OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Fredonia teacher and softball coach Jesse Beers is also an accomplished high school wrestling referee. He claims he is not getting the assignments he deserves due to increasing travel costs.
Jesse Beers is never one to sit idly by when he sees inequity in the world of athletics. Whether it's advocating for higher paying coaching jobs or new sports fields in the Fredonia Central School District, where he is a teacher and softball coach, Beers always lets his opinion be heard when his teams or students are affected.
But now he's defending himself too.
Beers is one of the highest-ranked wrestling officials in Section VI, the governing body of public school athletics in Western New York. He is a member of several referee associations, stretching from Chautauqua County east to Buffalo.
With the shortage of referees across all sports nationwide, the demand for highly qualified referees is higher than ever. But this year, Beers has noticed a difference in the number of assignments he receives, and it's in the opposite direction of what one might expect.
As a member of two major official organizations, the Southern Tier Wrestling Officials Association and the Niagara Frontier Wrestling Officials Association, Beers has seen a noticeable decrease in assignments outside of Chautauqua County. In previous years, Beers – a Fredonia resident – frequently traveled outside the county to officiate games and tournaments. This year, however, the offerings are very limited.
“It’s not because of my abilities as a referee that I don’t get assignments,” » Beers said.
During his career, Beers officiated in the New York State Tournament and Dual Meet State Championships several times. He also served as head official for the Section VI championships 10 times.
Beers, and at least one other Chautauqua County official he spoke with, now only receive assignments in the Southern Tier coverage area and slightly beyond. Eden High School is the closest school to Chautauqua County in the Niagara Frontier coverage area, followed closely by Lake Shore. Those are the only schools Beers has been assigned to outside of Chautauqua County this year, while in years past Beers frequently received assignments to Clarence, Hamburg, Lancaster and Williamsville.
Beers has only five assignments total from the Niagara Frontier League, where other officials he spoke with claim more than 20 assignments. Beers also noted that a manager on the other side of the outskirts of Niagara Frontier's coverage area saw his assignments. “practically cut in half.”
“People wonder why we can't find or keep good civil servants. Look at all the things we have to face,” » Beers said. “…I'm getting to the point where I wonder why am I doing this?”
Officials are assigned to events and paid for their travel according to a formula calculated by arbiter.com, the scheduling site that Section VI uses for officiating purposes in all sports. Beers says the system is inconsistent, especially from year to year, and Section VI has not provided an adequate answer.
“I don't know how, all of a sudden, the distance between a school and someone's home last year could have been a certain amount, and now, all of a sudden, this year, This is not the case”, » Beers said. “We keep asking questions to the people in Section VI…and of course, no one has any answers. »
Beers says a $20 travel stipend for out-of-county officials, added to the regular compensation negotiated in the association's contract with Section VI, is a disincentive for him to receive regular out-of-county assignments. of Chautauqua County.
“It’s very obvious.” » Beers said. “…I think they're trying to get the civil servants to pay for these travel expenses, and no one seems to care. »
When asked directly by Section VI Executive Director Mark DiFilippo if he had looked into the issue of referee assignment or if the $20 travel allowance played a role in the assignments, Beers said : “Of course he wouldn’t answer.”
Beers cited previous clashes with different administrators at different points in his career as a teacher, coach and official when referring to the response — or lack of response — he received.
“I know when I'm getting a cold attitude. I know when I'm kind of being asked to leave. » Beers said.
Beers even tried to receive the information through the Freedom of Information Act process, but because Section VI is not a government agency, that process does not apply.
“I know: in general, innocent people don't hide anything.” » Beers said. “It’s pretty obvious what’s going on and they don’t want to answer it. »
Beers was an accomplished wrestler while in high school at Westfield Academy, placing twice in the sectional tournament. He was a finalist his senior year. Beers then continued to wrestle collegiately at SUNY Brockport. He was a starter on Brockport's 1992 NCAA Division III national championship wrestling team, alongside county manager PJ Wendel, who was an All-American.
With his wrestling background and experience as one of Western New York's top softball coaches, Beers is frustrated on behalf of athletes who he believes are not getting the highest quality of officiating in due to financial constraints.
Officials are ranked by coaches throughout Section VI after the season. The top-ranked officials are selected for the Section VI tournament. State tournament officials are also selected based on rankings. Beers believes the officials' rankings will be skewed, both for this postseason and for years to come, if things don't change.
Beers believes that by not spending as much time outside of Chautauqua County, his rankings will be unfairly judged, while other officials who are continually assigned to the same few programs will also have skewed answers. At this point, Beers asked: “How do they rate me if they’ve never seen me? »
The beers continued, “This doesn’t concern the coaches at all. Myself, as a coach, I don't care how much we have to pay the officials, I want the best referees for my matches. …By not having the best officials, you are harming Section VI. You are hurting children.