Officials Help Track and Field Meets Run at Championship Level
By Steven Shaff, NAU Media Relations
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – While the Northern Arizona track and field team will be looking for heroic performances this weekend at the 2012 Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships, the unsung heroes will be the officials running the meet.
Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Eric Heins and his staff rely on a group of volunteers week in and week out to officiate the meets. They come to the Walkup Skydome from as far away as Phoenix, as well as across campus in Flagstaff. They include police officers and professors, as well as retirees looking to stay involved in the program. The one common denominator is their love for the sport.
"I love the kids and like working with the kids," said Helen Tackitt, who has worked as an official since the 1970s. "They are so awesome. I like the high jump because there is not anything helping them. They do it on their own. It is what they learn and the technique. It is my favorite sport."
Tackitt, a Flagstaff native, has worked for every track coach dating back to Leo "Red" Haberlack, a NAU Hall of Famer and 1971 Big Sky Conference outdoor Coach of the Year. She has worked the high jump event almost exclusively since joining the officiating team.
NAU professor Dr. Abe Springer helps coordinate the finish line, assisting with the timing of the meet. Springer, who is a professor of hydrogeology in School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, has worked the meets since 1996. He ran collegiately for the College of Wooster in Ohio.
"It is great seeing all the great athletes that perform here week in and week out," said Springer. "It is a real treat to have this level of competition in Flagstaff."
For Missy Freshour, a member of the NAU Police Department, she was also looking for an opportunity to stay in touch with her favorite sport.
"When I moved to Flagstaff it was my first season not competing in track," said Freshour, who competed in the triple jump and discus at Grinnell College in Iowa. "It is a way for me to stay involved and I did not know anyone. Someone invited me to come and I have been here every since."
She started in 1993 and will complete her 20th season as an NAU official with the Big Sky meet this weekend, working the throwing events since day one.
"I enjoy watching the athletes," said Freshour. "I don't think I can quit because I watch them as freshmen and I want to stay with them until they are seniors and then you get attached to the new group. I like watching them get better and better every year."
NAU thrower Pascal Tang appreciates the efforts of officials like Freshour.
"Every competition we have in the Skydome, she is there," said Tang. "She has seen us since freshman year and watched us improve. She is most of the time more happy about a good throw than us. We really appreciate her."
Freshour is looking forward to the championship event this week.
"I wish we could host it every year because whenever it is not at NAU I am on my computer checking for updates, especially for the throwers that I know and how they are doing," said Freshour. "It is nice to be here and get to see it firsthand."
The Lumberjacks host the Big Sky Indoor Championships this weekend. Throwing events start at 3:15 p.m. on Friday with the running events beginning at 4:30 p.m. Tickets for event are available at the Central Ticket Office. Faculty and staff can get a two-day pass for the event for $10 by calling the NAU Athletics offices at 928-523-5353.
Referees: Wade Bell, Mike Pekar
Clerks: Bob Prida, Jim Barquin.
Starters: Dave Palmquist, Walter Tait
Finish Line: Mike Elder
Event Runners: Whitney Koester, Mikaela Terry, Jenn Fetaz
Finish Lynx Operators: Greg Wayne, Scott Renfro
Announcer: Ron Smith
Umpires: Paul Sitter, Jim McIntyre, Dani Stricker, Abe Springer, Nippy Edwards, Dennis Larson, Doug Allan
High Jump: Joe Hicks, Ken Lazszcak, Lee Prestwood, Helen Tackitt
Long Jump: Steve Conrad, Lynn Giedlin, Sandy Diehl, Tera Larson, Dave Madden, Josh Heck, Amanda Griggs
Triple Jump: Kathy Laux, Danny Murray, Fe Murray, Tom Acker, Sandy Diehl
Pole Vault: Derek Sundquist, Brian Sundemier, Joel Land, Shadow Armfield, Ian Titcomb
Shot and Weight Throw: Missy Freshour, Dan Devere, Efrem McCrimon, Mike Giedlin, Andres Rossini
