OAKES, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Over 37 years and countless miles traveled across North Dakota, Gackle native and North Dakota High School Activities Association referee Marchel Krieger refereed his 3,000th high school or collegiate basketball game last Thursday in Oakes.

While at Jamestown College, now the University of Jamestown, Krieger began reffing in 1983 as a part of a two man crew with the Jamestown Association. Krieger began his officiating journey for the love of the game.

Prior to his days at Jamestown, Krieger attended Gackle High School where he played basketball. One Sunday afternoon his high school coach tossed him and a teammate a couple of officiating uniforms to ref an amateur game. Krieger and his friend had no experience officiating a game before that day, but their coach told them if they reffed they could skip team crushers.

The decision was easy so Kreiger reffed his first game that day.

Kreiger would go on to officiate 3,000 games, with that number rising each week, at or above the high school level. In the weeks leading up to game number 3,000 Kreiger kept receiving the question of ‘how do you know it’s your 3,000th game?’

“My mom started to keep count when I was in college,” said Krieger. “I kept track since then,” added Krieger.

While keeping track of those 3,000 games Krieger said he’s seen the game of basketball change and grow over the years.

Krieger’s also seen a different change on the court: the decrease in young officials.

According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Sports Officials in 2017, over 84 percent of officials who took the survey believe they are treated unfairly by spectators. Almost 57 percent of responses say sportsmanship among fans, coaches and parents is decaying. It can be an exhausting job balancing the complaints and concerns from athletes, coaches and spectators, so Kreiger said mental toughness is a must for a younger official just starting out.

Krieger recognized parents and fans in small towns get emotional because the high school games are the only games in town. There’s a lot of invested interest in those teams

, and parents’ emotions get the best of them at times. It can get to the point where a ref leaves the court thinking “you start questioning yourself because you hear so much from the stands and coaches,” said Krieger. “You either have the skin or you don’t,” added Krieger.

No fan, parent or coach has cracked Krieger after his 3,000 games.

Instead of focusing on those negative interactions, Kriegers reminisces on the positive side of the journey.

 

The complete interview with Marchel Krieger can be found below on the KDDR “The Tornado” Podcast.