KALAMAZOO, Mich. — At their annual football clinic meeting, over 160 area officials gathered in Kalamazoo.
The Kalamazoo Officials Association gathered to meet before the start of the 2023-2024 school year. They reviewed new rule changes for this season, expectations for games and also learned more about handling stressful situations on the field.
Grandville native and current Big 12 referee, Michael Vandervelde was the keynote speaker Saturday morning and was thrilled to see such a big turnout.
Michael says, "It's incredible to see 160 officials coming out here, spending a Saturday to learn a little bit more about the game. I think to see the dedication and the drive that each one of these officials are displaying today is fantastic and just something that not many people know about and really cool to see that."
MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl also was in town for the event. He worked with the refs to shed light on how to better the tough situations that happen on the field and how to work better with players, coaches and fans.
Mark says, "You know it's not only knowing the rules of the game better and the way to cover the field better, but really most of officiating is handling people and handling stressful situations and a big part of today is really giving our officials the people skills to be able to manage and handle coaches as effectively as possible."
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