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From the tweet of your whistle, the game starts. Players start encouraging their teammates, students start to cheer the team on from the stands, and then there’s you, in the middle of it all. This is what some high school students get to experience when they sign up to be a referee through the new referee program implemented at Greenhills.
This program, established by Athletic Director Tom Ward, allows high school students to referee middle school games of their choice throughout the school year.
“For years, there has been a decrease in the number of officials in the state of Michigan,” said Ward. “There are similar programs like these in other schools, but this is the first time Greenhills has had any sort of refereeing program.”
The decline in younger individuals taking up refereeing has been a concern for organizations like the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). However, this problem can be solved, with programs and new referee opportunities offered.
It is not surprising that Ward specifically wanted to give this opportunity to students.
“I refereed in college,” said Ward. “It was so much fun and such a great way to watch sports. I wanted to be able to get back in the swing of refereeing to help our students who are going to give it a try. It’s been fun to get back on the court and run around with the players.”
Ward sees the program as an opportunity for high school students to grow their leadership skills, and for middle school students to witness the high schoolers actively contributing to the community.
“We are always excited to find ways to connect the high schoolers to the middle schoolers,” said Ward.
To enroll, interested students undergo an online certification course.
“We make them take a quick quiz, watch 10 plays, and make the decision for what the call is,” said Ward. “It can be eye-opening to see how difficult it is.”
Being a referee creates opportunities for people to grow, not only in their sports skills.
“One of the huge benefits of getting involved in officiating is that you learn to be empathetic,” said Ward. “Naturally, that will allow you to be a better sportsperson and to think about sportsmanship differently.”
This program comes with rewards, as well. If a student signs up to be a referee, they can either get volunteer hours from it, to complete their 10 required service hours, or, they can get paid.
Even though the program is in its trial year, Ward envisions potential growth for future years.
“If this program is successful, maybe we could meet every week as a club and talk and watch games to help each other out,” said Ward.
Abhinav Shastry ‘25 is one of the first to sign up for the program, with excitement and curiosity.
“I’ve always had this interest in sports,” said Shastry. “I grew up watching a lot of NBA and Michigan games, so it’s cool to be able to referee it now.”
Shashtry’s training program was low-stress but thorough, emphasizing the importance of making split-second and sometimes difficult decisions as a referee.
“I didn’t expect it to be easy,” said Shastry. “Coaches and parents yell a lot if they think you made a bad call, but you just have to be unbiased and not let it get to you.”
Shastry sees this new program as an opportunity to involve himself in the athletic community at Greenhills. However, he recognizes that junior year is a rigorous time of high school, and adding another extracurricular might not be easy.
“I will have to work on time management,” said Shastry. “But getting to referee games is worth it, for sure.”
As the program progresses, finding a way to measure success is key.
“The obvious metric we look at is how many students are participating,” said Ward. “Once we get going for a couple more seasons, we will learn a lot about how to best involve and support students who want to get involved.”
However, the program’s success is not measured solely by numbers but by stories of growth and discovery.
“We measure success by the individual stories of the student referees,” said Ward. “We are allowing a space for someone to discover something that they enjoy.”
This program isn’t only beneficial for high school students, however, as it captures the attention of middle school athletes as well.
Kavni Latchamsetty ‘29 is deeply involved in Greenhills athletics and believes it to be one of the most fun aspects of school.
“It’s interesting and different to see high schoolers refereeing a game, and it makes me want to do it when I get to high school too,” said Latchamsetty.
Latchamsetty believes that high schoolers being able to referee will positively impact the entire middle school, not just those who play sports.
“I think that having high school refs encourages more middle school students to get involved in sports at the school,” said Latchamsetty.
The presence of older students as referees serves as both inspiration and a connection between middle school and high school sports.
With high school students becoming role models for aspiring middle school athletes like Latchamsetty, the new referee program stands as a beacon of opportunity and connection within the vibrant sports culture of the school.
