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4,200 Games as a Ref
Mr. Shank has been a referee for 22 years. “It is the same amount of preparation to be
a ref as an athlete,” he says.
By Thomas Rebar
Staff Writer
Mr. Shank was reffing a soccer game at Ursinus College four years ago, and a player broke away from his defender and sprinted to the goal. The defender was desperately trying to catch up.
"The defender grabbed the offensive player’s shorts, which fell down. The player tripped over his fallen shorts, and fell,” Mr. Shank recently recalled.
Fortunately, the player was wearing a pair of compression shorts, “which really didn’t reveal anything,” Mr. Shank said, and “I awarded a penalty kick to the offensive team.”
Mr. Shank is Woodlynde’s Dean of Students, but he’s also a referee, having reffed over 4,200 games over 22 years.
Before he became a ref, Mr. Shank coached several Woodlynde sports.
When asked why he became a ref, he said, “I want to stay involved in all the games, and I thought I had the right stuff necessary to being a ref. Another reason why I chose to become a ref [was] because I saw some bad officials, and I thought that I could do better, and get back in to sports.”
Students may notice Mr. Shank sometimes leaving the building in his black and white ref uniform before the school day ends.
“It works out, because I leave between 2:15-2:30, and any study halls that are assigned after are pushed off until the next day,” Mr. Shank said. “I have been fortunate enough that my heads of school have allowed me to leave school early on most days because they support my reffing career.”
Mr. Shank’s favorite sport to ref is boys’ lacrosse. When asked why, he said with a smile on his face, “Because the skill level is much higher compared to other sports. Also, it is fast-paced, and for some reason, reffing [it] just comes naturally to me.”
Boys’ lacrosse may come easy to him, but then there is basketball, which is the hardest sport to ref, because, “Everyone is in a compact space. The court is small, the benches are right next to the court, the scoreboard is really close, and you have 13 people [10 players and 3 refs] on the court at one time.”
Even though there are three refs, watching all the athletes at one time can be a challenge, he said.
According to Mr. Shank, the fans don’t understand what really goes on behind the scenes. “People who are just spectators have no idea how much work it takes to become an official. A lot of preparation and study goes into it.”
Because Mr. Shank refs four sports (soccer, basketball, boys’ lacrosse, and volleyball) at the high school level, he does four times as much preparation as refs who officiate a single sport. He also has to make sure he has all of his reffing gear, which includes his uniform, watches, cards, and other items.
In addition, at the college level, which he used to ref, there is a referee test and a physical fitness test every year.
Being a ref means having to take care of yourself, as well, by eating right, sleeping enough hours, and staying hydrated. “It is the same amount of preparation to be a ref as an athlete,” Mr. Shank said.
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Woodlynde School is a private, co-ed college prep day school located in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that serves intelligent, talented students with learning differences in grades K - 12. Woodlynde provides a comprehensive, evidence-based Kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school program in a challenging yet nurturing environment for students with average to above average cognitive abilities (IQ) who have language- or math-based learning differences (such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia or Dyscalculia), Executive Function Challenges, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Auditory Processing Disorder. Even for those students without a diagnosed learning disability (LD), Woodlynde offers expert and caring teachers in small classroom settings that support academic success. Woodlynde School also offers a post-graduate (PG) program in partnership with Rosemont College as well as a regional Summer Camp for students who learn differently.
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