From The Daily Illini
By Maya Brito
When spectators are enjoying a sporting event, their attention is usually focused on the players, the ball or the scoreboard. Another presence on the playing field is the referees, whose role can be taken for granted. At the University, club sports rely on officials who devote their time to making the competition possible.
Club sports officials come from a wide range of backgrounds. Those with proper certification, from college students to retired adults, can work as a club sports official. These referees juggle their officiating responsibilities with other careers, academic commitments and their personal lives, often sacrificing nights and weekends to ensure the games are played.
D Ray Tucker, retired from the University’s printing department, is an official for men’s club hockey, baseball and lacrosse. In addition to refereeing, he said he serves as an assigner for club baseball and hockey referees, coordinating schedules and staffing games.
Tucker said he has been involved in the University’s club sports community for decades. His officiating career began at just 16 years old, when he started umpiring baseball games. Over time, he said his involvement expanded beyond the diamond. In 1988, he became a hockey official, and then a lacrosse official in 1992.
“(Refereeing) was something that I definitely did seek out,” Tucker said. “I enjoyed it.”
For Tucker, officiating was a way to stay involved in sports when playing was no longer an option. Although hockey was his primary passion growing up, he said he knew his time as a player would have to come to an end. Refereeing allowed him to stay connected with the game while contributing in another way, giving him a different sense of fulfillment.
“You have to have a passion for the challenge of getting a game right,” Tucker said. “We all say that we have never called a perfect game.”
Tucker’s days of balancing officiating and assigning require preparation long before the first whistle blows. Referees are scheduled weeks — if not months — in advance. For hockey games, they’re expected to arrive 45 minutes to an hour before warmups. That time is used to check in with fellow officials, review assignments and reset mentally from the day before stepping onto the ice.
Despite these games being at a club level, Tucker said officials aim to treat them like actual varsity contests. They do so by emphasizing fairness, structure and communication during gameplay. Referees must be prepared to manage a multitude of different aspects of the game. They have to think about watching the players, maintaining game flow and making informed decisions.
Gregg Guenther is another long-time referee for Illinois men’s club hockey. He has 30 years of experience under his belt and spent the past two decades on the ice for Illinois games.
Like Tucker, Guenther said he found his passion for the game when he started playing hockey at a young age. He played all the way up until he went to college before transitioning to coaching and eventually officiating. He said the love he has built for the game over the years has kept him on the ice long after his jersey came off for the last time.
“I don’t get to play anymore, so it’s a good way to stay in the game at a high competitive level,” Guenther said.
For both Guenther and Tucker, refereeing has gone beyond enforcing the rules. Over time, their roles have expanded to leadership and relationship building within the refereeing community. Tucker said the community is one of the main reasons why he has stuck with officiating for so long.
“I certainly have established a lot of friendships in multiple officiating communities over the years,” Tucker said. “It’s the fraternal element of it that certainly keeps it appealing.”
The close-knit community also plays an important role in supporting officials through the more difficult aspects of the job. Tucker said referees often face a lot of criticism from fans and players. Learning to manage that criticism without letting it affect decision-making is a skill learned through the experience.
“Very early on as an official, you realize that you’re not going to make everybody happy all of the time,” Tucker said.
One of the newer faces in the Illinois club refereeing community is Alexa Milz, sophomore in AHS and a member of the Illinois women’s club hockey team. Milz told The Daily Illini that hockey has been a huge part of her life, as she has been playing since she was 7 years old and has been officiating since the age of 14.
“It was definitely scary at first because I’ve been a player all my life, and I had seen sometimes the parents yell at the refs, the coaches yell at the refs,” Milz said. “Especially being young and being a female, I was like, ‘Oh, this is kind of scary.’”
Despite the initial intimidation of calling the game, Milz continued officiating and has reached a level 4 certification, the highest level possible. She has continued her role at the University, spending her time as a linesman for the men’s club hockey games. Milz said the men’s club hockey games are fast-paced and intense, creating a high-pressure environment for the officials.
Guenther said maintaining control and consistency throughout an entire game is one of the biggest challenges as an official.
“The hardest part of it is being consistent for a whole game,” Guenther said. “Calling what you called in the first part of the game also in the last part of the game.”
Even with experience and knowledge of the game, Milz said she still gets pregame nerves. However, her years as a player give her an advantage in understanding the ins and outs of the game.
“I’m hoping that I can continue to build my confidence (as a referee),” Milz said. “I definitely have — I’ve noticed growth. But I definitely do feel like I have a long way to go.”
As Milz gets further into her officiating career, she said she has realized how perfectly this job fits into her life as a college student. Between academic responsibilities, financial pressures and her passion for hockey, refereeing allows her to earn some money while also being connected to the sport she loves.
Milz said she takes pride in serving as a representation for younger women in sports. Little girls have come up to her after watching her officiate a game and expressed how much her role has influenced them.
“Little girls will see a female ref on the ice and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I can do that, too,’” Milz said.
The crowd at the hockey arena also plays a big role in shaping the refereeing experience at Illinois club hockey games. While reactions are both positive and negative, the fans’ energy contributes to the environment of the arena.
“I love the crowd being involved in the game,” Guenther said. “Illinois is known for good crowds, and that makes it more fun.”
Officiating comes with its ups and downs. Despite the challenges, all three officials said refereeing is a rewarding experience. Milz said that anyone interested in becoming a club sports referee at the University, whether it be a student, someone looking for extra money or even someone who is just invested in sports, should take the initiative.
“If you’re interested, you have to go for it because I feel like it’s the best way to spend your time making money or just being around a sport you enjoy,” Milz said.
While referees may not always be appreciated, their presence is essential. Behind every club sports game at the University are officials who show up early and make difficult game-time decisions.
For Tucker, Guenther and Milz, refereeing is more than enforcing the rules. It’s about passion, relationships and staying connected to the game and club sports community.
“A bigger validation than a paycheck … is when the players appreciate the effort,” Tucker said.
(Originally published at https://dailyillini.com/special-sections/campus-navigator/2026/05/07/love-of-the-game/)
