Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005 | 9:36 a.m.
Another year, another new high school, and Marc Ratner is happy to hear that as far as officiating went Friday night, 2005 had a successful debut.
Ratner is the head of the Southern Nevada Officials Association, the group that provides and supervises officiating for high school athletics in Clark County. He said aside from the clocks malfunctioning at a few fields, including at Cheyenne, things went off without a hitch.
"The fields were mismarked around town, but that's part of my world," Ratner said. "The only part that really matters is health and safety."
The executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission and himself a college football line judge, Ratner said Southern Nevada is nowhere near having the problem that Northern Nevada officials have this week.
This week's Churchill County-Reno 4A football game had to be rescheduled to Thursday night because of a shortage of veteran officials.
"With the expansion of the school district, we're constantly training new officials. We need people all the time," he said. "We're constantly recruiting, and then you have to retain them."
Officials get paid between 30 and 56 dollars per game, but it takes at least three years for a new recruit to work his or her way to officiating a 4A varsity contest. The process can move faster for area newcomers who have officiated elsewhere.
Game officials also have to provide some initial investment, including attire, rulebooks and, of course, time.
"It's one thing having bodies, and it's another thing to have people that are real qualified," said Bill Garis, athletic director for the Clark County School District. "We could have enough bodies, but it doesn't mean we have enough people."
That's the problem in Reno this week, where the Northern Nevada association was uncomfortable having a less experienced crew work a 4A contest, albeit a non-league one.
Ratner said as many as 200 officials are working across Southern Nevada on a Friday night. And with Las Vegas continuing to sprawl, a new challenge has come up in scheduling crews.
"A guy who lives in Henderson, if you give him a game in Shadow Ridge, that's 35 miles one way," he said. "Our out-of-town games are just as important as the 4A, and I always have to make sure my officials understand that. The whole towns come out in Mesquite or Panaca or Beatty."
Those crowds are usually closer and a lot more passionate about the game, testing the mettle of those officiating making controversial calls.
"People don't like to get yelled at, but it's part of the sport. People have to find out about themselves, too," Ratner said.
Despite the growth of Clark County, the logistics of officiating have actually improved somewhat. The district split the basketball schedule so the 28 Sunrise and Sunset region teams alternate nights on the court, cutting in half the number of games that officials are needed. Each school hosts six contests on game night -- boys' and girls' freshmen, junior varsity and varsity.
Clark County also moved freshman and junior varsity football games to the same sites on Thursdays.
"We saved on buses, we saved on manpower, and if I was a coach, I'd want to see both games," Ratner said. "The great thing Mr. Garis did that really helped officiating is alternate Sunrise and Sunset. We can use better officials more, and we can see more people instead of everybody working on one night."
Ratner and others do go to games to grade officials, although Ratner jokes that there's usually "a lot more than one" official in the stands.
At the same time, the recruitment continues. The Southern Nevada association set up a booth at teacher orientation this year, and had about 30 people sign up to work games. There's a meeting for potential recruits tonight, with information available at www.s-n-o-a.org.
"I'd like the school district not to grow for about five years," Ratner said, referring to the long process of developing crews from new recruits. "Now it's a real big town with close to 30 high schools. The caliber of ball is getting better and better. More kids get to play, and that's what it's all about."
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