The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.
by Maxwell Lowe
Sports Editor
Every soccer game needs a referee. When there isn’t a referee, a team can’t play the game. Not playing games makes the already compact soccer season even shorter.
The girls and boys teams have had games canceled for similar, but different reasons. Since the beginning of the boys’ season, they have faced many OHSAA referees striking primarily for lack of pay. While for the girls, they only have been affected by the referee shortage towards the end of their season for “unknown reasons” says Linsey Rentzsch the girls JV coach.
Many athletes think issues like ref shortages don't affect them, however, Mike Crosky, the Varsity boys head coach, says “it’s disappointing that the ref association would use those kind of tactics [in terms of striking].” Many JV teams lose game opportunities and playing time because there are no refs but they also lose the experience of playing in highschool. Crosky mentioned that the strike could “potentially detract young student athletes from that opportunity to compete”. His anger is justified when players are losing valuable experience with their limited time at Bradley just “so [the refs] can make a few more bucks”(Crosky). It is truly hard to see athletes face the repercussions because the OHSAA and refs can’t agree on a solution.
Many don’t consider the consequences Athletes face after canceled games. The games that are getting canceled could've been one a college scout or long-distance relative were coming to watch. On the other hand referees are fighting for their income that hasn’t been negotiated since 2018, which is important as inflation rises.
Playing the sport they love and cherish is one of the most important things to these student athletes. Jalen Henry (10), boys JVA captain and varsity swing player explains that the ref strike is “preventing me from playing the game and it's not allowing me to play and get better as a player.” He continues to explain how “without games we can’t perform and that's pretty frustrating for everyone … only practicing you're not going to really get better in games” While Beckett VanSteenvoort (9) a JVA starter shares how “he doesn’t believe it’s affecting his teams performance day to day besides making a more compact schedule for later in the season.” He also shares “the frustration of getting a game canceled at the last minute but understands why they are doing what they are doing. And the team is frustrated when missing games as well.” Within one team there are many opinions and views, but one thing they can agree on is that it’s very frustrating for a game to be canceled, especially with short notice.
The competitiveness is one of the hardest parts of the game. Rentzsch agrees and says, “we’re still trying to keep that [competitive spirit] alive because it is tough when we are just going through the motions and drills.” Many Bradley teams are struggling with the same issue. Rentzch continued by saying, “You still want to have that competitive spirit, we try to do games and make it fun and [while] making sure we are still staying focused and I think it’s just a good reminder of how you carry yourself on the field can affect whether refs want to come ref your team.”
Addison Rooney (9) girls JV captain says, the late notice for these game cancellations has “really messed up our schedule” causing some weeks to have zero games and others to have three. The unpredictability is really hard while being a student athlete especially when games are being canceled on the day of, due to referees not wanting to come to the game.
As the season begins to wind down, it is important to remember that there are hills and valleys to being an athlete, which includes many uncontrollable factors. Be ready for whatever comes, no matter what the circumstance may be.