Dear Mr. Deen:

It is with much regret that I won’t be able to attend the banquet.  I hope you know that I really anticipated being able to attend and my wife was looking forward to accompanying me.  We had actually planned to stay at the hotel for the weekend and make it a weekend of festivities and visiting with some friends in the area.  But as you know, we have one the most important FHSAA Board of Directors meetings this particular weekend and attending the Board meeting will drastically change my travel plans.  So, for this reason I ask for your understanding and trust that I really wish I could have been a part of this momentous occasion.

I do wish to extend my congratulations to the Central Florida Officials Association for taking the initiative to further acknowledge and recognize those who have given of themselves (and their families’ selves) for the benefit of children and sport.  I acknowledge that CFOA serves more than just the thousands of children who participate in interscholastic athletics in your immediate area and across the state by providing the same services to adults and youth alike.  But speaking selfishly, and on behalf of the Association, we appreciate what all have done specifically for the students who participate in FHSAA sports.  The people being inducted this year, I am sure, were not as much concerned with the number of ballgames worked, level of ballgames worked, partners with whom they were assigned to work, nights they were assigned to work, requirements set for them to be able to work, pay (or lack thereof) for their work, as they were concerned with the establishment and promotion of CFOA being one of the best officials associations in Florida.

To the individuals being inducted, I also extend my congratulations.  Some of you, only one I know personally, may be aware of my congratulatory statement in SPIRIT, which is a phase of life that we must all face one day.  Some of you, I have not had the pleasure to meet or work with since my short tenure with the Association.  But by knowing the caliber of people who are being inducted, the people with whom I am personally familiar and have worked and fostered some the best relations, I say you have to be a quality person who is passionate, once again for the avocation of interscholastic officiating. I congratulate you on your successes that you have experienced affiliated with officiating, i.e. the numerous championships that have been officiated represented through this listing alone.  But stop for a moment, when we say championships, we tend to think of that 6A game in Lakeland, Plant City, Daytona, Gainesville, etc., etc., but in getting to that point, you’ve officiated so many other championships.  To the children, that district tournament contest that has only twelve people in the stands, is in fact, a championship and it is as every bit important to those children participating at that moment as the contest that drew the crowd so large that some seeking admission were turned away.  We thank you for officiating that championship for that child too!

To the spouses and families of those being inducted, I offer my congratulations as well.  If I were present, I’d ask for those in attendance to give you a round of applause and ask that it is equally loud compared to the applause received or offered for the inductees. For you have made sacrifices as well.  You have been supportive and you had to deal with the aches and pains of that “veteran” official who had a hard time realizing that he’s (or she) is not the spring chicken with whom you started this journey.  I offer my congratulations to you for having the strength to endure that smell of “liniment” on the way home, because the school didn’t have a shower for the officials to “freshen up” (chuckle). But on a serious note, apparently those being inducted tonight had someone to be there with him (or her), understand the passion that he or she has for this avocation and decided to support this person in his/her efforts, because it brought a kind of joy to them that you acknowledged and wanted to see more.

To the inductees, this event also acknowledges the other contributions that you have made to CFOA and interscholastic contests.  One significant contribution that comes to mind is this: I am unequivocally, certain that there are others who now officiate, or tried officiating because of your efforts, urging, asking, recruitment.  I would be interested to see at this event, the following: if you are in this room tonight and all or part of the reason that you are officiating is because one of the inductees planted a seed either verbally or just by their actions, please stand.  (Not being present and if I were a betting man, SOMEONE would have to be standing at this time.)  I know that at least one of you influenced another to “come along” because as I review the list of inductees, there is a couple listed as inductees.  Here is where you all chuckle, because one those spouses may have influenced the other by making sure he (or she) was really where he (or she) said on Friday nights. (Please smile at this one J). 

But more seriously, you are being inducted, once again because of your contributions to CFOA and it is in that spirit that I congratulate you and wish you the best of God’s blessings!

Sincerely,

M. Denarvise Thornton, Jr.
Associate Executive Director
FHSAA