There is no welcome mat for officials. A striped shirt and a whistle make you a target for hostility. While there is no cure-all for fan abuse, the Heart of Illinois Conference has taken a positive step with its student-driven Code of Conduct, said a number of veteran officials. | Video

At No. 2 on the nine-item code is "respect our officials at all times." The code is read by students from each school prior to every Heart of Illinois contest, planting the seed of sportsmanship for players, coaches, student cheering sections and adults.

"I think it gives a lot of guys goose bumps," said official Rich Cacciatore of Hudson. "It's the one thing where somebody finally said, 'We need to treat these officials better and our conduct has to be better at these games.'

"In the 22 years I've been officiating, I don't think I've ever experienced something where a group of people came up with something so positive in the way of sportsmanship. It was overwhelming."

That it was written by HOIC students makes it more special, Cacciatore said. He was moved enough to write a letter to the Illinois High School Association applauding the league for addressing fan behavior.

Cacciatore will work 20 to 25 HOIC girls basketball games and 15 to 20 boys games this season. He said the jeering of opposing players seems to have subsided and added, "I don't think as officials they're pointing the finger as much at us for a specific call."

Veteran official Rodney Ummel of Colfax called the code "a good idea," and also has noticed fewer "rude comments" by fans at players.

"That's always bothered me worse than when they yell at me," Ummel said. "We expect to be yelled at because there are always some bang-bang calls, and you make half of the fans happy and half of them mad."

Official Michael Simpson of Bloomington considers the code the students' way of saying, "This is important to us and this is part of our education."

"It seems more sincere coming from the students," Simpson said. "I think you'll still have that one individual who is going to be a meathead. But it's a good start."

Joe Kemp used to be among the "meatheads." When his younger brothers played basketball, he admits to being "hell on wheels" toward officials.

"I look back now on how much of an idiot I was," Kemp said.

His attitude changed years ago when he became an official. He said the code seems to have had a positive effect on students, but added, "I don't know that it's had much impact on the adults."

Official Kurt Hartke of Bloomington said abuse often "filters down" from adults in the stands to student sections and, in some cases, the players and coaches. He is hopeful the code can help remind adults that "basketball is a learning experience, and it's supposed to teach you about life."

"Life is not always fair," Hartke said. "We're all going to make mistakes. There's never a perfect game. If everybody walked away and the kids were perfect, the coaches were perfect and the officials were perfect, we'd all be real happy. That's not life.

"Everything's not perfect, and you have to work through it. Sometimes that's forgotten."

Normal's Kirk Sieg said the code "reinforces and reemphasizes" the need to respect players, coaches, fellow fans and, yes, even officials.

"It's better that they do it than not," he said. "It can't hurt."

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