, it becomes much easier to not take things personally.”
Bach, a student at Michigan State University, has worked as an official in a variety of sports for the past seven years. Starting just before high school, he found a passion for officiating and the responsibilities of helping run a game.
“I refereed the little kids league at the local rec center on the weekends for $5 a game,” said Bach. “I absolutely loved it and would have done it for free.”
Sticking to that passion, Bach continues to work as an official, even with a tough academic schedule. He is certified to work high school football, basketball and baseball, as well as, NCAA Men’s Basketball at the Divisions II and III levels.
On campus, Bach also works with the intramural sports league as a supervisor to the officials.
Ross Winter, the Assistant Director of Intramural Sports at MSU, gets a bit of the best of both worlds through his position. Working as an official for nearly 17 years, Winter uses the skills he has learned on the field, to help in his position off the field.
“Being an official helps me educate our staff on nuances of the craft,” said Winter. “It also helps me build our program in a way that teaches the lifelong skills of officiating.”
Like Bach, Winter can officiate high school basketball, as well as NCAA Men’s Basketball and NAIA Men’s Basketball.
Winter has learned to manage the emotions of spectators, coaches and players. While it takes practice, the exhilaration and competitiveness involved in officiating games is what has kept him in it for so long.
“I have played and hung around sports throughout my life, so staying connected to sports in this way has given me all the benefits (and more) that I used to get from playing,” said Winter.
Despite all of this, becoming a referee comes with a cost. And that’s not just the heat from the stands.
The certification process entails filling out plenty of paperwork, as well as tests to demonstrate knowledge of the sports. There are also multiple fees to register with the MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association), NCAA, and various officials associations that referees may be a part of.
There is a great reward, though, that comes with the price of officiating. This includes the relationships that are made with fellow officials. Winter noted that it is a community made up of people passionate for sports.
“You’ll get the opportunity to grow as an individual, and learn skills that will help you in any future endeavor,” said Winter. “And you’ll develop relationships that last a lifetime.”
By ALEXIS DOWNIE | December 2, 2018
EAST LANSING, Mich. — “People don’t hate you, they hate the stripes.”
A piece of advice that college student and part-time referee, Eric Bach, always carries with him whenever he is at work.
“Most people don’t even see or care about the person wearing the stripes, it’s just the stripes in general that they have problems with,” said Bach. “If you look at it that way, it becomes much easier to not take things personally.”
Bach, a student at Michigan State University, has worked as an official in a variety of sports for the past seven years. Starting just before high school, he found a passion for officiating and the responsibilities of helping run a game.
“I refereed the little kids league at the local rec center on the weekends for $5 a game,” said Bach. “I absolutely loved it and would have done it for free.”
Sticking to that passion, Bach continues to work as an official, even with a tough academic schedule. He is certified to work high school football, basketball and baseball, as well as, NCAA Men’s Basketball at the Divisions II and III levels.
On campus, Bach also works with the intramural sports league as a supervisor to the officials.
Ross Winter, the Assistant Director of Intramural Sports at MSU, gets a bit of the best of both worlds through his position. Working as an official for nearly 17 years, Winter uses the skills he has learned on the field, to help in his position off the field.
“Being an official helps me educate our staff on nuances of the craft,” said Winter. “It also helps me build our program in a way that teaches the lifelong skills of officiating.”
Like Bach, Winter can officiate high school basketball, as well as NCAA Men’s Basketball and NAIA Men’s Basketball.
Winter has learned to manage the emotions of spectators, coaches and players. While it takes practice, the exhilaration and competitiveness involved in officiating games is what has kept him in it for so long.
“I have played and hung around sports throughout my life, so staying connected to sports in this way has given me all the benefits (and more) that I used to get from playing,” said Winter.
Despite all of this, becoming a referee comes with a cost. And that’s not just the heat from the stands.
The certification process entails filling out plenty of paperwork, as well as tests to demonstrate knowledge of the sports. There are also multiple fees to register with the MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association), NCAA, and various officials associations that referees may be a part of.
There is a great reward, though, that comes with the price of officiating. This includes the relationships that are made with fellow officials. Winter noted that it is a community made up of people passionate for sports.
“You’ll get the opportunity to grow as an individual, and learn skills that will help you in any future endeavor,” said Winter. “And you’ll develop relationships that last a lifetime.”