Plains teen is ref of the year

A Plains teenager was selected as the 2023 Montana Youth Female Referee of the Year.

The 18-year-old Claire Wrobleski was officially notified that she was the top female youth referee of the year. "I am excited to get this award because it is some recognition for all the refereeing I have done throughout the years. It's also a big encouragement to know that I am a competent referee," said Wrobleski, who's been a referee for the last five years.

Although Wrobleski has known about getting the award for some time, her father, Dave, the president of the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance club, gave her the formal notification on Nov. 14. Of the 50 referees between 15-18 years old in Montana, she was one of three youth nominated for the honor. For her recognition, she received a new referee jersey along with official referee socks and shorts.

"It's a big deal. She's considered one of the top referees at the youth level in the state of Montana," said Nick Lawyer, who coaches the girls U18 Clark Fork Soccer Alliance soccer team and a soccer referee for several years. Lawyer believes this is the first time a Sanders County referee has been recognized at the state level. He added that each year more than 300 referees across Montana cover thousands of games.

"The referee crews generally are not noticed except when there's a tough match. To be recognized as one of the top referees in Montana is a big deal. It means that this 18-year-old young lady is considered one of the top up and coming referees in the state," said Lawyer, who's not sure how many youth referees there are in Montana, but at Clark Fork there are more than 30 referees and more than half are youth players. "What makes this award awesome for Claire is that she is recognized for being a top quality referee and a top quality young adult," he said.

Devin Harbour, a Missoula referee, put her name in for the award. Wrobleski said that he refereed in Plains last spring when she was one of the line refs. "I was certainly a little surprised because refereeing had never been my main focus," said Wrobleski, who was nevertheless pleased about the recognition. "I wondered what Devin saw in me to nominate me for this award and I was glad that I put the effort I did into learning the rules of the game," she said. "We don't have a lot of referees for the older kids, so he came down to help referee and he liked the way I refereed," she said.

Her father said he's very proud of his daughter's achievement. "I'm excited for her, I think she is growing in her soccer career, but more importantly, learning and growing as a person. Refereeing teaches some excellent leadership and communication skills that are valuable for youth and adults," said Dave Wrobleski, who's been a certified referee since 2019 and continues to find it challenging.

She refereed about 25 games last year, many that were tournaments outside the Plains area. Wrobleski believes that she was probably nominated for the award because she's always willing to learn the rules and strives to become a better referee. "I also took the games seriously and tried to stay focused and alert so I could make the correct call," she said.

She has served as referee for games from U10, which includes kids 8-10 years old, to U19, the oldest age group and has done boys, girls, and coed soccer games. A game normally has three referees, the center ref and two line refs, which are also referred to as assistant referees, and she has done all three positions.

Wrobleski said she is usually a center referee for U12 games. The center referee serves as head ref and is primarily making sure the game is safe and fun, according to Wrobleski. "Their main focus is calling fouls, handballs, and making the final decisions with technical errors, such as dogs running on the field," said Wrobleski, who normally does the line ref position for the higher level games. The role of the line judge is to watch for when the ball goes out of bounds and when a player goes offside.

In order to become an official, Wrobleski had to get certified, which includes a class and online tests. She was certified at age 13, but she said it's a constant learning process and she has to get re-certified each year to learn any new rules or the modification of existing rules. When she started as a referee she took a lot of online courses and watched videos to help her become a better referee.

She's also learned a lot from the experience of being on the field as a player and as a ref. "It was interesting because I forget a lot of the official calls from the textbook and the courses I took, but I have played enough that I've been in tons of different circumstances and so I have a pretty good idea of what I should do even if I don't remember the specific rule," she said. The 18-year-old said watching for all the different infractions is a challenge and takes a lot of experience to even know what to look for. She struggled most with the smaller technicalities, such as whether it's a drop ball, an indirect kick, or if a substituted player interferes with play. "After a few minutes of reffing in a game, you start to be able to gauge the level and competition of the game. It becomes easier after that," she said.

Her favorite level to ref is the U19 boys because it's the highest level of soccer and the fastest pace. "It can get difficult because you are expected to keep pace with them on the sideline, but it is my favorite because I appreciate high level soccer and I sometimes get bored refereeing the younger ages," said Wrobleski. She guessed that she's done about 35 games of that level.

"The hardest is center reffing higher ages. The highest I have center reffed is U15 boys. This is about the age when the boys shoot up so they are quite tall and have an ego to match," she said. "They are kind of like horses and will take advantage of you if you don't show them who's boss."

"I think Claire is a great referee," said Dave, who admits he has a lot to learn himself. "I love working with Claire on a referee crew because I know I can feel good about her judgment in a situation. Although sometimes different referees can witness a play slightly differently, I know she is looking for the right things as the play happens and her decision making process is sound," said Dave, who has been president of the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance club for two years.

His daughter loves the game of soccer and has been a player since she was 4 years old. Her two brothers and two sisters are all avid soccer players. "I was always a very active and social child and soccer was the one sport I could play. I would go to my brother's practices and games when I was three years old and I couldn't wait to start playing," she said. Being home schooled, she didn't have a lot of opportunities at team sports and soccer was the one sport she was able to participate in. The Clark Fork Soccer Alliance is a club sport that involves players from throughout Sanders and Mineral Counties and is played in the spring and fall. Lawyer, Dave Wrobleski and Eric Nygaard have been leading the charge in efforts to get soccer added to the local school sports programs. Thus far, only Trout Creek School has added soccer to its sports program.

"Refereeing certainly isn't playing but it's helping other people, especially youth, play and learn to love the game as I do," said Wrobleski, but getting paid to referee is nice, too, she said. "I also really appreciate a job that's outside and doing something, so refereeing works out pretty well for me," she said. It also gives her a different aspect of the game. "It's a job most people don't like because it does take a tough skin. Many fans and parents and players think they know more than you. It's also a lot of rules to learn."

"Claire is an excellent player and she knows the game of soccer really, really well. With that comes a deep understanding of what is happening in the game, and what's going to happen," said Lawyer, a coach for over 10 years.

But refereeing is a job and she said playing is more fun and she plans to do both next season. "Soccer is the thing that I devote my time and energy to because it is my passion and what I love doing. It has given me back more than I put into it. I have learned so much of what I know because of the experience I have gained on the soccer field and dealing with all kinds of different teams," said Wrobleski. One of the things she enjoys about soccer is that it sometimes takes some quick thinking. "You need to outsmart your opponents while trying to be faster and better skilled with the ball than them," said Wrobleski, who likes watching soccer, but noted that it's tough because it makes her want to play too much.

Her father said that the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance is always looking for new referees. Youth can get certified at age 13, although they can only serve as a center ref with teams that are at least two years younger than they are, he said. Referee pay begins at $30 an hour. "You don't have to play soccer to referee, but you need to be willing to learn the game," said Dave Wrobleski, adding that adult referees are also welcome and needed. He said that referees are trained in Plains and can referee across the state in spring and fall. Those interested can contact ‪[email protected].

"In essence, we want kids to have a great experience so that they want to give back to the club, and they do," said Lawyer. He noted that Wrobleski is one of many young adults who played as kids and who are now regularly contributing to the program.