The best boys’ and girls’ teams from 13 states battled it out at Ankeney Park and Beavercreek in a bid to move on to the national championships in Overland Park, Kan., on July 20.
However, they were not the only ones.
There were more than 200 referees from all over Region II hoping to go all the way, too. They included two Southern Indiana officials, who were part of a Kentucky delegation.
Bob Snook of Floyds Knobs was head of the delegation, while New Albany’s Heinz Pedolzky traveled as an assessor and referee.
“Going into regionals, all referees aspire to — and expect to — work final matches and go to nationals,” said Snook. “There were roughly 212 referees at this tourney with 24 working the finals. You do the math, but someone is going to be disappointed.”
Kentucky has a strong history of sending referees — sometimes up to six of Region II’s possible 12 — to the national championships.
This year they’re hoping for more of the same, boosted by the fact that 12 referees worked the semifinal stages in Dayton and five worked championship matches.
As a group, referees and assessors have long days.
For example, take Day 1 of the five-day long tournament, which started just after 5 a.m. with games starting at 8 a.m.
“After games and dinner, we have a series of meetings to go over the day’s ups and downs and what to correct or expect for Day 2, along with assignments for the following day,” said Snook. “It all ends up after midnight.”
As the competition progresses and stakes for teams are raised, so too is the pressure, responsibilities and expectations of referees. Day 3 is generally when most of the problems occur, as places in the semifinals are determined.
In contrast, Snook said the semifinal matches are “a breath of air,” with the levels of play generally pretty good.
“There are not as many problems, but expectations are pretty keen,” he said.
Fatigue plays a big part in the semifinals and the championship encounters, with teams playing their fourth and fifth games in as many days.
However, from a referee’s standpoint, the pressures are greater on them than on any of the teams.
“Every game is assessed,” revealed Snook. “Kentucky sent three assessors and one mentor, who works with the various referees, giving them specific breakdown and instructions.”
Assessors will work two to three games a day. After watching each game, they will hold a debriefing assessment meeting with the set of officials working that particular matchup and go over their performance, offering suggestions for corrections and improvements.
“At the end of the day, we have to execute written reports for each match and each official — that’s 12 individual reports,” said Snook. “These are used to help judge the officials and help determine who is selected to work semifinal and championship matches.
“From a head of delegation perspective, it is a very rewarding position. Since we had so many new/young referees, we worked to coach and direct these young guys and girls on what they need to improve on. They also learn the politics — what it takes to put themselves into position to be selected for nationals.
“Overall, it is a very rigorous procedure, requiring commitment, hard work and sacrifice. It is earned and deserved based on performance. Sometimes teams can get lucky and win a game. Working region final matches and going to nationals is an earned award.”
As well as assessing, Snook and Pedolzky worked a semifinal and a championship match last week, which means they were judged for their performance and awarded to work the games.
However, for Snook, the true joy of assessing and being part of the competition comes in the relationship building.
“It’s like guiding your own kids, seeing them mature and performing to earn an achievement,” he said. “It’s almost like a fraternity or sorority initiation. Your group goes through a lot of pain, tears and accomplishments together, and those relationships are special and last your lifetime.”
Pictured above: The Kentucky delegation of referees and assessors at the US Youth Soccer Midwest Region II Championships last week.
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