The Power of Officiating Education

We interviewed respected educator Brennan Torgerson, who recently retired from his role as the business teacher from Buhler High School in Kansas. His long career spans 35 years of high school teaching, with 20 years spent at Buhler. In his retirement, he remains active, continuing his role as the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Coordinator and coaching boys and girls golf at Buhler, plus teaching an online class for Hutchinson Community College. Brennan's passion for students and sports led him to launch a sports officiating course at Buhler, where he found RefReps, recognizing it as the vital resource needed to bring the program to life. Here is what he had to say:

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Could you share a little bit about your journey in education, kind of what initially drew you to teaching?

“I’ve completed 35 years teaching high school. I’ve been a business teacher and a CTE Coordinator at a couple of districts I’ve been at. I retired at the end of February due to a heart issue, so I’m not currently teaching at the moment, except for a college class at our local community college.

I started a sports officiating class two years ago at Buhler, and that’s when I got connected with RefReps. That was a huge connection to be able to get the sports officiating class off the ground.

I completed 20 years at Buhler. I was at Hesston High School prior to that for 11 [years], and I started my teaching career in 1990 at Peabody-Burns High School. I’ve been very fortunate to only be in three districts, and all of them were great places to be with tremendous students and athletes to work with.

The opportunity to impact young people is what drew me to teaching.  I wanted to share my love for teaching business and coaching with students.  I believe every student has a story; our responsibility as teachers is to meet them where they are and help guide them through their story so they can achieve their goals and become successful adults.

In addition to teaching, I was a girls’ basketball coach for 25 years. I’m still coaching boys’ and girls’ golf and have been doing that for 35 years. Plus, I’m currently a high school football and basketball official."

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Could you give an overview of your experience teaching the officiating course at Buhler High School? 

“When I started [the class], I gave the students the option to choose whatever sports they wanted. I would not have been able to do that if we didn’t have access to RefReps because they had every sport we needed.

The downside of that, I learned through experience, was that I don’t feel like the education with all those sports was as strong, because I was juggling so many sports at one time. So I would recommend tackling one sport at a time with each class.

In my second year teaching the course, I narrowed it down and controlled a bit more which sports we would do and when. We tried to cover two sports each semester. That second year went much smoother. The curriculum is fantastic—I really enjoyed it. One of the downsides of retiring was that I couldn’t continue teaching that class and stay heavily involved with RefReps in the classroom.”

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Given everything involved in teaching the officiating course, what were your favorite parts about teaching that class?

“Probably all the 'a-ha' moments. The things that RefReps presented in their curriculum that students thought they already knew—and then finding out they were right sometimes and wrong other times.

Being able to take the information RefReps provided and bring in real-life clips of football, basketball, or volleyball plays for them to connect the curriculum to actual game situations was great. From my own perspective as a football and basketball official, I could show clips of games I worked on—sometimes where I got things right, sometimes wrong—and let students analyze and make their own judgments before revealing the ruling.

At the end of each sport unit, RefReps had plays to watch and analyze, which was a really neat way to wrap up that section.”

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When you first decided to incorporate RefReps and official training resources into your curriculum, what was your main goal, and how did these programs enhance the learning experience compared to traditional classroom instruction?

“Incorporating [the RefReps Officiating Education System] was the logical choice because I was already heavily involved with the Kansas State High School Activities Association, which adopted RefReps as the curriculum for participating schools to help minimize the officiating shortage.

To do it right without RefReps would’ve taken so much more time. The customer service at RefReps was what I appreciated most—they listened to teachers like me. Every time I made a suggestion or request, it got done. They were responsive and supportive.

Without RefReps, the quality and quantity of information for students would’ve been limited. I supplemented the class with guest speakers, readings from Referee Magazine, and rule books, but RefReps provided an outstanding foundation. It’s a perfect starting point for a class or for any new officials wanting to learn the basics.”

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In your observation, what were the top three personal skills that students gained in the class?

1. Communication skills. Being able to communicate what they saw and discuss rules and plays with other students.

2. Understanding of rules. Realizing how much knowledge and preparation it takes to step on the field or court and adjudicate the rules correctly.

3. Appreciation for officiating. Gaining respect for how difficult officiating really is and realizing there’s much more to it than they initially thought.

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What are your favorite student success stories from taking this course?

“I had many students who got to the point where it was time to actually officiate but were hesitant to take that step because they didn’t want to make mistakes. Seeing those students finally get out there (on the field or court) and come back the next day saying, ‘Coach, when can I do this again?’ was amazing. That’s success to me.

It’s also a great part-time job for students. Some of them came back excited because they got paid the same day they officiated, which gave them immediate gratification and motivation. More importantly, they gained camaraderie and confidence, realizing there was no reason to be afraid—they had a whole crew supporting them. That was the most rewarding part.”

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What advice would you give to students thinking about taking the course?

"For students, officiating is a great part-time job and an amazing opportunity to get involved at a young age when there’s plenty of support. Once you’re an adult, it can be harder to find mentors or training resources—but in school, you have RefReps, educators, athletic directors, and others helping you every step of the way.

It’s a win-win for students, schools, and even the state of Kansas, as it helps combat the officiating shortage."

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Based on your experience with teaching a RefReps course, what advice would you give to a school considering adding an officiating education course to their offerings? 

"For schools, RefReps is a no-brainer. Everything is already laid out—course outcomes, timelines, and materials are all done. RefReps has done the hard work for educators; all you need is training on how to use the online system and stay organized. It’s a fantastic platform and organization, and I’d highly recommend it."

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We want to thank Brennan for sharing his valuable insights on the power of sports officiating education!

If you'd like to connect with Brennan Torgerson, you can find him here:

• Facebook: Brennan Torgerson

• Twitter: @torgball (Coach Torg)

• Instagram: coachtorg