Herbie John, Cattaraugus Territory, Turtle Clan was chosen to be a member of the Indigenous Officiating Committee. The recognition of Herbie’s attributes to the game is a great honor to his family and hometown friends. Herbie referees in the OLA, FNLA, ECBL and USBOXLA and travels the eastern seaboard and across the country to referee and coach Haudenosaunee Youth.
Reprinted From The Ontario Lacrosse Officials Association | August 12, 2020 | Submitted by Sylvia Patterson
ONTARIO—For the first time ever, the Ontario Lacrosse Officials Association (OLOA) has established an Indigenous Officiating Committee to engage members of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) communities as part of their restructuring and forward pathway.
“We need to attract more Indigenous officials to the game to provide balance, teachings, the true passion and spirit of the game,” explained Herbie John of the Seneca Nation. John is an Ongwehonwe referee and one of several Indigenous people from all walks of lacrosse coming together to help lead the OLOA forward. John is actively involved in both Canadian Lacrosse and USBOXLA. He is quick to share his experiences with players, coaches, referees and fans alike—always clear that he is there with the purpose of staying involved in the game and growing as an official. John’s efforts and passion for officiating are not unrecognized. “Herbie brings an energy to the arena that is unrivalled and shares his passion with everyone.” said Adam Gardner of USBOXLA. “Having him on the ‘third team’ is truly advantageous”. John aspires to referee in the National Lacrosse League and hopes that through this collective effort, more First Nations, Métis, and Inuit will have that chance.
This newly formed committee will survey all aspects of officiating in lacrosse and provide findings and direction to the OLOA executive. The committee will also look at creating tangible solutions to aid in the recruitment, development and retention of Indigenous officials, expanding the footprint of the OLOA in the lacrosse community.
“The OLOA has been conducting a thorough review of how we serve the game of lacrosse and officials within the sport,” said Ian Garrison, an advisor to the OLOA. “As the Iroquois Nationals’ fight for inclusion in the World Games came to the forefront, we looked at how we can support them and realized one way is in our own backyard. We can tweet, sign petitions and share our support, which we will continue to do, but let’s be better. Let’s take this to the next level. Let’s realize that this game is a gift from the Creator and that we have an underrepresentation from our Indigenous partners. The more our officials know about the true essence of the game the better we can all be. We have been asking ourselves, why don’t we have a greater number of Indigenous officials within our association? What are we missing?”
Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Famer and OLOA Indigenous Committee member Frank Roundpoint looks at the proximity of certification clinics to Indigenous Territories and an active recruiting campaign targeted at former players. John agrees, and highlights that “it’s nobody’s fault that we lack indigenous referees, we have to find it within and realize the importance of giving back to the game.” These are the very conversations that will aid in the change being sought.
John Szabo of the Cayuga Nation sees this as an important step but is quick to acknowledge that this is about more than just officiating. “We need to look at the abuse officials and the effect this has on our registration numbers,” he said. Szabo has travelled across the globe working all levels of lacrosse from amateur to world championships and has seen the acceptable treatment of officials in some places and the not so acceptable treatment in other places, including Ontario. “We need to address this,” confirms Szabo.
While this committee will look at the representation of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples in officiating, Herbie John sees this as something bigger.
“Our people say ‘our game’ this and ‘our game’ that but it has really evolved to be everyone’s game. This isn’t about ‘Indigenous’ or ‘Canadian’ or ‘American’—this is about the game and what we can all bring to the table; to unify as one. That is what will keep officiating going strong.”
It is our hope that John’s words will serve to take the game of lacrosse to new heights.
