Category Archives: Game Official

Karen B. Zealor

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Karen’s involvement with volleyball began in 1974 at Maloney High School in Meriden.  Under the watchful eye of Coach Sandy Piantek, she and her teammates won 3 state championships, were runners up once, and were undefeated during the regular season 4 years in a row. Karen attended the University of Connecticut and as a freshman walk-on, she not only got herself a starting varsity position, she also got a scholarship.

Karen began officiating in 1981.  With her knowledge of the game and confident demeanor she was always in demand.  During the 15 years of her career she has officiated countless high school and college games statewide.  Karen has also been selected to referee at the Nutmeg Games, the Connecticut Special Olympics World Games.  She is a member of the Connecticut Board of Volleyball Officials and has served as both secretary and vice president.  Karen has also shared her expertise by serving on the committee to train and evaluate officials.

Today Karen lives in Wallingford with her 2 children Zachary and Rachel.

Bill Cobain

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Bill was a women’s volleyball referee for over two decades. He refereed on both the high school and college level. He was an active member of the Connecticut Federation of Volleyball Officials and served for many terms as that organization’s secretary/treasurer. In addition to those duties, he serviced as an evaluator and scheduling coordinator for the board.

Bill’s enjoyment and enthusiasm for refereeing led to encouraging a number of his professional colleagues to become referees. Some of those friends remain active volleyball officials today.

Dr. Jean Mee

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Dr. Mee began her officiating career in 1975 during her senior year SCSC. She began officiating college volleyball in 1976 after being rated by CAIWBO as a state official. She has officiated at all Connecticut state colleges and universities including regional championships, as well as high school regular season and tournament play.

During her time as a volleyball official, De. Mee held memberships in NAGWS-CABO/CAIWBO (National Assoc. for Girls and Women’s Sports/Connecticut Affiliated Board of Officials and Connecticut Affiliated Intercollegiate Women’s Board of Officials) and she served as president of CAIWBO for two years. She also helped organize training and rating sessions for volleyball officials at high school jamborees for many years and hosted many rule interpretation sessions for volleyball officials.  She continued her officiating career until 1990.

Eleanor Lemaire

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Eleanor, a native of Bristol, RI, graduated from Sargent College in 1951 with a BS in Physical Education. She did post graduate work at RI College, NYU, UConn and Columbia University. She began her teaching career in the Simsbury school system.  In 1962 she began a 1 year run as teacher administrator and coach at the University of Bridgport and Arnold College. She finished her professional craeer at the Universtiy of Rhode Island as Senior Associate Director of Athletics prior to retirement in 1992.

During her days in Connecticut, she was a very active volleyball official holding an honorary national rating. After attending the National Institute on Girls Sports in the early ‘60s, she returned to Connecticut where she started conducting volleyball clinics all over the state. Jean Hunt credits Ellie with introcuding the new power volleyball fame to the state and working diligently to educate teachers, coaches and officials to the “modern” technique of the sports as it was being played in California.

Some of her contributions to varous areas of sport included holding offices such as the DGWS officiating coordinator for the east, EAIAW President, AIAW Executive Board, Chair of the RI Board of Officials and the easter district AAHPERD Secretary. She has been inducted into five halls of fame and she has received numerous honors for administration.

Ellie afforded many high school and college women the opportunity to play and compete, but she never had the opportunity herself. In high school and college, no varsity sport for women offered or allowed in the 40’s and 50’s.

 

Louise Albrecht

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Louise began her volleyball career in the 1960’s as a player in the Southern California USVBA league. When Lou came to Connecticut, in 1969 where she and Joan Joyce started the Connecticut Clippers USVBA team.

She started the volleyball program at California State University at Fullerton where she coached the team to a 20-9 record. She left California in ’69 to coach at Western Connecticut State University.  In 1970, Lou moved on to Southern Connecticut State University where she posted a 57-8 record. She retired from coaching in 1975 but continued in volleyball as an official.

Lou’s role in officiating was multi-faceted. Her talents were well known as she was summarily invited to present at the Eastern Association for Physical and Health for College Women, CAHPERD and NAGWS. Under her direction, SCSU hosted the EAIAW volleyball tournament in ’74, ’75 and ’81. Lou also held the position of assignor for the EAIAW regional tournament in ’76 and ’77.

She held the position of chairperson of volleyball officials for the Southwest Board in ’71-’72. She officiated in the CIAC Volleyball Championships from ’69-’74 and the EAIAW regional tournament in 1972.

Having been honored for her many achievements as player, coach and official, Lou is a member of the National Softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, OK.  She is one of the founders of the CT Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She was inducted into the Northeast Hall of Fame for Women in Sport as well as the CT Women’s Basketball hall of Fame. Most recently, she was inducted into the CT Scholastic and Collegiate Softball Hall of Fame and she received the prestigious Katherine Ley Award from Eastern College Athletic Conference.

Louise served from 1985-1988 on the NCAA Council and from 1986-1988 she served on the Committee for Improvement of Women’s Officiating.

In 1992, Louise retired from her position as associate athletic director at SCSU.

 

William McCaffrey

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Bill McCaffrey grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He started playing volleyball in his early twenties at the urging of this brother Dick, at the YMCA. While playing, he played with and against all the best volleyball players in the Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio..

Bill graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1959 with a B.S. Degree in Aeronautical Engineering. In 1960 he married his wife Betty and they have three children.

The Lewis family moved to Connecticut as he began work at Pratt and Whitney Aviation. Bill started playing volleyball again at the Hartford YMCA. There he met Jim Welch and he convinced Bill to attend the New Haven YMCA. He played there and led the men’s Open Program for 25 years. They played in about 15 tournaments a year in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. He also started an adult league in South Windsor that is still in existence with 25 to 30 teams playing.

Bill eventually became the United States Volleyball Association commissioner in New England for five states. He served in that capacity for about five years working with other commissioners to form an East Coast volleyball region. During that time he also began officiating at the end of his tenure, became the chief officials of the New England Region.
Bill also became the United States Volleyball association national official. For the next 25 to 30 years, he worked many USVBA tournaments all over the east coast and in many women’s college matches. Still went to the nationals every year and was on the USVBA national rating team for 10 years.

Bill retired from Pratt and Whitney after 40 years as a vice president and marketing and customer support. After his retirement, he continued to appreciate both girls and boys high school volleyball matches.

Jung Park

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Jung Park is a graduate of Conard HS and UCONN and currently resides in West Hartford, CT. His volleyball career began as a club player while attending UConn. After graduation even though he was a pretty good player, his teammates felt their team would be better without him and sent him into a forced retirement. When Jung was hired at UConn as the Intramural Director, he quickly realized how much help he would need if he was going to teach other students how to officiate. He became a member of the Connecticut Board of Volleyball Officials in 1997 as well as the USA Volleyball Association. He says he’s been blessed to be helped by many great mentors along the way. With help from his mentors and others in the officiating community, Jung became a dual national official (USAV in 2004 and PAVO, Professional Association of Volleyball Officials, in 2006). In 2010, he successfully completed the FIVB, Federation International de Volleyball, International Referee Course in Argentina then became a certified FIVB international referee in 2011. He currently works in ten different NCAA Division 1 conferences. He has worked numerous NCAA Women’s and Men’s conference, regional and national championships as well as several CT HS state championships and in NAIA, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Today, Jung continues to serve as the State Rules Interpreter for high school officials in CT. Nationally he also continues to work many events as a member of the USAV and PAVO national rating/training team.

Actively involved with the collegiate club volleyball, he founded and serves as the commissioner of the Northeast Women’s Volleyball Club League (which has grown to fifty college club teams in nine states). He also ventures out to the “Dark Side” of coaching in his spare time, serving as the head coach of the UConn Women’s and Men’s club teams since 1997. He was recognized by NIRSA as the Club National Coach of the Year in 2007.

Tony Aretakis

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Tony started officiating in the Groton Parks and Recreation volleyball program from 1976-1984. Then in  the winter of 1983, Tony met referee Bruno Lucas while competing in Branford’s “Chester Bloomquist” invitational volleyball tournament. After watching Tony officiate, Bruno suggested Tony contact Barbara Startup to get certified. The rest is, as they say, history.

During the early years as a certified high school and college volleyball official. Tony credits as his mentors, Barb startup, Fran Vandermeer, and Bruno Lucas that he worked with and learned from. In his 29 year high school officiating career, Tony officiated eight state high school finals, numerous semifinal and may league and conference finals. He was the Connecticut high school rules interpreter for 10 years and was voted the Connecticut Volleyball Official of the Year in 1998.

As a college official, Tony officiated for 25 years retiring in 2009.  From 1994-96 he was selected to officiate the Division III NCAA Regional playoffs through the finals. He was also chairperson of the Connecticut College Board for two terms. He felt his job was made easy by the work of board members Kathy Ferrachiccio and Shirley Breuer.

Besides officiating, Tony has been an outstanding volleyball player. He played on championship teams starting in his 20’s and continuing throughout his playing career. He just won another championship at 60 years old.

As a player and official, Tony Aretakis is one of the best.

 

Candy Perez

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Sports opportunities for girls were limited when Candy was growing up in Torrington in the early 70’s. She played softball in the park and recreation Pigtail League and in intramural “six on six” basketball games. When volleyball was added as the first girls’ high school sport during her junior year, Candy was given the task of reading the rule book (how prophetic) and helping to organize the team. Torrington soon added girls’ teams in softball and basketball to their athletic program. Candy was a three-sport athlete by her senior year.

After graduating from high school, Candy pursued a degree in Physical Education at SCSC, which, at the time was the premiere state college for women’s sports. It was during her sophomore year at Southern that Candy began officiating volleyball. She officiated in the New Haven area during her collegiate years both at the high school and college level. After graduating from Southern in ’79, Candy accepted a teaching and coaching position at Canton High School and volleyball coaching position at her alma mater, Torrington High.  She coached the Torrington varsity volleyball team for two years.  She they returned to officiating on a full time basis.

Candy officiated at many of the schools in the northwestern part of the state. She had the privilege of officiating at some of the top schools at the time- Bristol Eastern, Holy Cross, Gilbert, Avon, Lewis Mills, Cheshire, and Naugatuck- and credits many of the coaches at those schools with making her a better official. As a member of the Connecticut Board of Volleyball Officials, Candy became the chairperson of the Board from 1980-92 and then again in ’95. She continues to serve as the scheduling coordinator for 30 schools in the northwestern part of the state, a position she has held since 1980. She has been involved in training and rating new officials, writing the CBVO’s original officials’ manual, and along with Barbara Startup, worked over time with the CIAC in officials’ contract negotiations and the new CAIO.

In 2000, Candy was inducted into the Torrington High School Athletic Hall of Fame and in ’06 she was named Connecticut Athletic Director of the Year by the National Assoc. for Sport and Physical Education.  In 2007, she received the Merit Award from the CIAC Girls’ Basketball Committee and in 2008 she was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of fame.

Candy is currently the principal of Northwestern Regional Middle School in Winsted and serves as Selectman in Winsted.

Vincent Buehler

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Vincent began his lifelong association with volleyball at the age of 16 when he started playing with the American Turners in New York City. At age 18 he became the player/coach for the Turners, a position he held for the next 15 years.  During that time, his team competed in many USA Volleyball National Championships.

In 1970, Vincent became a regional referee in the Garden Empire in New York City for USA Volleyball. Two years later he earned his national rating for USAV. He was selected to referee at Madison Square Garden for the US National Team at an exhibition match.

Vincent moved to Connecticut in 1970 where he began his 28-year officiating career refereeing girls’ high school games. He contributed as a referee assignor for the Fairfield county area assigning 43 high schools. He also held the position as rules interpreter for that district.

He started the Fairfield County USA Jr. Olympic girls’ volleyball program and set up volleyball camps in Fairfield county for high school girls.

Vincent also game of his time as a volunteer for the Special Olympics World Games in New Haven and he served as the co-coordinator for the 3rd Annual Easter Seals Volleyball Marathon.

Vincent received awards from the town of Stratford for his time and donations to the sports programs in the schools. Most recently he was honored by the FCIAC when they named their league MVP aware after Vincent A. Buehler.

During his 42 years of participation in the sport of volleyball, it is believed that he played and officiated somewhere between 35,000 to 40,000 games.

Volleyball was his number one passion.