AIA looking for a few good men and women
Former athlete? Just love sports? Here's a way for you to get back in the game
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The state of Arizona is a growing state and with the rapid growth, there is a big need for more high school referees and officials across the state.
"Guys and gals are aging and we're adding schools, we're adding games, we need more officials," Brian Gessner, the AIA commissioner of officials for Arizona said. "We have attrition, some people will go out and try it's just not for them. Then there is the physical part of it, there's some standing and some running. People find that with age it becomes more challenging, so they'll age out, but not because of lack of passion."
Jonathan Larson, the AIA Yuma Area 9 Commissioner, says if you have a passion for sports, becoming referee gets you in the action.
"Been doing it over 30 years," Larson said. "Keeps me involved with the sport. I worked football, basketball and baseball, so I pretty much throughout the season I'm involved. It's not only just being involved with the sport, being out there with the kids and the coaches, but also that community of officials."
That community of officials also cures the craving for camaraderie that a lot of former athletes desperately was they had back.
"We spent a lot of time together both on the court or on the field and off it being preparing for games, video review, that type thing," Larson said. "I love that sense of community that it provides me."
Any man or woman who is interested in returning the the sports fields or courts will get the proper training.
"There's mechanics with various sports with signals, where to stand, how to stand, how to talk to coaches, how to talk to players, which is an acquired skill," Gessner said. "Not everybody can do that, so there's again a lot of training. The more you put in, the more you're gonna get out of it. You're an independent contractor, so it's up to you on how much you wanna commit to it. The more you commit to it, the more you're gonna get out of it, the faster you're gonna succeed.Â
Success is what you make of it. If it's officiating high school games and working your up to state tournament games or well beyond. The opportunities are endless.
"There's a great opportunity to go to the next level," Gessner said. "We've got a lot of people. In fact, a young man that works for me is an NFL replay official. We have a lot of people that have graduated, if you will, from the high school ranks and have moved on to the collegiate ranks and into the professional ranks. You can be in the officiating replay booth for for D1 college or NFL or NBA or something like that, you really have an opportunity to really grow."
For any man or woamn who would like to get involved you can contact Jonathan Larson locally at jlarson@aiaonline.org, or Brain Gessner at bgessner@aiaonline.org or visit the AIA online website.
