In the sport of water polo, not seeing everything going on in
the pool is not so good. And two eyes can only see so much.
In the sport of water polo, not seeing everything going on in the pool is not so good. And two eyes can only see so much.
It’s why the area’s severe shortage of referees – usually just one per high school game – has become quite a concern among players, coaches, administrators and yes, even the refs.
“It’s something we’ve talked about at meetings all year long,” Gilroy High athletic director Jack Daley said.
According to GHS boys’ coach Tom Clark, the situation has “gotten ridiculous.”
“There’s just no way one ref can possibly see the whole pool,” he said.
The lack of referees this year – a total of nine are assigned to cover TCAL, MBL and MTAL play – has unquestionably led to more physical play in both the girls’ and boys’ leagues, according to nearly everybody involved with the sport.
“It’s way more physical because people know they have less of a chance to be caught,” Salinas junior Maci Grice said. “They can’t see everything in the pool, so you could be getting drowned and they’d be looking at the ball.”
Grice’s teammate, Sarah Figueroa, said earlier this year she had her cap ripped off twice and had to wait about 10 minutes for a call.
According to Clark, one of his players was recently punched in the chest repeatedly while the referee wasn’t looking.
“He wasn’t called for anything,” he said. “The guy should’ve been kicked out of the entire tournament.”
In a recent tournament in Watsonville – where just one ref monitored each game – Gilroy senior Cate Pedersen came home with a large bruise and a nasty cut.
“It’s been really frustrating,” she said. “That’s where two refs comes in. You can pretty much have everything covered.”
The sport’s standard procedure is, indeed, two refs. Pedersen and the Mustangs, though, have enjoyed a full set only twice all season.
Salinas coach Patty Lamar, whose team is going through the same thing, said it often looks like “a bunch of sea lions out there rolling around.”
“It diminishes the game in that things don’t get called that should get called,” she said. “It’s not water polo anymore. We’ve taken it from playing polo to what you can get away with it, because no one is there to call it.”
Referee Andrea Cardini said she understands the frustration. A ref for six years, Cardini is now often working two locations in one day because of the sudden shortage. Having to watch the ball, she admitted to sometimes missing what’s happening elsewhere.
“It’s not fair to the players,” Cardini said. “They’re playing at the highest level. And it can be frustrating when there is not enough refs.”
Why is there not enough refs, though?
The reasons are many, said Dana Peterson of Peninsula Athletic Management, which handles the game planning for each of the three aforementioned leagues.
For one, water polo is a very specialized sport.
“It’s very difficult to train someone who’s never played the sport,” Peterson said. “That’s why we don’t get a lot of takers.”
It’s also a sport played in the middle of the afternoon.
“Most of our people have jobs or are in school,” Peterson said. “I had one football ref who really wanted to do water polo, but he got a new job and just couldn’t get off.”
Refs also drop out of water polo for various reasons. Gilroy’s Pedersen said she recently overheard two refs telling a parent that many of their fellow officials are quitting because they’re simply tired of dealing with angry coaches.
“Yes, sometimes that can be an issue,” Peterson said. “We’ve had a few come in and say, ‘We don’t need to put up with this.’ We’ve talked to the schools about how that can make it difficult to recruit.”
While frustrated, Lamar said she is sympathetic.
“I wouldn’t want to be that one ref,” she said. “I feel bad that they’re getting stuck in this situation.”
Added Clark: “As far as I’m concerned, it’s probably the hardest sport to ref. Coaches in your face and spectators and players getting all over you. I’d have a hard time doing it.
“With that said, you expect to have the calls explained to you. And I’ve found there to be a lot of guessing and assuming this year.”
In addition to better educating the public about the sport, Clark said everyone needs to make an effort to recruit new officials – noting that he and many other local coaches are running the idea by many of their former players.
“If I could get one official from each coach, I’d be set,” Peterson said.
Water polo parents are also a possibility, Cardini suggested.
“The parents make the best refs because they have been around the game,” she said.
To help ease the numbers crunch, the Blossom Valley Athletic League decided to make its schools schedule both the girls’ and boys’ game at the same site. For example, the GHS boys wouldn’t be playing at Live Oak at the same time the GHS girls were playing the Acorns at home.
“That’s great as long as the facility has lights,” Peterson responded. “But it gets dark early now and we’re talking four matches with junior varsity included.”
So for now, Peterson said the focus will turn to the offseason. In addition to coaches helping recruit, Peterson said his company will work with area club teams to help find new referees. The club games will also serve as training ground for new officials.
“It’s a little frustrating right now,” Peterson said of the shortage, “but hopefully we’ll be able to overcome it.”
Working together is key, he noted.
“I realize complaining – and it’s not malicious by the way – is just the nature of the beast,” Peterson said. “But we all just need to get together and work to find a solution.
“We all have the same goal. That’s what we need to concentrate on.”
