That one text message did not drastically change my life, but it definitely made it a whole lot better.
Heading up to the 2019 Special Olympics State Basketball Tournament, a friend sent a text asking me if I could run an announcement on ButteSports.com. He said that the tournament was coming to Butte for a three-year run, and they needed people to sign up to referee.
The only thing I knew about referees is that I liked to yell at them when they made a call against the team I was cheering for. I still do. I knew the rules fairly well, but I did not think I had the decisiveness to call a foul in a timely manner.
After posting the announcement several times, I started thinking about trying it. I was already a huge fan of the Special Olympics, and I put in a seven-mile stretch in the Special Olympics Montana Law Enforcement Torch Run the previous two years.
I already knew that Special Olympians were named “special” for a reason because I covered a few events in the previous years. I also wrote about and took photos of the Boyle’s Buddies Game at the Burgman/Boyle Classic every year.
Some of my good friends are Special Olympians because of that. Their appreciation of the coverage and photos turned into genuine friendships. I talk sports with Zach Stenson and Joe Gibson all the time. I was Jay Foley’s unofficial personal photographer for a few years.
But I never really got introduced to the Special Olympics until I was officially involved in it. That happened when I decided to step out of my comfort zone and volunteer to officiate games at the state tournament that year.
They gave me a whistle and let me borrow a striped shirt. I probably did not need the whistle because I only blew it when the ball went out of bounds.
Part of that was nerves. The other part was that there were just not many fouls to call. Also, there was no way I was calling three seconds in the key or traveling in the Special Olympics.
The guy running the officials meeting at the Hampton Inn a couple of nights before the tournament told us we should referee the games just like we would referee any other game. He said if you see a travel, call a travel.
I can see that at the very top levels of play, where the players are very skilled. But there was no chance of that in the levels I was working.
Players would dribble the ball, pick it up and run down court and then dribble again, and nobody complained about it. Players would camp in the key, and nobody yelled “three seconds” like they do nearly every possession of a high school game.
So, my whistle stayed mostly silent as I took in the awesomeness that is the Special Olympics. The attitudes of the players, though, absolutely blew me away.
Never in my life did I see a player get a rebound, give the ball to an opponent and then step back so he or she can get a shot off. I saw that happen multiple times the first game I refereed at the Special Olympics.
Never had I seen players celebrate a basket by an opponent before. That happens all the time in the Special Olympics.
When it comes to sports, Special Olympians act like all of us should act. They exemplify sportsmanship at its finest. They are fun, friendly, and they genuinely care about their teammates, opponents and referees.
Refereeing the Special Olympics gave me an up-close view of that sincerity, and it helped me meet some incredible, unforgettable people.
In my last game of the 2019 tournament, I refereed a couple of teams that were full of young players. One little guy from out of town did not care about the game at all. Instead, he followed me around trying to get my whistle. He was literally chasing me while reaching with both hands to try to snatch the whistle off my neck.
After the game, I gave him the whistle without asking permission from his parents. He blew it more times in 30 seconds than I did all day long. I have always wondered how long it took his parents to take that whistle away.
They had to be cursing me that day.
Thanks to a photographer I was not aware of, my interaction with that young player was actually featured on the Special Olympics Montana website for several months.
When the Special Olympics State Basketball Tournament came back to town after COVID in 2022, I refereed again. That is when I got to meet my buddy Kip, a Helena baller who specializes in the 8-foot baseline jump shot.
That is literally all Kip did that tournament. He gave a new meaning to the term “specialty player” as he spotted up for his shot the entire time he was on the court. That includes when the teams were playing on the other end of the court. Kip stayed on his end, spotted up and ready to shoot.
Kip is also great at celebrating with his teammates and delivering dozens of fist bumps to the referees.
If you are having a bad day, a fist bump from Kip will make everything immediately better. Trust me. I wrote about him in November 2022.
I had so much fun officiating that 2022 tournament that I ended up joining the Montana Officials Association a couple of weeks later. This upcoming season will be my fifth refereeing high school hoops.
Despite what you might see in the headlines, officiating is one of the most rewarding part-time jobs you could ever take on. It is also a great way to have fun and stay in shape while making a few extra bucks.
It is a blast, and you really get to know the coaches, players and other officials. Today, I have dozens of friends that I would not have if I did not officiate.
I owe that all to the Special Olympics. Without those tournaments, I never would have worked up the nerve to join the MOA. Special Olympians gave me the bug.
The Special Olympics State Basketball Tournament will be in Butte again this Nov. 12-14, and you have an opportunity to see what I mean.
Officials figure they will need about 650 volunteers to pull off the tournament. As of last week, we had about 100 signed up. (Click here to sign up.)
You do not have to referee the games. They have volunteer opportunities that range from working the opening ceremonies to taking photos.
If you want to give refereeing a try, like I first did in 2019, they will help you out. They will hold a training session before the tournament, and they will not hang you out to dry. They put me with referee legend Mike Anderson for my first day.
At the very least, check out the volunteer opportunities to see if one fits you. The tournament cannot go on without enough volunteers, and stepping up to take on big events like this is one of the things Butte does best.
If you cannot volunteer, you should at least show up at one of the many gyms around town and watch a game or two. I promise it will warm your heart.
If you volunteer, that warmth will last for years, and it is guaranteed to make your life a whole lot better.
— Bill Foley can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him on twitter.com/Foles74 or on Bluesky at @foles74.bsky.social. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
