October 18, 2005
The 2005 National High School Activities week continues today with Officials Day -- a time to salute and thank the approximately 500,000 individuals who serve as contest officials and judges.
Did you know?
The Illinois High School Association licenses more than 10,000 officials in twelve different sports. Many of those 10,000 individuals are licensed in more than one sport. Officials are required to take a test each year and attend a rules meeting for the sports they are licensed in. For the past four years the IHSA has sponsored an Officials Conference in July for state officials to come and take part in work shops, information gathering and sharing, as well as to attend clinics in the twelve sports that the IHSA licenses officials in.
Officials are the gatekeepers of our games, and do a great job protecting the integrity of the contests. These men and women have such an enthusiasm for the game, a concern for its participants and knowledge of not just the rules but also the trends in the respective sport. Many of our licensed officials have competed, coached, or had someone close to them involved at one time or another in the sports they respectively officiate. Officiating for most is a way to give back to interscholastic activities a small portion of what it gave so many in terms of they’re personally growth and development. So today we say thank you to our officials, and ask that everyone take a moment to appreciate the time, effort, and sacrifice that goes into being an official. For without officials the games would not be the same.