Sports officials meet standards on, off court

In response to the Jan. 23 letter by Sarah Olsem about high school sports officials, I want to clear up several inconsistencies:

l Officials have three attempts to pass the open book exams.

l Officials pay dues to two high school associations (boys and girls) and usually to a local association as well, like the Iowa City Athletic Officials Association, www.icaoa.org.

l The state high school associations in Iowa offer annual clinics to officials; these are mandatory for new officials, and for those who work in the postseason, and are above and beyond the online rules meetings.

l Many officials pay to attend camps to better themselves; it's not just the players who wish to become the best.

l The Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union requires self-disclosure for any sex-related offenses.

l Officials strive to maintain professional lines of communication. There is little “whim” involved as the writer suggests. A technical foul is usually the last call an official wants to make.

Reading letters such as Olsem's creates the perception that officials are on a power trip. In reality, men and women become officials to remain “part of the game” and to do so within a set of rules. Inflammatory comments only exacerbate the crisis of a severe shortage of officials, which could limit future opportunities for student-athletes.

I would encourage anyone interested in becoming a junior high or high school sports official to contact me at josh-

berka@hawkeyesports.com.

Josh Berka

Executive secretary

Iowa City Athletic Officials Association

Iowa City