September 19, 2001

Refs find soccer the right calling

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       An informal survey of refs agrees: pugilistic parents are rare to non-existent at soccer games in the Traverse City region.
      For the kicking crowd on and off the field, which number in the thousands in the spring and fall seasons, the name of the game is fun, fundamentals and footwork.
      Just ask Victor Geha, a certified referee for eight years and the director of referees for Traverse Bay Area Youth Soccer, whose two children are way into soccer.
      "I used to yell at refs and finally I figured that I better learn what the game was about," he recalled. "I didn't understand the game, I had never played soccer growing up in Detroit."
      So he set out to learn, stopped being a yelling parent and now promotes soccer wherever and whenever he can. He characterizes the games nowadays as very civil and only once, years ago, did he have to escort someone off the field.
      TBAYS also requires that their referees, some 125 strong, complete the required Michigan State Youth Soccer Association certification and be recertified annually.
      Many TBAYS refs are young players themselves and often they mentor the younger teams. Studying to be a referee is a great way to improve their own soccer game while earning money doing something they love.
      "Being a ref has helped me in my game because every time a ref makes a call I know what he's saying," said Sean Noell, 14, a freshman soccer player for West High School and also a TBAYS player. "It is fun to see the kids running around and also I get paid afterward. The parents and coaches are easy to work with."
      Geha makes sure that the younger referees only work games of players at least two years younger than they are. He also helps out when necessary if a new ref needs to build up confidence.
      "It is a big responsibility, we don't every want to chase anybody away," he said, adding that TBAYS is fielding 75 teams from around the region this fall with an average of 18 players a team. "We train them and make sure they are comfortable."
      Over at the YMCA, the soccer is a more informal flavor, but the 720 kids participating on 50 teams have a great time learning.
      Games are not scored, refs are not certified and the emphasis is on playing and fundamentals. Mark Sinclair, program director for youth and teens, said the organization's laid back attitude does not extend to behavior on or off the field. The YMCA's 30 referees are there to enforce the rules of the game and, on rare occasions, a standard of conduct.
      "Remember, YMCA does stand for Young Men's Christian Association, and we want to stay in that context," Sinclair told his referees at a recent training meeting before the fall season began.
      "I tell people if you wouldn't want to yell it in church, you don't want to yell it on our soccer fields. If a coach gets frustrated and is going above and beyond what you consider a decent level of speech, you can ask them to tone it down."
      In both venues, refs are responsible for providing standard equipment, including shirt (yellow for TBAYS and black for YMCA), whistle, stopwatch and flags. Soccer cleats are optional, but experienced refs know they are a good investment - otherwise a quick turn or stop on a rainy day can lead to a wipe out.
      Working with kids, watching them develop and grow to love soccer, is one of the rewards that offset the time and money put into being a referee.
      "I referee because I like being with kids, it is great fun," said Bill Sparks, a referee with the YMCA in his fourth year as a ref. "I get to know the kids names and their parents and it is fun to watch them play. I get my fresh air and exercise."