Breaking News
Local Sports

MIL officials stretched thin with prep season fast approaching

Football, volleyball in need of refs as several factors affect recruiting, retention

By Dakota Grossman 7 min read

Officials, referees and volunteers for Maui Interscholastic League sports are wondering how they will make it through the upcoming school year without enough hands on deck.

Maui Football Officials Association president Joe Apolo, who has been a referee for "too long," said they've lost several officials throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and is concerned about how their staff of only 10 football refs will be able to cover all the weekend games once the season is in full swing.

This is a national trend, too. According to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations, nearly 50,000 people have left the field since the 2018-19 season and don't plan to return to officiating.

"Maybe we're going to have to cut back to five on the field, so that we can get enough guys to work games," Apolo said Wednesday. "We're going to have to double up for JV and varsity, so the guys are going to work JV and varsity in the same night, so it's going to be pretty rough. ... We're going to have to do eight-man, too, now."

Apolo said he hasn't received any interest yet from potential volunteers, which "is not good," considering MIL games begin Aug. 12.

"I think guys are going back to work and they cannot get it off, and I guess some have family -- guys having children -- so they cannot come out, and I don't know, I think that's the biggest problem, is with work," he said. "I don't know. All the sports are struggling."

Another issue that many refs face is unsportsman-like conduct from the players or harassment from spectators, which may be deterring officials from returning or being interested in officiating to begin with, Apolo said.

"As you're walking out and they're cussing you down, and you know, you try to get away as fast as you can," said Apolo, who was also a baseball umpire in Maui County for many years. "People don't understand that."

Sandy Drake has about 26 years of experience, including 15 on Maui, as a club and high school coach and referee in the sports of swimming and water polo.

However, she did not return to ref this past water polo season because it "just wasn't worth it" due to the overwhelming amount of rude behavior by parents.

"Once COVID happened -- reffing water polo isn't easy -- my husband and I kind of reevaluated," Drake said Thursday. "People don't want to do it because of what's coming out of the stands, honestly. ... I did it so that the girls could have games, because without referees, you can't have a game."

Still, Drake puts hours and hours of time into helping officiate club and MIL swimming and diving meets.

"I did it to give back to the sport and be there for my kids and to support them," she said. "I'm continuing doing it even though my youngest son graduated from Seabury in 2012. I haven't had a swimmer in 10 years and there are three or four of us that are working swim meets and water polo that don't have any children that are involved in the sport anymore."

Having a minimum of six officials on deck during MIL swim meets is usually sufficient, but there's often only four people, which leaves room for missed infractions in the pool.

Sports like cross country, which begins Aug. 20, rely heavily on the same long-standing officials and MIL coaches to coordinate, host and operate a meet, as well as to recruit parents every weekend to volunteer as course marshalls or help with setting up and breaking down equipment.

"Sports are going to continue and we'll still need people to help," Maui County Volleyball Officials president Donna Fernandez said.

As of Tuesday, there were only five full-time volleyball officials, Fernandez said, which is just barely enough to cover the matches -- the sport typically needs a main referee, second referee, a scorekeeper and two line judges.

MCVO is looking for at least four more individuals to help officiate MIL matches for the fast-approaching fall season.

Even though there are occasional student volunteers to work the sidelines or the scoreboard, the majority of Maui County refs have been the same longtime, dedicated officials who will one day soon need to pass the baton.

"All the younger people have too many things to do and don't have time or say they don't have time to ref, or they don't feel confident in themselves to do it," Fernandez said.

Track and field events require an army of about 30 to 40 people to help run the Friday night meets in the spring, including ensuring compliance, checking in athletes for each event, compiling results and keeping scores, operating the race clock and finish line camera and judging field events.

Each school participating in the MIL is in charge of providing officials for each field event.

"As a head official, I've been trying to recruit people but it's very hard because it's strictly volunteer and it's giving up their time," said Allan Fernandez, who has been officiating MIL and state track meets since 1979. "I know there's a shortage in all the sports."

Ideally, there should be about 15 track umpires, but Fernandez said they averaged about five to eight this past spring.

"A lot of people have retired already," added Fernandez, 73. "I don't force them to come out. They're only volunteering and I always tell them their family comes first or whatever comes first because, you know, this is all voluntary."

But, like swimming, having fewer officials on the field and around the track makes it harder to enforce event rules and regulations.

"It's a disadvantage for the athletes," Fernandez said. "Some athletes may get an infraction and we may not see it."

It comes down to the fact that athletes in any sport "cannot compete without officials," he said.

In the meantime, to help with the shortage in football, Apolo said that MIL coaches might help officiate Maui Pop Warner games when they aren't coaching their high school teams.

"It's another way we're recruiting," he said.

Many coaches and officials also said last week that getting more former athletes or interested youth more involved with volunteering at events, assistant coaching or assistant refereeing will help to grow the sports community.

More people could get involved with volleyball by starting as linesmen and "work their way up" to refereeing as they build their confidence and knowledge of the game, Donna Fernandez said.

Allan Fernandez said the associations and schools need to engage more with the community and bring more awareness to the officials shortage via public information, as well as provide clinics to educate, train and certify people.

"Maybe if we do that, we could get more officials," he said.

However, perhaps the biggest thing anyone could do to help keep refs on the field -- and encourage others to join their ranks -- is simple: show support for the current officials that are giving their time to ensure Maui County's student-athletes are able to do what they love.

"It's a reward for me to see a kid excited and have a big smile on their face," Drake said. "That's why I do this."

Anyone interested in volleyball officiating is asked to call Donna Fernandez at (808) 268-3507 or Ke'van Dudoit at (808) 250-5674.

Anyone interested in being a football official can call Apolo at (808) 281-6481.

To learn more information about officiating or volunteering at swim meets and water polo, email Drake at sandydrakemaui@gmail.com.

To volunteer or to help officiate another sport, contact the school's athletics department.

* Dakota Grossman is at dgrossman@mauinews.com.

Starting at /week.