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If you are the mother or father of a high school athlete, this message is for you.
When you attend an athletic event that involves your son or daughter, cheer to your heart’s content, enjoy the camaraderie that high school sports offer and have fun, but when it comes to verbally criticizing game officials or coaches, it’s time for everyone to cool it.
“The time has come for everyone involved in the game to ‘pump the brakes’ as it relates to conduct at games, particularly, the parents who attend,” noted National Federation of State High Schools Associations Executive Director Karissa Niehoff.
Make no mistake about it, your passion is admired and your support of the hometown team is needed, but so is your self-control. Yelling, screaming and berating the officials humiliates your child, annoys those sitting around you, embarrasses your child’s school and is the primary reason Louisiana has an alarming shortage of high school officials.
It’s true. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Sports Officials, over 75 percent of all high school officials say “adult behavior” is the primary reason they quit. More than 80 percent of all young officials hang up their stripes after just two years of whistle blowing. Why? They don’t need your abuse.
“Officials are expected to be perfect and improve as the game goes on, but that’s not the case because no one is perfect,” Louisiana High School Athletic Association Executive Director Eddie Bonine said.
There are more officials over the age of 60 than under 30 in many areas. As more experienced officials retire, there aren’t enough younger ones to replace them. If there are no officials, there are no games. The lack of licensed high school officials is severe enough in some areas that athletic events are being postponed or cancelled—especially at the freshman and junior varsity levels.
The shortage is likely to get worse based on recent acts by parents and school administrators. Consider a few incidents that occurred just in the last few weeks:
—A fan assaulted an official on Feb. 2 at the conclusion of an LHSAA basketball game and criminal charges were pressed.
—Nineteen student-athletes were disqualified for their involvement in a bench-clearing brawl between member schools on Jan. 23.
—Fifteen student-athletes were ejected for participating in a fight during a game on Jan. 29.
—In the past two weeks, four LHSAA basketball games have been terminated because of student and/or spectator misconduct.
Research confirms that participation in high school sports instills a sense of pride in school and community, teaches lifelong lessons like teamwork or self-discipline and facilitates the physical and emotional development of those who participate. So, if the games go away because there aren’t enough men and women to officiate them, the loss will be infinitely greater than just an “L” on the scoreboard… it will be putting a dent in your community’s future.
If you would like to be a part of the solution to the shortage of high school officials, you can sign up to become a licensed official through the LHSAA.org or by showing your interest at HighSchoolOfficials.com. We appreciate your support and always welcome positive sportsmanship at all high school athletic events.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Niehoff is executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, and Bonine is executive director of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association.

Teche Theater for the Performing Arts will host a showing the movie “The Great Debaters.”
As part of the African American Film Festival, the show will be Sunday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m.
There will be a pre- and post-commentary of the film, and organizers ask that you make it a family event and enjoy the social outing. Concessions will be sold.

Christian Matney, 22, and his wife, Aubry, 23, haven’t let their youth hinder them from big financial goals.
The Austin, Texas-based couple — content creators at YouTube channel The Matneys — are travelers, entrepreneurs and homeowners, thanks in part to their commitment to financial minimalism. The approach involves decluttering accounts, obligations and balance sheets.
“We got things simple enough (to) where we both knew where our money was going,” Christian Matney said.
Here’s how financial minimalism can help you clarify goals, reduce stress and focus on what matters.
LIST YOUR MOTIVATIONS
Minimalists live intentionally by carving out goals around which they center their lifestyles. But the key is knowing what those priorities are.
“If you’re not directed and know exactly where you’re going, something’s going to be directing you,” Christian Matney said.
The Matneys married in May 2016 and began mapping their goals and documenting milestones on YouTube. At the time, both were employed at the same startup, working long hours and unable to commit much time to one of their top goals: travel. They set about simplifying.
When they moved into an apartment together, they purged many of their belongings — and many of their financial obligations. “We had tons of unnecessary expenses we didn’t even know were there,” Christian Matney said. He notes they went from 30 monthly bills — including subscription accounts and donations they didn’t realize had piled up — to five.
They then bought a van and, in 2017, moved into it, taking their jobs with the startup on the road. Along the way, they continued building their social media brand. By 2018, Christian said, they were able to quit their jobs and become business owners themselves, focusing on their brand and building websites for other companies.
For the Matneys, it was a matter of visualizing a goal — travel — and organizing their lives to meet it.
“The money follows, the steps follow and everything follows, but you’ve got to know where you’re going first,” Christian Matney said.
WEIGH VALUE VERSUS STRESS
When deciding whether to buy, skip or toss an item, minimalists try to determine whether it adds value to their lives. Apply that to your financial accounts.
Beyond holding your money, accounts should save you time, fees and, perhaps most importantly, stress. For 64 percent of Americans, money is one of the most common sources of stress, according to the 2018 American Psychological Association’s Stress in America Survey.
If your accounts are stressing you out, switch, close or consolidate. “If you can take four different accounts and move them into one, on your brain, that makes such a tremendous impact because your finances are so much easier to manage,” said Brent Sutherland, a certified financial planner and self-proclaimed “semi-minimalist.”
Take a look at:
—Bank accounts. Keeping track of checking, savings, money market and/or CD accounts can be daunting and expensive, thanks to service fees. Resolve to manage only a few low-cost options. For the Matneys, one savings account and two checking accounts suffice. Some online savings accounts pay upward of 2 percent annual percentage yield, much higher than the 0.09 percent national average.
—Credit cards. Clear out plastic that no longer fits your spending habits or charges an annual fee. If you have an older card with a high limit, closing it can ding your credit scores, but you can still move it to a sock drawer.
—Debts. Moving debt to a balance transfer card can mean paying less interest. If student loans are part of your debt mix, you can consolidate or refinance. Automating your payments can help, too, especially if you’re still writing checks or paying via multiple creditors’ websites.
—Investments. If you’ve changed jobs, see if you can transfer your old 401(k) to your new employer’s plan, or roll it over into an IRA. If your other investments are scattershot, transferring them to a single brokerage firm can help you better track your allocation and performance, Sutherland said. (Before doing so, ask about costs for such transfers.)
SPEND WITH PURPOSE
In 2018, the Matneys became homeowners, splitting the down payment and monthly mortgage 50/50 with Christian’s grandparents. All four are on the deed, and they all live together.
Adding responsibilities and roommates may seem at odds with minimalism. For the Matneys, who still travel, the arrangement makes sense.
“It gives us a home base at an affordable rate, an investment property and an ability to take care of my family, which is a huge factor for me,” Christian said.

July 2, 1944- February 12, 2019
Michael “Mike” Nelson, 74, a resident of Morgan City, was called to his heavenly home on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at his residence surrounded by his loving family.
Mike was born July 2, 1944, in Columbia, Louisiana, the son of Gwendolyn Cruse Nelson and Copeland Ray Nelson.
Mike served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1963-1967. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam with battlefield promotions to Corporal, then to Sergeant. After Vietnam, he played Minor League Baseball for two years. He was a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan and he even did play by play with the late great Harry Caray. He had a great passion for the outdoors and loved to hunt and fish. He owned Nelson Enterprises for 46 years which included bars such as The Naughty Knight, The Purple Peacock and The Rathskeller. It wasn’t uncommon to have all-time greats such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Fats Domino, Percy Sledge, Tommy McClain and David Allen Coe at his home. He also served on the Civil Service Board under three mayors.
He will be sadly missed by his loving wife of 47 years, Susan Griffin Nelson of Morgan City; two children, Michael Ray Nelson and Cynthia Melissa Nelson of Morgan City; seven grandchildren, Karson Nelson, Kollin Nelson, Kameron Nelson, Kolton Nelson, Trent Williams, Laini Williams, Sarah Williams and Exchange student he mentored, Pablo Machado of Caracus, Venezuela; one sister, Barbara Carroll of Shreveport; and his companion, Service Dog Jack.
Mike was preceded in death by his son, James David Nelson; step-daughter, Cheryl Deville; mother, Gwendolyn Cruse Nelson; father, Copeland Ray Nelson; grandfather, Charles Cruse; and his grandmother, Georgia Elizabeth Gilliam Cruse.
Pallbearers will be Kenny Duay, Anthony Thibodeaux, Chuck Cruse, Gordon Rice, Lenny Dartez, Leroy Breaux, James Morrison, Ben Chaisson, Earl King, Gary Guarisco and Dr. Vernon Thibodeaux.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, February 14, 2019 at Hargrave Funeral Home from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Visitation will resume on Friday, February 15, 2019 from 8 a.m. until time of services at 11 a.m. at Hargrave Funeral Home. Following services, Mike will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Mausoleum.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to Central Catholic High School or the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home.
The family would like to give a special thanks to Ray Lynn Guarisco, Gary Guarisco, Kenny Duay, Leroy Breaux, Kristin Aman, Kelly Thomas, Tony Vincent and Terry Oubre for their special care and compassion during Mike’s illness.
Arrangements under the direction of Hargrave Funeral Home.