Thank you Keith for your comments...the Kids Executive Board and the State Tournaement Committee appreciate all that you do. For those who do not know, Keith was again selected to be the State Official for 2013/14.

I too have been listening to all of the comments and suggestions in this thread. Some of them have been legitimately constructive; but many have been mean spirited and outright slanderous. In any public forum there is a protocol that we should follow. When addressing officials at the table (or in a public forum) I think the more constructive and less slanderous you can be your chances of getting the result you want will increase. If you are trying to get a call overturned, your chances are diminished if you come off as hostile towards those you are petitioning. I am not saying that we as coaches shouldn’t advocate for our athletes…some of us just need to tone it down a bit. Your approach and how you make your argument will naturally impact the success you ultimately have in trying to influence a reversal of any call…no matter how right you think you are.

Personally I am not sure which side I come down on with the different suggestions that have been floated in this thread about how officials are selected for the state tournament. I am still mulling over all of the pros and cons to your suggestions. But here is what I want you to do this year. If you have a complaint or want to reward an official from this year’s tournament with a letter of commendation, please email me as much detail as you can which supports your position and copy Keith Ashpole. Over the next couple weeks, I am going to ask Keith to grade this year’s State Officials individually and as a group by District. These complaints and Keith’s grades will not be shared with the membership at large. However, prior to selecting next year’s officials, Keith and I will share both his grade and any letters received with the District director whose district selected the official last year. This way if nothing changes and we still ask Districts to send in their selections next year the District director can share this information with their district membership if they feel it is applicable to the selection process…both positively or negatively.

The bottom line is…we all want good officials and for the most part I think our officials for 2012/13 did their job. If there is a small number who were out of their element then we should try to do better in our selection process. But I will stress that it is our job as coaches, club administrators, parents, and athletes to help make the best-of-the-best want to be a part of our organization. If OUR actions both on and off the mat is counterproductive to that effort then WE are part of the problem!

Thank you!

mark.stanley.ks@gmail.com
Keith.Ashpole@viachristi.org