Oct. 17—ROCHESTER — High school officials have a thankless job, but sports couldn't happen without them.
As the Minnesota State High School League adds to its list of sanctioned sports and activities, the number of registered officials in the state continues to fluctuate.
There is an ongoing push by the Rochester Area Officials Association to recruit both new and younger officials. RAOA, which "trains, mentors, and supports sports officials" in the area, covers football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball for about 50 schools.
"The high school league has a saying that, without officials, it's recess," RAOA president MJ Wagenson said.
According to data from the MSHSL, there were 8,242 registered officials during the 2015-16 school year. By 2017-18, that number bumped up to 8,334.
The number of registered officials dropped to 7,065 for the 2020-21 school year. Numbers have increased over the past few years, but have yet to return to pre-COVID levels. Last school year, 2025-26, it rose to 7,983.
The data also varies by sport or activity. From 2024-25 to 2025-26, the number of officials for baseball, football, volleyball, boys lacrosse, swimming and diving and synchronized swimming decreased.
Meanwhile, softball, basketball, gymnastics, hockey, track and field, wrestling, soccer, girls lacrosse, adapted hockey, adapted soccer and adapted softball saw an increase in officials during the same time period.
RAOA secretary/treasurer Jared Butson has been a high school and college official for 30 years. Earlier this year, he was recognized as the MSHSL boys basketball Official of the Year for 2025-26.
Butson said there is a statewide and nationwide shortage of officials due to the aging demographic and lasting effects from the pandemic.
The national average age of an official is 57, while MSHSL is 55 to 56 years old.
According to a survey published by the National Federation of State High School Associations in July 2025, the number of registered high school sports officials nationwide "remains above pre-pandemic levels and grew by 6% during the last school year."
The NFHS compiled data from 36 associations across the country showing overall official registrations reached 237,811 for 2024-25, which was up 14,432 from the previous year. There was also an 8% climb compared to 2018-19 pre-COVID figures (220,340). It is unclear if Minnesota associations were represented in these figures.
Officials show up on competition days ready to roll, but what coaches, athletes and fans don't see are the hours of time spent preparing to do the job.
Wagenson has 40 years of experience as an official at the high school and college levels. In addition to her role as RAOA president, she is a registered MSHSL official for football, volleyball, basketball, softball and flag football. She has also reffed women's college basketball for 36 years.
Wagenson was selected for the National Crew of the Year, earning an all-expenses-paid trip to the NFL Pro Bowl in early 2025. She said her off-competition days are filled with rules study.
Officials watch weekly training videos in between competition days and study film as a coach would.
"I can guarantee you this: most football crews on a Friday night are doing just as much prep during the week — three, four hours of prep, of film watching, of watching training videos, of doing a rules quiz, doing a rules study — as it takes to work that game Friday night," Butson said. "And there are a lot of people that don't understand that."
Butson said he breaks down the previous week's game and tries to learn from it during his film study sessions.
"I'm watching the officials," Butson said. "I'm seeing what the players do from a legality standpoint. I mean, is that a block charge in basketball? Is it a strike or a ball? Is it a safe or an out? Is it a pass interference? Is it a hold? Sure, I'm looking at that, but I'm really trying to look at my positioning, my mechanics. What am I looking at during different segments of the play? And what you're trying to do is you're trying to get to the root cause of why did I miss that? Well, why did I miss that hole? Were my eyes where they were supposed to be, or were they not?"
Kasey Krekling, head coach of the Hayfield girls basketball and baseball teams, is also in his 12th year as a volleyball official. In addition to completing online training, Krekling said officials must attend Zoom or in-person meetings and pay annual dues. He added they have to buy their own equipment, such as a ball pump.
Officials must complete a certain number of unpaid training sessions with a mentor before they are assigned to varsity competitions.
"There's a rubric on the RAOA website that we (mentors) use, and we have to submit after each one," Krekling said. "You have to have an 80% or above to pass. And it's based on many different things: appearance, rule knowledge, demeanor. ... Then we sit down and talk to the official. ... 'Here's your score. This is what needs to become better. This is what you did well.'"
In addition to the time commitment, lower numbers can be attributed to the scrutiny officials sometimes face during competitions.
Wagenson said visibility has increased since she started, with games being videotaped or livestreamed.
"I don't care if you're working Saturday morning fourth grade youth, somebody's got it on tape, so the scrutiny is high," she said. "There's always a lot of armchair quarterbacks. But on the flip side ... I think part of that visibility is also part of why people are a little reluctant. Because nobody wants to screw anything up. Nobody wants to make a mistake. And when you're a new official, you will make mistakes."
Wagenson added the public generally misunderstands the rules of the game, especially in football, where high school differs from college and the NFL.
As a woman in the industry, Wagenson admits her role as a football referee may not have been as well received if she began earlier than 2015, but she said she is lucky to have received as much support as she has from her mentors and peers.
She added that sportsmanship among coaches has improved because the MSHSL has educated them on how to speak and act toward officials on game day.
Butson said the MSHSL has "a very thorough training program" for coaches grades 7-12. When he's not officiating, Butson is an assistant softball coach and teacher at St. Charles, so he completes the coaching modules during the spring season.
Starting with lower-level games is also an ideal way to build confidence and get reps before tackling the bear that is varsity.
"Experience definitely helps," Butson said. "Knowing that you're in the right position, knowing the rules helps. ... You want to put yourself in the best spot on the field or the court to get the play right, and then once you blow the whistle, once you throw the flag, you've got to stick with it, and you've got to believe in it."
As an experienced official who works dozens of games throughout the season, Krekling said he earns an extra $4,000-6,000 per year, which allows him to pay for a couple of vacations.
Pay varies by sport, but for varsity volleyball matches, he said officials earn $90 and $45-50 for anything below varsity, plus mileage. Depending on how many matches he works, he brings home $150-200 per night. When Krekling works a section or state tournament, he's paid a bit more.
For Krekling, officiating is a way for him to connect with his dad, Jeff.
"We do 90% of our matches together," Krekling said. "It's been fun, something for us to do together, and it gets him out of the house now that he's retired."
Krekling added that his role as a referee gave him a new perspective as a coach.
"I definitely don't get on officials as much as I used to when I started coaching," he said.
Wagenson agreed, "it's a great side gig."
"It is fun every time I step on the field or the court," Wagenson said. "That basketball goes up in the air on a jump ball to start the game — I kind of have butterflies still. ... Or we throw that first pitch, or we have the kickoff for football, whatever it might be. It's just like, 'I get to do this. I get to be a part of this.'"
The RAOA is committed to helping anyone remotely interested in the role. The association has a history of mentoring new officials and turning them into professionals.
Wagenson said there are opportunities to fit nearly every schedule. If football Fridays don't work, there are other games played on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
RAOA not only teaches the rules, but also pairs prospective referees with a mentor.
"We will never hang you out to dry," she said. "You get scheduled with people that will help you learn, especially at those under varsity levels. ... It's not just like you sign up, 'Oh, guess what? You're working this game on Friday night.' That does not happen."
As a veteran official, Butson said he tries to help protect the younger officials.
"Because I know that at one point in time in my career I was the younger official, and I had that mentor," Butson said. "I had that veteran that helped me, that protected me, especially when a call maybe wasn't favorable."
Wagenson said she also tells recruits to give themselves three years to adjust to the job. She added they should start with one sport before adding more.
"Did you give yourself a chance to learn? Did you give yourself a chance to meet people? Did you give yourself a chance to be in situations where you can work through things and learn from them for next time and that kind of stuff," Wagenson said. "I always tell them, don't just be a one-hit wonder. Give yourself an opportunity to be successful, and it takes some time."
MSHSL varsity officials must be 18 years of age or high school graduates and complete a background check. To learn more about becoming a high school official, visit the MSHSL website.