Earning their stripes

When Peyton Manning was called for a critical penalty during the first half of the New England Patriots' 20-3 playoff victory over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, it made at least one local high school sports official take notice. Stoughton resident Jodi Michna, a longtime women's lacrosse referee who was watching the game on television, said it was a ''gutsy" move.

''Making a call like that and getting it right is why we do this for a living," Michna said.

Walpole resident and former National Hockey League referee Paul Stewart agreed. ''Those officials had Manning and the coaches all up in arms and in their face," he said. ''But they called it right. . . . The refs knew that; the coaches didn't. It was an outstanding call, and I can guarantee you they went home that night feeling it was a job well done."

Officiating at any level has its share of hassles, but perhaps more so in high school sports, where referees work for little pay and few perks. Angry coaches, mouthy players, and overbearing parents can make the job a high-stress proposition. But the men and women in the zebra shirt continue to show up.

For Jason Harrington, one of approximately 11,000 high school referees in Massachusetts, officiating is a way to stay in the game. The 22-year old Whitman resident and Bridgewater State College senior was a standout basketball and football player at Abington High School, but his playing days ended after an ankle injury playing football as a freshman at Utica College.

High school refs in Massachusetts are certified through each sport's sanctioning body after a training clinic that generally lasts three days to a week. First-year officials are paired with senior refs, who monitor their progress. Three years ago, Harrington took the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials' weeklong certification program on a whim.

''It was a way to stay in shape," said Harrington. ''I knew I was done playing, and I love the game. It's a chance to run up and down the court for a few hours. And, you see the game in a way you don't see as a player or a coach, because you have to make sure you get every little nuance in the rules right."

One does not have to be a former jock to be a referee, but, like any other vocation, one has to work the way up the ladder. Harrington started out officiating middle school games. This season, he is working two to three varsity games per week and filling out his schedule with freshman and junior varsity matchups. It generally takes years of developing a reputation for solid performances before an official is trusted to handle a postseason game. The best of the best may break through to the collegiate ranks.

''I'm a rarity, because I started at an earlier age than most people," said Harrington. ''If you look around during the tournament, a lot of the refs have white hair. It's for a reason -- they've earned their spot."

Harrington does not take assignments from the South Shore League, the conference he played in at Abington High, in order to avoid potential charges of favoritism. The practice is not mandated, but is adopted by most officials.

The job of filling the schedule goes to someone called an ''assigner," in referee lingo. There are up to several dozen per sport across the state; among them is Lee Walker, a former head of Walpole High's physical education department who has been a referee since 1960. She helps assign officials to field hockey and girls' lacrosse games around the region.

''You need feedback from coaches and athletic directors" in deciding assignments, said Walker, who lives in Millis. ''Word of mouth spreads about officials, whether good or bad. To some extent, there are so many games to fill that you simply need bodies there, but as the season goes on and the games get more important, you make sure to have more experienced people involved, people you know can handle the pressure."

Fairness, of course, helps make a good official. But also highly valued is a ref's ability to maintain control of a tense situation, and the courage both to admit mistakes and learn from them.

Michna, the vice president of the Eastern Mass. Women's Lacrosse Umpires Association, says she will consult with her officiating partner after any game in which there was a questionable call.

''Of course you want to be right all the time, but if you make an error, you have to figure out what you did wrong so you don't do it again," she said. ''The best referees understand that you cannot make yourself bigger than the game, and the game's integrity is what counts the most."

''When you make a call, you really have to sell it," added Harrington. ''Some coaches really like to get in your face about things, but if you let anyone get under your skin, you're going to lose control of the game."

The better coaches in the region understand the referee's difficult task.

''Look, these guys are getting something like 50 bucks a night," a paltry sum for several hours of work, said Duxbury High boys' basketball coach Gordon Cushing. ''Of course you have your moments where you get heated, but we do our best to make sure the kids understand that they have to respect the officials. The average fan, I think, doesn't understand that without these men and women's efforts, the entire system would fall apart."

''That father yelling at you on the sideline thinks he knows the rules, but he doesn't," said Michna. ''You have to simply know you're right and block it out. Some people aren't cut out for this, but those who make it are simply able to focus on the game and ignore the potential distractions."

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association sets a recommended pay scale, with input from representatives of the individual sports and leagues around the state. Generally, the fee is raised 3 percent each year, the MIAA said. The home team is responsible for paying the officials.

''As far as we know, the schools stick by the recommended guidelines," said Nathan Bonneau, an MIAA spokesman. ''If there was anything way out of line, we'd hear about it, but we haven't had any complaints in recent years."

Stewart, the first US-born referee to officiate 1,000 NHL games, helps train prospective hockey officials at all levels these days. When he talks about what it takes to be a referee in any sport, he often uses the example of his first NHL game in 1986, when he disallowed an apparent second-period Boston Bruins goal against the Montreal Canadiens.

That game ended in a 3-3 tie, and Stewart was hooted off the ice by a sellout Boston Garden crowd. He was lambasted in the newspapers the next day.

''You have to have a thick skin to get through a game like that," said Stewart. ''A high school referee isn't going to have 14,000 people watching, but it can get pretty intense no matter what the level, and they have to be prepared."