August 7, 2014 at 1:31 p.m.
Area resident wins Minnesota Female Referee of the Year
Area resident wins Minnesota Female Referee of the Year
The 2011 graduate of Chisago Lakes High School has made quite the impression since. She was recently named as the Minnesota Referee of the Year after the USA Cup at the National Sports Center.
Referees are monitored for two week-long periods by assessors. The assessors, who are from all over the world -- England, Scotland, Colorado, meet with the referees after each game and tell them what they should be improving upon.
Magnuson was getting good pointers throughout the tournaments but never thought she was going to be considered for an award. “I was just looking to improve as a ref,” she said. “I didn’t expect any awards.”
The weeks went on and Magnuson reffed U9 through U19 games. She reffed from different spots on the field. “I am able to be the head referee or assistant,” she said. “I’m very comfortable doing both. I like to confront the problems and get through them.”
As the tournaments began to wind down, there were whispers of who was going to win awards at the annual banquet. The awards aren’t announced until the banquet, but referees who are receiving an award are told to show up.
“The talk around the tournament is about who is getting nominated,” Referee Program Coordinator Kelli Goodrich said. “They all want to know the inside scoop.”
By the end of the week, Magnuson got word that she would need to attend the banquet. “I didn’t know what award, they just told me to be there,” she said. “I really didn’t even know what was going on there, it was my first time attending.”
At the banquet, Magnuson was honored with the Minnesota Female Referee of the Year. “It’s quite an honor,” she said. “It’s very encouraging. It’s easy to feel alone sometimes on the field and feel like you’re not a good referee, but this award is validation. It lets you know that you are a good referee.”
Goodrich was proud of Magnuson, even though the pair have only worked together just this summer. “Morgan is a great referee,” Goodrich said. “My favorite thing about her is that she is reliable, and that’s not common in refereeing. I can always count on her and she is willing to take extra games even.”
Magnuson isn’t sure how far she’ll take her refereeing talents, but she knows she enjoys doing it. “I would love to advance but I’m not entirely sure if that will happen. I’m just going to continue to be the best referee I can be,” she said.
She even said she will add to her repertoire and ref lacrosse, as well as continue to ref some volleyball.
“I also want to encourage the younger generation to get into reffing,” she said. “There may be some negative feedback at the beginning but once you advance, it gets much more rewarding.”
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