Episode Details

Officials Appreciation Week: Celebrating Missouri Fall Sports Officials | MSHSAA All-Access Podcast

During Officials Appreciation Week, Dr. Jennifer Rukstad hosts the MSHSAA All-Access Podcast highlighting volleyball with Associate Director Toni Hill and veteran Missouri officials Dixie Wescott and Cathy Viets. Wescott, a Kansas City/NW Missouri official in her 20th year and former assistant principal, and Viets, a central Missouri official in her 51st year and retired teacher, discuss their roles as rules interpreters, observers, and mentors who help develop officials and inform postseason assignments. They describe the varied backgrounds of officials, recruiting parents and students into officiating, and the enjoyment of staying connected to the sport and meeting former students and players. They also address challenges such as loud misconceptions from spectators, nerves in big matches, coach interactions, and the importance of emphasizing students, sportsmanship, education, and positive instruction, especially at the middle school level.