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Not every CHSAA football official played football in high school; not even the very best of them.
As Colorado high school football officials go, Mark VanGampleare ranks among the tallest. He laughs as he recalls his high school self, though.
“When I graduated from high school, I was the same height I am now and about 148 pounds,” VanGampleare recalled.
That physique, though reasonably well-suited to playing basketball, curtailed his options where football was concerned.
VanGampleare, then, came into officiating football through the back door. After a few seasons of officiating basketball under the tutelage of Ray Lutz, a giant of a previous generation in Colorado Springs-area officiating, Lutz finally convinced him to broaden his horizons into officiating football, as well. That was 37 years ago, and the intervening years have seen VanGampleare develop into one of the most respected football officials in the state.
After about 15 years of blowing whistles and throwing flags, VanGampleare took the next step and became a crew chief in the Colorado Springs association. Since then, he and his crew have become a much sought-after fixture on football fields throughout the greater Colorado Springs area.
“Mark has been doing this for a long time and his experience… shows every time he referees. His knowledge of the rules is second to none,” observes Simla coach David Guy. “The thing that makes Mark one of the best is his willingness to listen. He understands that there is a lot of emotion involved in sports, and his ability to listen and let a coach be heard makes every game he referees go smoother.”
Justin Rich, coach at The Classical Academy, adds this telling observation, “Mark and I have spent a lot of time together watching film. It is phenomenal that an official wants to spend time with me, a coach, to understand what we are teaching and focusing on both in scheme and technique so he can educate himself to be more proficient on game day.”
Pretty impressive for a guy who was, by his own estimation, too skinny to play high school football.
As is normally the case with the head of a crew, VanGampleare typically wears the white hat of the head referee for varsity games. For sub-varsity contests, however—and an official’s life is full of such contests—he works the other officiating positions, as well. It’s never a bad idea to keep all of your saws sharp. And, the regular rotation of responsibilities also helps develop and enhance competencies for members of VanGampleare’s crew.
With the white hat comes a measure of distinction, but an even larger measure of responsibility follows in distinction’s wake. The white hat makes the wearer, literally and figuratively, the most visible member of the officiating crew. With that visibility comes exposure.
VanGampleare, however, admits that it’s not unusual for him to go through an entire contest without ever noticing the crowd.
“Most of the time, the crowd is away from you. And, if the crowd is large enough, that noise becomes blended.” VanGampleare added, grinning. “If you have bad ears or old ears, it’s all white noise.”
So much for that piece of bitter invective landing on responsive ears.
“When I get done with a game, I can’t say I noticed the crowd, because I was so focused on what was going on,” he admitted.
The attention factor is little different, of course, with coaches. Part of an official’s job is to listen to the coaches.
“I’m pretty confident in what I know and what I can do,” VanGampleare stated. “I’m credentialed, but I’m not above saying, ‘Coach, if what you say actually happened, then I am wrong.’ And, that can happen… even as we try to get it right every time.”
VanGampleare acknowledges that officiating is not something everyone is going to want to do.
“People who can’t put on that Teflon are going to have a hard time, but it develops into a fraternity,” he said. “There’s a lot of great reasons to do it, but it certainly isn’t for everybody.”
It’s natural to wonder where the preferences fall for someone who is a dual-sport official like VanGampleare. While acknowledging that the crowd is a little more difficult to tune out in basketball, his face opens into an even wider grin as he fields the question of preference:
“Football is the most fun; basketball is my favorite,” he admits.
Pressed to explain what that means, VanGampleare elaborates, “Basketball is a little more my sport. It’s more challenging to officiate. The rules are a little easier to learn, but the game is harder because it’s constant action, constantly making decisions.”
But, there’s a corresponding upside for officiating football.
“Football is just a blast,” he said. “You get more time to interact with the players and even the coaches.”
At this topic of conversation begins to wind down, he glances momentarily downward and concedes, “I enjoy both immensely.”
That enthusiasm spills over into all his work in stripes. In addition to widespread recognition from peers and coaches, the CHSAA playoff assigners have taken notice. Although VanGampleare’s six state championship game appearances rank as something of a high-water mark among football officials, he dismisses that.
“I’ve probably done more than I deserve,” he states. “I’ve been lucky to do six championships.”
We know some folks who beg to differ about that, Mark.
There are four to five weeks of regular season football left this year before the playoffs begin. The 2024 Football State Championships will be hosted over two weekends in Pueblo and Fort Collins. The 6-Man and 8-Man championships will be at CSU-Pueblo’s ThunderBowl on Friday, Nov. 29, followed by the 1A and 2A title games on Saturday, Nov. 30. The 3A, 4A and 5A championship games will be the following weekend, on Saturday, Dec. 7, at CSU’s Canvas Stadium.
