John’s Journal: Sports Are Returning And Officials Are Ready

Greg Ewing has been a high school wrestling official for 30 years and has worked at nine state tournaments. His “normal” job is principal at Red Rock Central in Lamberton, but describing anything as “normal” under the shadow of Covid-19 can seem like a stretch.

However, with winter sports practices allowed to begin Monday and competitions cleared beginning Jan. 14, Ewing is one of hundreds of MSHSL officials who are anxious to get back to work … even if it will not be quite normal.

“Everything will be based on the safety of the kids,” Ewing said. “I am definitely going to be wearing a mask and I’ll have an electronic whistle in my hand.”

Officials in all winter sports will wear masks, and electronic whistles are on option for those choosing to use them. Coaches and sideline workers also will wear masks in all sports, as will athletes in basketball and hockey; those decisions have been made by the Minnesota Department of Health, which is expected to announce how many spectators will be allowed before games resume.

For officials, simply returning to the sports they love is a major relief as 2021 begins.

“It’s a very different year. With everything else being shut down, I feel like life is just very different,” said Becky Blissenbach, an MSHSL regional coordinator for dance officials who has been officiating for 16 years. She teaches math at St. Cloud Tech, which means she has been teaching from home, with her husband also working from home and their children doing schooling from home.

“It’ll be fun to get back out and see what’s out there, and kind of wrap our head around what this is supposed to look like,” she said.

Dance and the other indoor winter sports – girls and boys hockey, girls and boys basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, boys swimming and diving – will indeed look different.  The outdoor winter sports, Alpine and Nordic skiing, will face fewer challenges but everyone involved will be required to wear masks. Locker rooms for teams and officials are not recommended, and practice and competition areas and equipment must be sanitized. No scrimmages, jamborees or tournaments will be allowed; sports like wrestling, gymnastics, dance and skiing can have no more than three teams competing together at the same time.

Some officials have chosen to sit out the winter season for reasons that include fear of Covid-19 and required use of masks. In the Gopher State Officials association, whose approximately 225 members officiate basketball, baseball, softball and football, around 50 officials are planning to sit out the basketball season. And 10 to 15 percent of the members of the Minneapolis Hockey Officials Association also are opting out this season.

“Some of these officials are in their mid-60s and they don’t want to wear a mask,” said Mike Elam, president of the Minneapolis Hockey Officials Association.

Tim Litfin, a veteran official who has worked baseball, football and basketball for decades and is a member of Gopher State’s board of directors, said when he hears complaints about masks, “Wake up and smell the coffee, this is a great thing. Kids get to play and we get to officiate.”

“I look forward to getting back on the court but I certainly want the kids to be safe and protected,” Litfin said. “I tell other officials the glass is half full. If they’re on the fence, I ask them to give it a try.”

Jenni Smith, who was a high school gymnast and became an official in her first year of college, has been an MSHSL official for 18 years and has worked at 11 state tournaments. She said she expects the 2021 season to be “close to normal, and I’m definitely using air quotes with ‘normal’ right now. … everybody (not competing) needs to wear a mask. But I’m pretty grateful that the gymnast does not have to wear a mask when performing or competing. We want to see them smile; that’s part of judging, the artistry in gymnastics.”

“We really just need to be flexible and stay positive. I’m thankful that sports are moving forward. I officiate for the gymnasts, I want them to have the best experience possible.”

Multi-sport officials have gone through strange times, beginning with the sudden shutdown of the state basketball tournaments in March. No spring sports were held and fall sports experienced a shortened season with no state tournaments. Litfin, for example, would work 35 baseball games in a typical spring and 40 to 50 basketball games each winter. He worked 11 football games in the fall and had three others called off due to Covid-19.

“This is my lifeblood, and when we got to (start football) I was one of the happiest refs around,” he said.

Officials are being instructed to have no physical contact with coaches or players, meaning no pregame or postgame handshakes or fist bumps. That will be more of a challenge in a sport like wrestling, where officials won’t raise the hand of the winner after each match. And it goes beyond that.

“The hardest thing for us will be no touching the kids in any way,” Ewing said. “Sometimes a simple hand on a shoulder can stop something that could be potentially dangerous. We’ll have to be very vocal as officials.”

As for masks, Ewing said, “You hear other states are doing it and you see examples that it’s working. I say let’s give it a try.

“We’re looking forward to being ready to give the kids the best experience when we get back. That’s ultimately what this is all about, the kids.”

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

John’s Journal: A Wrestling Dream At Minneapolis North

 

When Minnesota high school wrestling fans think of current dominant programs, Minneapolis North isn’t on anyone’s list. A young first-year head coach is working to change that.  

North certainly has a solid wrestling history … just not much recent history. Richard Chakolis, who coached the Polars from 1969 to 1996, had a record of 263-145-2; the only other North wrestling coach who had more wins than losses came in the 1940s and 1950s, when Ted Lange’s record was 42-20. Since the 2000-01 season North has a cumulative dual record of 24 wins and 287 losses.

The last North wrestler to advance to the state tournament was Kenyan Porter in 2018. Previous to that, Carlton Littlejohn went to state in 2008 and 2009, Ronald Buck did so in 2006 and 2007, and Thomas Ray got there in 2003. The last Polars to finish on the podium at state were second-place finishers Evan Blanks in 1998 and Darnell Green in 1997. Eight others have placed from third to sixth at state since 1971. North has never had an individual or team state championship.

As waiting continues before the delayed 2020-21 winter season begins, new head coach Malique Trumbo is anxious to get started. He is the 10^th head coach in school history since North’s first wrestling team in 1946-47.

“I’m an advocate of wrestling, how it builds people, but I’m more an advocate of inner-city wrestling,” said Trumbo, 24, who was hired in late October. “There are so many talented kids in the Minneapolis community.” 

That talent has been apparent on the prestigious North football and basketball teams for years, and Trumbo wants to take the wrestling program to a similar level. Last year’s team finished with a roster in the low single digits, and more than 20 kids have registered for this season. That’s a strong start.

“I am very passionate about building inner-city wrestling and providing youth the opportunity to participate in wrestling, do well and help kids achieve their dreams,” said Trumbo, who wrestled at Bloomington Jefferson and York College in Nebraska.

“My goal is to help kids become successful human beings. I want to help break family generations of kids not going to school and kids falling into the streets and getting in trouble with the law and not being successful in school and life. I want to change that.”

One of his first steps was initiating a Go Fund Me campaign to raise donations for the wrestling program as well as a new non-profit Polar Wrestling Club, with a goal of providing year-round wrestling activities. (Link:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-north-minneapolis-wrestling )

The goal is to raise $2,5000. Included in that amount is $1,400 needed to provide the team with warmups, $400 for headgear and $200 for food on the day of meets.

Trumbo, who wrestled and played football in high school, always knew he wanted to be a head coach under the right conditions.

“I just wanted to be a head coach,” he said. “I didn’t want to take over someone’s program and someone’s culture. I wanted to start fresh and build something, build a program, a culture and a tradition.

“My biggest coaching style is loving the kids. I feel if you love the kids, everything else will fall into place. Unconditional love, that’s important to me.”

He has put together an eclectic coaching staff that includes Minnesota state representative Raymond Dehn, former Concordia University-St. Paul football captain Andrew Capirchio, law-enforcement professional Ryan Rosevelt, and 1989 North grad and previous assistant coach Norman Alston.

Jay Grady, a senior captain who is preparing for his fourth season on the team, said the previous largest roster consisted of around 10 wrestlers.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “I can’t wait for the year to start. This is by far the biggest.”

Another senior captain, Jamario Roberson, is a football player who is wrestling for the first time since middle school.

“I felt like it’s a good program to go into and help the program grow,” he said. “I want to finish out with a bang and do as many sports as I can.”

Of Trumbo, Jamario said, “He’s a good coach. I think he can take this program pretty far and have it turn out like football and basketball.” 

That’s one of the goals: bring the Polars program to a high level.

“Give us a few years to build the culture,” Trumbo said. “That’s why I’m at North. 

“The goal is to change the persona of what Minneapolis North wrestling is all about, to bring that dominance back to Minneapolis and to North in particular. The wins and everything else will come naturally from that dedication to be better versions of themselves.”

Right now, the Polars are waiting for the Covid-19 sports shutdown to be lifted by Gov. Tim Walz. When that happens, they will be ready to go.

“Once we’re given the green light, we know what the guidelines will be and we’ll be ready on day one,” Trumbo said. “We have practice plans set up. As soon as that light turns green, we’ll be ready.

“The number one goal is to have a season of some type. I don’t care if it’s five or six weeks, I don’t care if there’s a postseason. One of the biggest goals to take away from this year is retention. We want to build off this year. We should have 20 guys back next year and if they each bring one more guy, we’ll have 40. The goal is to change the persona of what Minneapolis North wrestling is all about, to bring that dominance back to Minneapolis and to North in particular.”

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

John’s Journal: Remembering Jimmy Robinson

 

For three decades, there was a behind-the-scenes routine after nearly every girls and boys basketball state tournament game. It involved officials, who were visited in their locker room after the contests. When the officials exited, they were often met by officiating colleagues who almost always posed the same question, “What did Jimmy say?”

Jimmy was Jim Robinson, who was the MSHSL’s state coordinator of basketball officials since 1991. He died recently at age 88, serving in his position with the MSHSL until the end. Jim was a history-maker, a barrier-breaker, a giver and a soft-spoken advocate for basketball and officials in every corner of Minnesota.

“He was that icon. I don’t know of anybody who had more of an influence on basketball officials in Minnesota than Jimmy,” said Jim Weinzierl of Park Rapids, veteran official and a regional coordinator of basketball officials.

“The guy lived in the gym. He was in a gym three or four nights a week to watch referees and kids. You’d ask Jimmy about an official, ‘Do you know this guy?’ And he had an immediate answer for very official, hundreds of them. He knew them all.”

That was Jimmy’s job, and he took it seriously. He watched games from the start of each season through the state championship games, jotting down notes as he watched officials, consulting with them after games, and making friends everywhere he went.

It seemed like everybody knew Jimmy. Former Apple Valley star and current NBA veteran Tyus Jones Tweeted after learning of Robinson’s death, “RIP Mr. Robinson. Since I was an 8th grader we would have great conversations every time we were in the gym together. Supported me from day 1 and I never took that for granted. You will be missed! MN Legend.”

Jimmy was a 1951 graduate of Mechanic Arts High School in St. Paul, graduating in three years instead of four and inducted into the National Honor Society. Although initially discouraged about attending college by a high school counselor, he attended the University of Minnesota, Metropolitan State University and Bethel College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Youth Studies along with a related master’s degree.

He contributed to the community and its youth in many ways in St. Paul and beyond. Since 1967, Jimmy served as executive director of operations and development at Summit University Teen Center, also known as The Loft. He worked with kids, families and groups to deal with issues of upbringing, athletics and recreation, education, employment and occupational opportunities, neighborhood justice, housing, social services and social justice, juvenile crime, and the court and justice system.

Jim was a leader from an early age. He was the first African-American named the city’s student school patrol leader. As a teenage he was voted mayor of the American Legion Boys State program, the highest honor awarded at the youth training summit.

He was in high school when he began working as a sports official, working youth games at Hallie Q. Brown Center in St. Paul. Within a few years of graduating from high school, Jimmy was officiating basketball and football games in the Twin Cities and around the state. Focusing on basketball, he began working college games and in 1971 became the first African-American to officiate the MSHSL boys state tournament. He went on to officiate at six other boys state tournaments, and since 1971 every state tournament has included African-American officials.

In 1971 he also was selected as a Big Ten basketball official, becoming one of the first African-Americans to work Division I games. His officiating career was derailed by a knee injury after 16 years in the Big Ten but he continued to contribute as an evaluator of officials for the conference.

For nearly 30 years Robinson contributed mightily to high school basketball in Minnesota, working as the MSHSL’s coordinator and supervisor of officials. In addition, he served on the MSHSL board of directors and was inducted into the MSHSL Hall of Fame in 1993 as well as the Minnesota High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. He received the NCAA’s Living Legacy Award during the Final Four in Minneapolis in 2019.

Carl Britt, a retired official now living in Las Vegas, joined other veteran Minnesota officials on a Zoom call after learning of Robinson’s death. “I got very teary-eyed,” he said.

“To talk about Jimmy is like talking about not just a mentor but a dad,” Britt said. “Jimmy expected all of us to act in a way that you would be respected in the community. He told me, ‘You never know who sees you. Once you get out, you may not know people in a restaurant but I guarantee you people will know you and how you carry yourself.’ ”

Jimmy understood that officiating meant more than what happens during games. He was a stickler for not only rules but also mechanics, and stressed those things when he met with officials, whether it was at a clinic or after a game.

M.J. Wagenson of Pine Island, who in 2016 became the first female official at the boys state basketball tournament, talked about how Robinson and Dewey Mettler of Mankato, a now-retired officiating coordinator, worked with officials.

“Dewey and Jimmy, their word was gospel,” she said. “If they told you to stand on the X, you stood on the X. They were the epitome of rules and mechanics, they were the guys.”

Wagenson also talked about the postgame meetings with Robinson after state tournament games.

“Officials would wait for each other after games and the first thing they said was, ‘What did Jimmy say?’ We wanted the best for each other, and Jimmy was the guy who came in with the notebook and sat down. He wanted to know your opinion first, then he gave his opinion and it was a learning experience. It might not have been the most comfortable situation every time but you always learned and got better from it.”

Steve Makowske of Brooklyn Center, who worked closely with Robinson for the last several years and succeeds him as the state basketball officiating coordinator, recalled meeting Jimmy more than three decades ago when Makowske was a new official.

“He was sitting at a game and he came in afterwards, wanted to know who I was, what association I was with, and I gave him all that information. One of the veteran guys said, ‘That’s Jim Robinson, he’s the state coordinator.’

“Probably 10 or 12 years ago he said to me, ‘You and I are pretty much on the same page and I’ll need to be replaced at some point.’ ”

Makowske and Robinson began watching games together and Robinson attended an officiating clinic that Makowske set up. “He said the clinic was very impressive and he took me under his wing. He told (now-retired MSHSL associate director) Kevin Merkle that he wanted me to replace him. Kevin said to me, ‘Jimmy has talked to me and I concur. We’d like you to be the next state coordinator.’ So over last eight or nine years I’ve been doing pretty much everything with Jim.”

MSHSL associate director Lisa Lissimore, like Robinson a native of St. Paul, knew him well for decades. Lissimore is the director in charge of girls basketball and the girls state tournament.

“Jim’s legacy of service and leadership will be greatly missed by the Minnesota State High School League and the basketball officiating community,” she said.  “Jim has mentored, trained, and evaluated officials from every corner of the state. He leaves behind a trail of excellence that invites us all to follow.”

Jason Nickleby, the MSHSL coordinator of officials, began officiating when he was in high school and now works as a Big Ten football official. He knew Robinson from a young age and said his legacy will be carried forward.

“In the last two or three years I think he reached a sense of peace and calm about where the officiating program is from a basketball perspective,” Nickleby said. “I think he had shared his wisdom and philosophy with people that could carry it forward and he knew it was in a good place. Steve’s charge and my charge and our regional coordinators’ charge is to carry that vision forward.”

--A patch honoring Robinson is being developed for basketball officials to wear during games.

--To honor Jim Robinson, the MSHSL is collecting notes of thanks to him, which will be forwarded to his family. Anyone wishing to contribute can send an email to officials@mshsl.org

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

Jim Robinson (sitting, second from left) was inducted into the MSHSL Hall of Fame in 1993. Also inducted that year were Kermit Anderson, Willetta “Pinkie” Brown, Martin Carter, Edwin Cooper, Paul Krueger, Alan Raitor, Dick Seltz, Velma Teichroew and Ruth Westrom.