Shortage of officials hurts UHSAA

SANDY — Schools like Dugway, Manila and West Deseret have played many volleyball matches and baseball games with just one official.

"It's frustrating," said Dugway coach George Bruce at the Utah High School Activities Association's executive committee meeting. "To drive five hours to play a baseball game and have one official, there's a problem."

The problem has become chronic for rural schools in the past few years, but a shortage of officials in soccer, volleyball, softball and wrestling is now affecting most urban schools. This year, 4A and 5A soccer games had to be postponed, and 5A's Layton High played four volleyball matches with just one official.

"We are in critical condition in volleyball," UHSAA assistant director Jerry Bovee said. "If we can grow our pool, we won't have these problems."

The UHSAA staff is planning several things to attract new officials, including open houses and advertising campaigns. Last year, officials received a pay increase, but the price of gas skyrocketed after Hurricane Katrina, causing even more officials to turn down jobs that require traveling too far from home.

The group talked about changing the mileage policy and the need to recruit officials in every community so sophomore and junior varsity contests, which pay less, are able to have officials.

"Rural areas need to find people to certify in your area to build up your pool," said Rob Cuff, associate director of the UHSAA. He also said officials are almost always willing to travel if they have advance notice and if they don't always draw the distant game.

Bovee said the UHSAA's assigning system, which assigns officials to most region and state tournament contests, has come under fire recently. The UHSAA staff will study how officials are assigned over the next six months and likely will make recommendations to the executive committee that will result in an overhaul of the system.

Gas prices may not affect just which officials are willing to hit the road.

The executive committee recommended the Board of Trustees pass a resolution encouraging schools to maintain extracurricular opportunities for students while trying to deal with increasing fuel costs.

Suggestions ranged from scheduling nonregion contests with the closest schools, increasing fees students are asked to pay to play high school sports and limiting the travel of sub-varsity teams.

Juab District is already grappling with the issue and principal Richard Durbin worked out a compromise with his school board after it imposed travel restrictions that caused some teams to cancel planned trips.