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Show DAVIS REFLEX JOURNAL, JUNE 27, 1984 Jh Bemie Yoachum talks things over with his partner during basketball game. One of his valued attributes is the ability to communicate. The Yoachum family, Mary and Bemie are the parents of Brian, Paul and Robbie. The family resides in South Ogden. Yoachum meditates during state basketball final where he has ated 15 of Utahs state championship prep finals, offici- - ' V SOCCER GALORE! next week's In we will feature some more soccer standouts in the area. Reflex-Journ- By KEITH DUNCAN Journal Sports After 22 years of running up and down courts and fields, or standing behind a catcher and called it how it was, Bemie Yoachum is sometimes caught mixing the word retiring in his vocabulary. BUT DONT start any rumors though. Yoachum, who is seen in the eys of many as one of the best referrees dag-gumm- around, isnt planning an exit yet. In fact the way the athletic juice flows through his veins, it may be another decade before he decides to hang up the striped shirt for good. I was just telling my wife the other day, said Yoachum, That when I do retire I still want to be doing something in athletics, like observing high school games and rating officials. Maybe something like Rulon Stanfield does at Weber State. I TOLD her that I could probably never officially retire. See, my best friends are officials and people I have met officiating. And you just dont say goodbye, just like that, to your best friends. YAOCHUM, 44, is one of the old masters at officiating. Hed have a tough time trying to cram 22 years of experience and accumulated knowledge into a single text. From 1962 when he traveled to Huntsville to do five church games a night for a $ .50 a piece and up to 1 last springs championship prep baseball finales, Yoachum has learned a little about human nature, coaches, fans and players. To hear Yoachum, who still teaches at Sunset Junior High, talk about his experiences (both good and bad), is an experience in itself. THE VETERAN referee certainly has things in perspective and isnt easily intimidated. When people yell at me, theyre not yelling at me personally, theyre yelling at the shirt. The rabbing fans dont want to see a guy hurt or dead, but theyd sure like to see the shirt anniliated or something," stated Yoachum. In the past two decades, 90 percent of Yoachums rabbing from fans, abuse from coaches and players as well as all the good times have come from officiating in high school events. He remembers those $7.50 checks from five church games as heaven on earth but the day he did his first prep football game (his favorite to officiate), it was the ultimate. DOING HIGH school athletic events is still the ultimate with Yoachum, even though hes now doing college football and basketball events for both the PCAA and Big Sky. In fact some observers, like the National Federation Interscholas- tic Officials Association think Yoachums efforts as an official are so ultimate, that he was recently recognized as one of the top eight officials in the country by that association. THE NFIOA took their hats off to Bemie as one of the best in Section 7 of the United States, a section which included Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California. Needless to say, it was an honor that goes once in a while to a very select group. YEARS BACK we had an association in Ogden which had some people like Don Andrews and the Thregold brothers and I used to think that if I could ever become as high as they were, it would have been the best thing that had ever happened. Back then they were making about $15 a game which I thought was really something. Of course we get a little more today, but the money is secondary Bernie Yoachum has officiated 17 state baseball finals since 1963 rant and rave and as long as he doesnt involve me in it. Im not going to call anything. -- to most officials unless youre doing a college game where the pay is around $175 to $200 per game. I DO KNOW of some officials when basketball time comes around who do officiating full time and average 70 games a season. Now if a guy can go through 70 games and take 140 people yelling at him, hes a constitution of iron in my eyes. But I dont want that, 140 coaches and thousands of fans yelling at me. If I can havejustadozen college games and a full high school schedule, thats plenty for this guy. Doing too many games can make a guy travel wary. I did seven PCAA games last season and found it very lonely. You room alone, eat alone, rent your own car and hang around airports. Its not as glorious and glamorous as some people think it is, even though the money is pretty good. AND ADMITTING youre wrong sometimes is important too. Ive made some bad calls, and Ive told the coach. I dont do it very often, but I am big enough to admit it. Yoachum was positive that your reputation precedes yourAnd that helps, especially self. in high school, said Yoachum. IN ANY athletic contest, prep or college, Yoachum has a personal philosophy to call the game just like the coach would call it. Its just common sense that if someone praises ya, youre going to go the extra mile to make him happy. If there is a call that can go either way, the coach who is the nice guy is going to have it go his way, thats just human nature, continued Yoachum. I love a coach who really gets into his coaching and isnt that concerned with the officials, which you find a lot of in football . I know I can go down to do one of Mike Gardners games at Davis and hes super relaxed, but then someone else can walk per uptight. in and he can be su- A COACH, even before the f, can have a fight on opening his hands because hes so worried about the official. Thats just the is, I way a coaches make-u- p said Yoachum. guess, I like a coach who coaches, who doesnt abate officials. Larry Maxwell at Highland intimadates officials but he doesn't intimidate me. He may not like me, but he respects me and I respect him as a coach and as a human being. tip-of- I BELIEVE that the higher the sensitivity, the lower the efficiency. College basketball coaches really fit this mold. A coach has the right to yell if a referee is out of position to make a call or if he doesnt hustle. And most coaches wont say much if a guy is hustling and in position, not unless his judgement is real bad. AND THERE are some officials who shouldnt be officials. First impressions are lasting impressions and if a referee doesnt do something just right the first time with a particular coach, hes partner and the Bengal coach strayed quite a ways from his bench. About two minutes later Duke met me head on and we had a confrontation. I told him to sit down and he said he didnt have to and I gave him a technical. He questioned my heritage a moment after that and he got another one. Now came the respect because one more and he was gone. I SAW Duke right after the game and he put his arms around me and apologized. Even later in the spring we talked as good friends because the technicals were left on the floor where they should have been left, said Bemie. After hundreds of athletic Some of them are going to get those referees in trounow-a-day- authoritative and personality. Of course Bemie himself believes a referee isnt a good one until he has the ability to keep complete control of the game, has confidence in himself and has an understanding of human factors. s. ble someday, he said. The man who has helped me probably more than anyone has been Rulon Stanfield, hes been just like a father to me. Another was Jim Hill, who gave me a lot of breaks, hes one of the neatest guys Ive met. Others along the way have been officials like Gordon offi- cials are on a semi-eg- o trip, and that is semi. There is a certain amount of authoritative gesture shown, but too much of it ruins an Burke, Blaine Sylvester and others. official. YOU LEARN a lot of human nature, year by year. Ive watched some teams who appear to be persecuted and others who are so loose you can tell a joke to. Maybe its the coach, I guess it is, stated IN FOOTBALL I talk to the coaches and in fact, if I thought I had any kind of an attribute, it would be that I can talk my way out of trouble and make a coach feel comfortable. Yoachum. Yoachum, who was a prep baseball star in Seattle, Wash., has worked 17 state finals in either or Utah prep baseball. But in talking with coaches I never say I think because you leave yourself open. I say I believe and in baseball I dont call a strike if a player swings, everyone knows that. Ive picked up a lot of little helpful hints over the years. 4-- A 3-- A AS OF last winter Yoachum, who described himself as a skinny kid in high school basketball, had worked 15 state high school MY FEELING with coaches is to be kind to them but at the same time, dont get too personal. When they get too personal with me, I might get personal with them. In any kind of athletic event when a coach gets personal by using my name, then Ill penalize or whatever. Any human being is going to respond when his name is beinR called. A coach can cuss, THIS PAST years state basketball tournament produced a confrontation between Yoachum and Brightons Duke Reid, two who have been good friends for years and years. Reid got hot early in the game after a call made by Yoachums I WATCH to see if officials have any guts or what kind of charisma they have. Whats really interesting is to watch all the signs and made-u- p gestures referees use nt believe all policemen and branded. Its happened to me and the best of em. A referee doesnt have to talk to coaches, and thats his right. But I like to talk and listen, it does work both ways, its also called communication. But if the coach is still talking about it when I come back down his way, then weve got a confrontation. events, Yoachum is still learning and he will admit it. Even at contests hes not involved with, he watches officials and learns what he can. THOSE WHO know Bernie well as well as those who see him for the first time, usually dont leave the event without having noticed his I al basketball championships since 1963. Yoachum loves kids and admits that there isnt a bad bone in anyone. If they turn out bad, "someone made them that way." Yoachum has also worked 12 state championships in Utah high school football. I JUST want to go out and treat people the way they should be treated. I dont want to be pompous, arrogant, or sanctimonious. 1 dont ...the higher the sensitivity, the lower the efficiency. -- Bernie w Yoachum want to be a good guy, just firm and fair. There may be people I dont like, but I will respect them. A cop may give you a ticket and you may not like it, but you'll darn well respect him. Thats what I want from people. I TEACH what I call the East Parking Lot Game at school, the kids that smoke the pot and whose reputations aren't great. But dont believe theres a bad bone I in anyone. They weren't born that way, someone, either friends, parents, school or church made them that way. Therefore, I attempt to always look at the good in people, said Bernie. Bernie has some favorite people to think about as well as some bad too. He claims that Devin Durrant as both a prep and collegian was I used to walk on the super. court and Devin would say, Hey, theres my man. Hes great, I love him. Scott Runia was another super one and so was Davis Brian Taylor. ANOTHER great one was Wests Brad Plaga who played at Granite High. Hes a doctor now and he still remembers me. During the summer months I work for the U.S. Forest Service and I met him one day up fishing and we talked for at least an hour about the good ole times. For several years now, Yoachum has made it a practice to purchase a couple of Eisenhower silver dollars and use them to flip with at the start of either the semifinal or final state football games. After the flip I give those coins to the team's captains who won the flip. Brad still had his silver dollar. THIS YEAR it was Jeff Sampson and Ryan Smith who won the coins after the flip, the two great players from Davis. The other day I ran into Ward Sawley and he told me that Jeff had written a special letter to him about all that hed done for him. Inside that letter was the silver coin and a note telling Coach Sawley it was a precious thing to him but that he wanted the coach to have it. "Good ole Davis. Now there is a class school, theyre A-- l. When you go there to officiate, they've got a place for you to dress, something to drink, something to eat and they just try to make you feel comfortable, he said. OFFICIATING, and everything involved, is to be fair and just. Its for the game and as long as Im involved in it. Ill see its done properly," Yoachum concluded. |