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The SLOA Glenn Brickey 12th Annual Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, June 14,2008 at Pevely Farms Golf Club.  Please contact Bart Castelli at 314-712-7474 for information.  We certainly will take donations, plus we are looking for hole sponsors ($50).  Please Click below for the registration form.

Click Here . . . . . .

 
 

 


Tuesday, July 15, 2008 1:19 PM CDT

 

 
 
 

Bruce Hook is a dying breed.

Like a lot of average-sized high school joes, Hook was crazy about football. He wasn't the biggest or the strongest or the fastest kid on his Bolivar High squad.

But that didn't matter to him. When Hook set foot on the gridiron, he just came alive."There was just something about the game that pulled me in," Hook said. "I couldn't get enough of it."

But when their prep careers came to an end, guys like Hook, who weren't built for the college game, had no outlet for their passion for the pigskin.

"I loved playing and just wanted to get back into it," Hook said.

So Hook became a high school football official. And as he figured, Hook was hooked.

After 35 years and too many games to count, Hook, who will be 63 this month, is still going strong. A few years back, he retired from his job in sales with Proctor & Gamble. But every Friday night, he's out there on a high school gridiron.

"I love it," Hook says. "It keeps me young."

Today Hook serves as secretary for the St. Louis Officials Association, an organization that trains and supplies officials for area high school football, basketball and volleyball games. While two of the sports continue to have decent numbers, football has been on the decline for some time.

"With one being the worst, right now we are at three," Hook says. "We're just barely meeting the demands. There are Fridays this year when I show no one available."

Hook said the association has approximately 180 officials, 30 to 40 who are experienced enough to serve as crew chiefs. But supply is not keeping up with demand.

"The same thing occurs in other businesses; people retire or they get transferred," Hook said. "The difficulty lies in trying to find new people to take up the sport. Everyone has so much to do in this day and age."

Though he is more heavily involved in basketball, Lutheran South athletics director Mark Probst schedules football officials for the Archdiocesan Athletic Association, ABC Conference and several independent high schools. He says it is getting tougher every year.

"In basketball, we're in pretty good shape," Probst said. "But in football, we're dying. We have more guys over 55 than under. Our key officials are getting up there in age.

"It is really difficult to fill the lower level games. Because of the lack of officials, some have to learn as they go."

On the job training may be OK in some venues, but not in high school sports. In terms of talent, the bar gets raised every year, and officiating is expected to keep up. Complaints toward veteran officials from some parents and coaches are bad enough; imagine the comments that might be directed at inexperienced ones.

Almost all of those who work as football officials do it for the love of the game. It sure isn't for the overwhelming pay. According to Hook, football officials receive about $77 for varsity games while lower level games pay $48.

Donald Meyer, a retired police officer who teaches physical education at Queen of All Saints, has been officiating high school football for 27 years. He says just like in any other endeavor, preparation is crucial. Those who think officials can just show up 10 minutes before a game are mistaken.

"You have to get prepared just like the players do," Meyer said. "We have to stretch and warm up. Every season we get a year older while the kids stay the same age."

A varsity crew consists of five officials: a referee, umpire, linesman, line judge and back judge. Officials are expected to be at the site 90 minutes before game time and are required to be on the field 30 minutes before kickoff. Hook said the latter is a National Federation and Missouri State High School Activities Association rule.

"There's a lot we have to go over with each other and the coaches," said Meyer, who has been serving as a crew chief since 1999. "Sometimes we get some pretty hot rivalries, and we have to be in control."

Meyer believes a tough job market is at least partially to blame for the dip in numbers. Potential young officials can't just leave their jobs at 4 p.m. on a weekday to work a freshman football game. Furthermore, some budding officials available on Saturdays aren't getting as many opportunities now. More schools are adding lights so their varsity games can be played on Friday nights.

Some who belong to other organizations believe MSHSAA, and in turn, the association make potential recruits jump through way too many hoops. Hook feels that isn't the case.

"I think those interested in this want to do a good job," Hook said. "Being there for five hours on a Friday night isn't too much to ask."

The only prerequisite for those looking to apply is to be registered with MSHSAA (a $45 fee) and pass a background check. Later on there is an open book test and a rules interpretation meeting, which is required for both officials and coaches. Those interested in being an official should check out the web page at stlofficials.com.

Hook said the training program, headed by officials Sean Nolan and Bill DuPont, is excellent. The last few years, Charter Communications has stepped up by offering game tapes to help with officials' training.

Hook said former NFL referees Gene Barth, Dick Hantak and Bob Wagner all were members of the organization. Other alumni now working in the NFL include business owner Carl Madeson and Bridgeton Municipal Court Judge Joe Larrew.

"Several of our members are working major college right now," Hook said. "Anything is possible. Like in anything else, you start at the bottom and work your way up...But the higher up you go, the more time you have to put in. We still have some great officials who have stuck around."

 

Article From the South County Times May 30-June 5.  2008

 


Katy Horton, Daughter Of Glendale Police Chief Richard Black, Donates Kidney To Dad
Both are in recovery after Wednesday's transplant surgery

 

 
 
 
 
  Katy Horton with her dad, Police Chief Richard Black, at Friday’s Glendale Jazz Festival. photo by Colin Dabbs (click for larger version)  

05/30/2008 - Katy Horton has given her dad, longtime Police Chief Richard Black of Glendale, the greatest Father's Day gift ever — a perfectly functioning kidney to both improve and lengthen his life.

The operation on Black and Horton took place Wednesday, May 28, with expert St. Louis University School of Medicine physicians performing the delicate procedure. Black talked about the operation shortly before the annual Glendale Jazzfest got underway on May 23, an event he and his daughter refuse to miss.

 

 

 

"This is more thanust a Father's Day gift for me," said Black. "This is Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter and Fourth of July all rolled into one. It's just so great to have this happening.

"It's hard not to get a little choked up about all this," added Black. "I get a little teary-eyed every time I start talking about it."

For her part, Horton, sees it as a no-brainer – the decision to help her dad out with a kidney transplant. Horton has worked in human resources at St. Anthony's Medical Center in South County for more than a dozen years. She talks about the operation matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't be here to celebrate his Father's Day in June if he didn't give me a birthday, so it just makes sense to help out," said Horton. "I am so grateful for all he has done for me over the years.

"It seems my dad has always had some health problems related to his kidneys, so I used to joke that, 'one of these days I am going to just have to give you a kidney, dad,'" recalled Horton. "I never really thought it could actually happen."

Horton said her dad has been low key about the need for a kidney, never ever suggesting that other family members might donate one. Even so, family members were tested for issues of compatibility, and Horton came out as the ideal candidate.

"Most of us have two kidneys," said Horton. "One of the things that was reassuring for me is that if my remaining kidney ever has any kind of problems, I'm in good position. That's because donors go to the top of the list should they ever be in need of a donor."

 


 

 
 
 
 
  Glendale Police Chief Richard Black (click for larger version)  

Glendale's Black has a condition related to the disease nephritis – an inflammation of the kidney. This medical condition can lead to reduced glomerular blood flow leading to reduced urine output (oliguria) and also dangerous retention of waste products (uremia).

Lifetime of Dialysis

"I had a kidney biopsy back in 1981 and abnormalities showed up all the way back then," said Black. "I've been dealing with this a long time, but six months ago, my doctor said I would have to go on dialysis and I might be looking at a transplant.

"I would have to stay on dialysis the rest of my life for three days a week," explained Black. "I am on it now. The way I have arranged it, I only miss two afternoons of work a week and then I do the third dialysis treatment on a Saturday."

Dialysis treatments imperfectly replace some of the normal kidney functions through diffusion (waste removal) and convection (fluid removal). Dialysis is a sort of filtering treatment to replace kidney function, however, treatments do not correct the endocrine functions of the kidney.

"The dialysis works, but I can tell a difference before and after the treatments," said Black. "I do still have some kidney function. When the doctor said I ought to look into a transplant, I was shocked to find that there are 70,000 people on the list waiting for a kidney.

"I am just very lucky that I have a supportive family," said Black. "My wife and my children all went for an examination to see if they could be suitable match-ups. It turned out that Katy was the best match-up for both medical and other reasons."

Black said his situation has sensitized him to the need to be a body parts donor at the end of life. He said he now has a living will arranged to provide organ donations – "the gift of life" – whenever that is possible.

"At 64, my parts aren't all that great anymore," laughed Black. "But whatever the medical people can salvage for use, that is fine by me. Learning so much about the need for donors because of this operation, it is the very least I can do."

High Success Rate

The success rate for medical kidney transplants has increased markedly since the first operation was performed in 1950. Black said he was told that his operation has a 95 percent success rate in the first year after completion.

"We are lucky that we have great hospitals and great doctors who can do this work in St. Louis," said Black. "It's one of the reasons to be thankful that you live in this area.

"I'm told I am going to need a couple of months of recovery time, but I certainly plan to go back to work here in Glendale," noted Black. "My daughter's recovery is going to be about three weeks. Her recovery time is shorter because it will not involve concerns about organ rejection and the potential for infection."

Daughter Katy, 36, hopes to be back in the saddle at St. Anthony's some time after that all-important Father's Day, June 15. She said she literally thanks heaven that she could be a candidate for the transplant operation for her dad, the police chief of Glendale.

"I so admire what he does and the line of work that he is in," said Katy Horton. "And I figure there is a reason that God gave us two kidneys. He gave us that extra one so that we could help somebody out with it, someone who really needs one."

(Postscript: Katy's husband, Scott Horton, on Wednesday, May 28, confirmed that the transplant operation was a success and both patients were resting comfortably.)
 

 

Suburban Journal News Articles.

 

Referees: why they do it
Love them or loathe them, you can't play without them


Monday, December 24, 2007

Rick Graefe photo/ Bill DuPont of Ellisville has worked as an official for the past 22 years. He was one of the three officials working Friday night's Webster Groves-Kirkwood boys basketball game.
 

Last week, a parent didn't like the call an official made during his child's high school basketball game. So what did this parent do? Show restraint? Cheer harder for the child's team? Sit on their hands, count to 10 and let the anger pass?

Try none of the above.

"You missed that one, Helen Keller!" yelled the parent.While the insult may come across as crass, it's just another day at the office for the referees. Officiating is the only job where you go to work and expect to make someone mad, no matter what you do.

"That's the nature (of the job)," Bruce Hook said. "But, it's not the goal. The goal is to make sure the game is played fairly."

Hook, secretary for the St. Louis Officials Association, has been an official for 34 years. A football official, Hook has heard his share of venom, from both coaches and parents. He's seen everyday, normal people, go off the deep end.

Which begs the question: why would anyone want to be a referee?

"I'm blind, I'm deaf, I want to be a ref!"

Hook says most people officiate because they have a love for the sport and want to stay involved. When your playing days are over and you're through coaching your kid's peewee team, you can continue contributing to the sport by becoming an official.

"You enjoy the game," Mark Probst said. "You want to stay around the game."

Probst, the Lutheran South Athletic Director and a basketball rules interpreter for the Missouri State High School Activities Association, is an 18-year officiating veteran. He also schedules basketball and football officials for the ABC League and Archdiocese Athletic Association and basketball for the Metro Women's Athletic Association.

He's the guy who tells which officials to go to which games at all levels of high school competition, from freshmen to varsity. The total number of referees he deals with is somewhere between 250 and 280 with 120 working varsity games.

In other words: he's constantly surrounded with the ladies and gentlemen who wear the stripes. And both Probst and Hook say there's nothing like the bond officials share with one another.

"We all have this thing we do," Hook said. "We come from all walks of life. There's no rule of thumb. Lifelong relationships are made."

There's a certain camaraderie that comes from stepping on the court or field and working a game. Unless you've been through it, you can't fully understand it.

"It becomes like a fraternity," Probst said.

Becoming an official is like joining any other club; you have to pay your dues. Newer officials get their chops working lower level games. You have to work your way up before you hit prime time.

"You work the church leagues, peewee leagues," Hook said. "You start at the bottom."

The only way to move up is to be good at what you do. To be a good official, you must posses several characteristics.

"Communication," Probst said. "Can you communicate with the coaches, kids and the scorers' table? It's huge. There are a lot of guys who can call a great game, but can't communicate."

Professionalism, hard work and a hunger to get better are all qualities of good officials.

"You have to know the rules," Hook said. "What is the intent of the rule? Not everything is cut and dried."

There are checks and balances along the way. Coaches are asked to give feedback after every game about the officials, opposing team and the crowd. Probst likes to have some of his more experienced officials show up to a game early and catch part of the lower level contest to offer feedback to the newer referees. He watches a lot of game tape and makes an effort to listen to everyone who reaches out to him about an official, good or bad.

"Unless someone is talking to you, it's hard to do," Probst said.

"You get that whistle out of a cereal box?"

As athletes become bigger, stronger and faster, officials have to keep up with the times. The games are changing because the players' skill level and athletic ability continue to improve.

Officials are moving forward, too.

"We've moved out of the Stone Age into high tech," Hook said. "We've gone from chalkboards, pencil and paper to video clips."

Through the MSHSAA, the St. Louis Officials Association has access to the Officials Education Consortium, which provides all kinds of high tech teaching tools to sharpen referees' skills.

The program allows referees to sit down and watch clips of specific plays. For basketball, you can watch nothing but block/charge calls over and over. This allows the official to study the nuances of each call, so when it happens in a game, it's easier to recognize.

"It's going to make officiating a whole lot better," Hook said.

Being in the best shape possible also helps an official's cause. With the speed of the game, the kids are moving faster and doing more than in years past.

Probst said there used to be a time when, as an official, you could catch your breath.

"You can't do that now," he said.

An official's education is constantly continuing. There are mandatory rules meetings and mechanics clinics that go over the different aspects of officiating.

Rules meetings are just that, understanding the rules and breaking down what is and isn't allowed.

Mechanics is the term used to describe the position specifics of the referee.

"Mechanics have everything to do with what you do on the field," Hook said. "It's where you're supposed to stand, where to place the ball when it goes out of bounds."

All the clinics and video clips can help, but, at the end of the day, you're dealing with human beings. People who, like everyone else on the planet, make mistakes.

"It's the only thing in sports where you expect to be perfect and improve," Hook said with a smile. "That's part of the human factor. I think coaches realize that."

"A rope, a tree, hang the referee!"

Despite what some irate parents and coaches might think, referees aren't out there to screw up your day. They didn't don the stripes and put the whistle in their mouths to show you who's boss. And, surprisingly, they are allowed to have a sense of humor, even when they're the targets.

"Some of it's funny," Hook said. "We like a good joke as much as everyone else."

Probst said he remembers when he heard the above chant for the first time. While the school's athletic director quickly went after his student section for the cheer, Probst and his crewmates about fell on the floor laughing they were so tickled.

While giving the referee the business, whether by chant, screaming or booing, has been a custom for years, Probst believes that schools, athletic directors and coaches have been really good about cutting back on the negative behavior.

"I think there's less of it than even five or six years ago," Probst said.

He says most nights, for a big game, you don't hear the individual nut in the crowd yelling their head off. And that's where, if an official is worth their salt, they want to be at the end of the day. Big games get the juices flowing for even the most veteran of officials.

"You always want to work the big game," Hook said.

Added Probst: "Referees like that, it's a blast."

Big games are just that - big. They aren't more important. Probst makes it clear to the officials he works with that no matter who's playing, varsity or freshmen, they deserve your best effort.

"The game you're working is the most important game in town," he said.

Whether you love them or loathe them, you can't play the game without them. You have to respect them, the men and women who wear the stripes.

 


Want to be on a Varsity Football Crew?

If you want to be considered to be on a varsity football crew, you must compete the form below and send it to the SLOA Secretary, Bruce Hook.  Understand that this process is being coordinated by John Schnell and is in no way a SLOA program.  Bruce Hook is only providing a common mailing address and will forward these forms on to John Schnell.  Print out the form, complete it and mail it to Bruce Hook.

Suburban FB Crew pool application

 

"B" Strong Leadership Award

 

Greg would appreciate your input on any additional student athlete 
and/or coach candidates for the inaugural "B" Strong Award 
presentation. Officials who deserve the "B" Strong recognition will 
receive those honors @ the annual SLOA spring meeting.  Currently 
two (2) coaches (Jake Parent @ St. Mary's & Todd Zell @ Rockwood
Summit) & two (2) student athletes (Paul Meyer from St. Mary's 
& Lauren Weiss from Lutheran South) are set to receive "B" Strong 
Leadership Awards.  Greg believes there are at least a couple more 
student athletes and/or coaches applicable for consideration
in the 80+ area high schools...including Metro East. The recipients 
will receive a "B" Strong pin, a "B" Strong lapel pin, and a framed "B" 
Strong Leadership Award certificate. These awards will be presented
to these folks at their school's award banquets in front of their student 
body.  The folks we reward are truly the role models we want 
to shape the future of high schools in the metropolitan area.
Please e-mail, or call Greg at 314-479-4949 with any thoughts. 
 

 

 


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