The shriek of a whistle is music to the ears of both Michael Bell and Chris Hartbank.
A few decades ago, Bell and Hartbank joined the Illinois High School Association as referees. Bell, an IHSA assigner for the Apollo Conference and other area schools, started officiating boys’ and girls’ basketball 21 years ago, and he picked up football 11 years ago.
Hartbank has been wearing black and white stripes on a football field for nearly 40 years.
Looking back, both of them say it’s one of the best decisions they’ve ever made.
Ever since Bell, a Charleston native, began his time as an official, he has been hooked. He officiates games six days a week, and multiple games a day sometimes. He has put more than 1,000 miles on his car to get to some of his games.
Bell has been part of crews that have officiated three girls’ basketball state championships and was also a linesman for the IHSA class 7A state title football game between Batavia and Chicago Mt. Carmel.
“To me, it’s like a drug,” Bell said. “I’m addicted to it.”
Bell travels across the state with his crew for girls’ and boys’ basketball games. His workload got to be as many as 16 games in five days around Christmas time.
It’s never too much for him though. Despite games where he may endure screaming fans, arguments with coaches and tough decisions, Bell still arrives to his next game without a hitch.
If he didn’t, there might not be a game.
An official shortage has caused games to be cancelled or rescheduled for a few years now.
A 2022 survey of state high school associations by the National Federation of State High School Associations found that approximately 50,000 individuals from the 2018-19 school year had stopped serving as high school officials by the 2021-22 school year.
“If we’re not there, the kids don’t get to play,” Bell said.” We are so short on officials right now that they’re cancelling games because there’s not enough officials to be able to do all the games.”
For Hartbank, who is from Mattoon, him and the rest of his five-man crew suit up every weekend, where he gets what he calls the best seat in the house to officiate high school football games.
Hartbank has been to five IHSA state title games and plans to begin his 38th year as a football referee when the upcoming season starts.
“It’s probably one of the best things I ever did in my life,” Hartbank said. “A friend of mine that had been doing it for four or five years talked me into trying it, and I was very grateful that he did that.”
Like Bell, 68-year-old Hartbank still loves the feeling of walking into a gameday atmosphere. They both pay for their own travel costs to give high school students a chance to play the sports that they love.
Both Hartbank and Bell see it as their way of giving back to their beloved sports, and on Jan. 15, the IHSA named Hartbank the 2025-26 football official of the year and Bell the 2025-26 girls’ basketball official of the year.
Bell and Hartbank join 20 others who were nominated for the award and then voted on by the IHSA. The association chose one official from each of its 22 sports to be honored at the 2026 IHSA Officials Conference, which will be held on July 10 and 11 in Normal.
One of the best parts about the job, they both say, is the camaraderie built with the other officials on the crew.
“One of my favorite parts is just hanging out with the crew every night, getting to drive to games together and talking about plays and things you’ve seen on the internet,” Bell said.
“The relationships you build with your fellow officials is priceless,” Hartbank said. “I’ve met guys through officiating football in college that I wouldn’t have ever known without being involved in officiating. They’re some of my best friends.”
Both Hartbank and Bell work with other officials ranging in age. While the average age of an official is between 58 and 60 years old, according to Bell, he has or is currently working with people as young as 20 who are interested in being an official.
It’s important, Bell says, to put younger officials who have a desire to learn and listen from the more experienced ones in positions to succeed, as he says the average span from when an official gets their license to when they stop doing games is just two years.
“I don’t tell somebody what they’re doing wrong unless they ask me,” Bell said. “If they’re just out there for a dollar or two, then they’re not in it for the long haul.”
They both see officiating as a way to stay involved in the sport.
“It’s a good way to challenge yourself,” Hartbank said. “Once your playing days are over, there’s still a challenge of working a good game and giving your best effort along with your crew. I guess that’s a lot of what keeps me going. I still enjoy that challenge.”
Bell’s message to young officials starting out, or those thinking about becoming a referee, is to be curious, ask for help and always look for ways to improve.
“Find an association, find a mentor,” Bell said. “Have them help you as much as possible.”
According to Bell, basketball referees get paid anywhere from $80-$120 per game depending on the level of the sport. Other sports vary in pay.
Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
