You represent yourself, your team, your school, your community, your sport.

I recently posted a video of a referee punching and kicking players in an attempt to defend himself. Inappropriate actions on the part of a referee although given referees have been killed in some parts of the world over calls made or missed on the pitch they were also somewhat understandable. It is unclear what happened earlier in the match to eventually spawn the sequence of events that led to the referee's actions, but I have to believe these were a culmination of a series of events occurring throughout the contest.

There is a lesson to be learned here.

I attended the Fremont Ross at Lima Senior men's soccer match at Lima Stadium recently. I was born in Fremont's Memorial Hospital and raised in part in neighboring Oak Harbor, Ohio. I still have family in the area. I left the match ashamed to admit this Fremont Ross Little Giant soccer team represented my birth place.

With a highly respected and veteran referee crew on this match the scene was set for a fun filled evening of high school soccer. Thank goodness there was a veteran officiating crew on hand because things could have gotten out of hand. In fact, the situation could have turned ugly in a heart beat,

For the record, Mr. Dave Webb and Mr. Kevin Fischer, the officials on this match have years of experience. I have had the honor of having them officiate both high school and club games of teams I coach. In Mr. Webb's case I have also had the pleasure of taken pat in referee licensure and recertification courses he has instructed. I know Mr. Webb also conducts assessments for referees looking to upgrade. These gentlemen are among the very best officials in the state of Ohio.

Several Fremont Ross players received yellow card cautions in last evenings match. One received a red card send off.  It is important to understand this - veteran officials Fischer and Webb do an outstanding job of talking with players on the pitch as a means to keep the game under control and flowing smoothly along. Typically they use their whistles sparingly and yellow cards issued are a rarity. When they have to stop play and issue cards at the rate they did in this game, something is seriously amiss.

It must be pointed out the yellow cards issued were mostly silly unnecessary "after the play" fouls.  The red card offence was an attempted football style tackle of a Lima Senior player and dissent concerning a foul being called for doing so.  In fairness to the referees, they could well have issued two additional straight red cards for instances involving reckless and dangerous play on fouls occurring to prevent obvious goal scoring opportunities. The referees demonstrated great restraint in attempting to manage this match in the spirit of the game. Unfortunately they received little cooperation from the Ross players, coaches and fans.  The types of fouls being committed by Little Giant players were not in the spirit of the game of soccer or the spirit of high school athletics in general.

Fremont Ross, head coach, identified on the OHSAA website as Thomas Ackerman, had no control of his team. In fact, he himself was issued a yellow card for arguing the red card send off of the player attempting to football tackle a Lima Senior player.  A one point in time he disengaged himself from his team and the bench area in general standing some 15 yards to the north end of the stadium from the teams technical area.

Even more appalling was the celebration of the cards being issued to the players that included high fives, cheers from the stands and even a back flip by a player during the stop in play for the issuance of the red card send off and accompanying yellow cards.  A woman in the stands even shouted congratulatory remarks and encouragement to Coach Ackerman after he received a yellow card for dissent.

However, the real instigator of the negativity witnessed last night was a man sitting in the stands. He was apparently a parent of one of the players?  He began the night by mocking Lima Senior students cheering their team on. He vociferously objected to every single call the referees made against the Little Giants. He openly encouraged Ross players to foul Lima Senior players and cheered when they did so. He became confrontational with adult fans of the Spartans to the point I feared a fight would break out in the stands.

There was a small group of Fremont Ross supporters and they all began the match sitting in close proximity to one another. One by one each of them moved away from this individual until by the end of the game he was sitting by himself. With the amount of anger and vitriol this person expressed himself with it is of little wonder they isolated him from themselves.

For the record, I have no children in the Lima City Schools system and never have had any attend Lima City Schools. I am not an employee of Lima City Schools.  I do not even live in Lima proper. I have written as a concerned citizen, veteran high school and club coach, a licensed referee and general fan of the game of soccer. And as I stated at the beginning of this letter, as someone born in Fremont and raised in part in neighboring Oak Harbor.

We all have a responsibility to the game and each of its participants.

Players should play and do so within the spirit of friendly competition.

Coaches should coach and fulfill their duty as role models to their players.

Referees officiating and manage the game environment assuring safety of the participants to the degree reasonably possibly to do so.

Spectators should spectate in a responsible manner. Cheer their team and even the opponents when an outstanding play is made.  There is no reason to turn an event into a mean spirited contest.  There is no reason to bait referee's present on behalf of the players - they are not perfect, but they do put in a lot of time in obtaining their license, continuing education to maintain the license and perfecting their craft to the best of their abilities.

I do not know any of the people from Fremont Ross involved in the incidents during this game, but I suspect that upon reflection most will not be proud of their words or deeds on this occasion.  I am positive they did not accurately portray or represent the vast majority of people from the city of Fremont or Ross High School...  and yet most unfortunately they and their actions have been attached to the city and its school.

Fremont, Ross High School and the sport of soccer all deserve much better.