Red Flag Raised as Referee Ranks Drop : Officials: Finding enough qualified people is ever-increasing problem at events throughout Orange County.

Joe Samuel, who lives in semi-retirement in San Juan Capistrano, sits in the front row as an instructor lectures in the auditorium of Cerro Villa Junior High School in Villa Park.

Samuel is one of about 50 aspiring referees attending the opening meeting of the Orange County Basketball Officials Assn. in preparation for the coming season.

Bill Ross, athletic director at Santa Ana, passes out materials and welcomes the group. The turnout is higher than expected, and that’s good news at a time when the number of officials in every sport has dwindled over the past five years.

Samuel, 51, who played basketball in high school and college and recently started officiating grade-school games, is beginning the required course that will lead to assignments for freshman and sophomore basketball games throughout Orange County starting next month.

“I look at the group of rookies and it’s encouraging,” said Greg Willard, a member of the organization for 14 years. “But the telltale sign will be how many of those guys are still here in five years.”

Last year, there were 30 aspiring referees in the rookie class, but only 14 returned to work this season. The turnover rate is a major concern among the group’s longtime members.

Some fear the lack of qualified officials is beginning to have an impact on competitions. They remember when two or three officials worked some events, and point to the same games and matches now being officiated by one person.

“The bottom line is that we just don’t have enough referees to do a good job in the county’s high schools,” said Speedy Castillo, Orange County’s assigner for football.

One of the problems in recruiting officials can be traced to the pressure of performing in a hostile environment, officials say.

“Officials are authority figures, and there tends to be a measure of resentment toward authority figures . . .,” said John Keating, a basketball referee and physical education teacher at Los Amigos.

Keating, who has officiated for 25 years, has seen a gradual attitude change toward officials in the past 10 years, and it bothers him.

“The kids are more smarter, more aware of what’s going on, and they question everything,” Keating said. “Most of the coaches are fair, honest guys. The majority of the kids are great to work with. But it’s unfortunate that a small few are driving some referees out of the business.”

The hassles are discouraging, but the hours are sometimes worse. Aspiring officials sometimes face a probationary period of three to five years officiating on the freshman and sophomore levels before graduating to varsity games.

At one time, Ross said, about 80% of the pool of officials were teachers, who were able to work in the afternoons, when freshman and junior varsity games are often played.

But Ross says teachers no longer make up the majority of officials, and scheduling is now a problem. “Those who have other jobs are having problems getting off at 3 o’clock to referee a game,” Ross said.

Money also is an issue. A varsity official in most sports is paid $10-$12 an hour. That’s a good part-time job for a college student, but most veteran referees say they are not officiating for the money.

“It’s a great college job,” Willard said. “ It’s unfortunate that we don’t have more young referees. I realize that a lot of young guys get discouraged, but officiating is like anything else. You have to really put in the time if you want to advance.”

Violence is yet another issue. According to Melvin Narol, a legal columnist of Referee, the trade magazine for the 10,000-member National Assn. of Sports Officials, there are at least 100 publicized cases a year of officials being assaulted during youth games.

The confrontations range from pushing and shoving to serious assault. A football player at Palmdale High recently assaulted a referee during a game against Saugus that resulted in a forfeiture and the player’s suspension from athletic competition.

“I’ve never been close to that type of situation in my 25 years of officiating,” Keating said. “But I have to admit the possibility of an incident like that is in the back of my mind more than ever before.”

There are issues in particular sports that affect the supply of officials.

For example, the pool of officials for baseball games has diminished to the point that Southern Section administrators are calling the numbers a “crisis situation.”

A typical baseball game is played in about 2 1/2 hours. A girls’ softball game often ends an hour earlier, yet the difference in pay for the two sports is $5. Many qualified people are electing to officiate softball games.

Recruiting officials who specialize in sports such as water polo and volleyball also is a problem, partly because many former players who stay involved in the game choose to go into coaching. As a result, volleyball coaches have often used other players as line judges for a match. The responsibility can potentially become too much for a student.

“I notice a lot of coaches are using their varsity players in the games (as line judges),” said Charlie Brande, volleyball coach at Corona del Mar. “You need someone with maturity.”

Making the transition from player or coach is not always so easy as it would seem. Steve Donahue, 30, a rookie referee from Washington now living in Seal Beach, found he had a lot to learn when he became a football official.

Donahue played football at Washington State and later became an assistant coach under John Hangartner at Kennedy. He thought he knew the game.

“I played the game, but I never knew the rules until I took the time, sat down and read the rule book,” he said. “The biggest misconception coaches have, especially on the freshman and sophomore levels, is that they know the game. I would say that 75% of them don’t know the rules, but that doesn’t stop them from yelling at a referee when they think they’re right.”

Despite the problems and pressures, some people are still drawn to officiating.

Willard, 30, is the pride of the Orange County officials’ organization. Last year, he became the second-youngest official in the National Basketball Assn. He remains an active high school football official in the fall.

Two weeks ago, Willard worked the Pacifica-Garden Grove game in front of 600 fans at Bolsa Grande High. That’s a far cry from the 17,505 who pack the Forum when he officiates a Laker game. But for Willard, the prep game was just another day at the office.

“It’s still officiating, no matter what level you’re working on, no matter what the competition might be,” he said.

“You’re going to have good nights and you’re going to have bad nights. You have to be patient. Eventually, you’ll make your mark.”

WHAT THEY’RE PAID Southern Section officials’ fees for the 1989-90 school year:

Type or level of official Day Night FOOTBALL Varsity (Three-Five Officials) Referee $42 $45 Others $40 $43 Other levels (Three-Four Officials) Referee $40 $43 Others $38 $41 BASKETBALL Varsity $35 $38 Others $30 $33 BASEBALL Varsity One Umpire $48 $51 Plate Umpire: Crew of Two $40 $43 Base Umpire: Crew of Two $38 $41 Other Levels One Umpire $46 $49 Plate Umpire: Crew of Two $38 $41 Base Umpire: Crew of Two $36 $39 TRACK One-Level Meet $39 $42 Two-Level Meet $43 $46 Three-Level Meet $51 $54 VOLLEYBALL Match (Two of Three) One Official $35 $38 Two Officials $32 $35 Match (Three of Five) One Official $55 $58 Two Officials $36 $39 WATER POLO Single Game $27 $39 Doubleheader $37 $40 Tripleheader $47 $50 SOFTBALL Varsity One Umpire $43 $46 Plate Umpire: Crew of Two $36 $39 Base Umpire: Crew of Two $34 $35 Other Levels One Umpire $41 $44 Plate Umpires: Crew of Two $34 $37 Base Umpire: Crew of Two $32 $35

NOTE: Night pay applies to events after 4 p.m. and all day Saturday. SOURCE: Southern Section 1989-90 Blue Book