When he threw on his black-and-white stripes for the first time, Lenny Rapozo knew he had just stepped in front of the firing range. Life as a referee in a sports-crazed town like Kaua’i isn’t easy, he thought. He had
When he threw on his black-and-white stripes for the first time, Lenny Rapozo knew he had just stepped in front of the firing range.
Life as a referee in a sports-crazed town like Kaua’i isn’t easy, he thought. He had heard the horror stories. He had seen the worst. He knew of the perils of the late 1970’s, when his father Leo, still a referee after 25 years, had to be escorted by police to and from each KIF football game.
Fans became unreasonably irate back in those days. At times they got personal, sometimes physical. Was this something he was prepared for?
It has been 15 seasons since Lenny called his first game. He still knows fan abuse exists, but he doesn’t let it get to him. Lenny has put so many hours into studying the rules and understanding the game, he has learned not to second guess himself.
“I know what the rulebooks say, and call each game by them,” Lenny says. “As long as I keep that in mind every time I go out there, I know I’ve done the right thing.”
A referee’s rulebook is like his bible, but a bible is only as good as its followers.
Lenny understands that. At first he joined Kauai’s ranks of referees so that he could spend time with his father. He and Leo used to raise cattle together in Hanamaulu, but when their pasture was returned to the plantation before he finished college in 1987, Lenny knew he had to find another father-son activity they could share. So he became a ref – just like dad.
But it wasn’t just his father he joined. Lenny found a separate family as a referee. An unbreakable clan, he had joined one of the most long-lasting teams in Kaua’i history. A team that would always back him up. A team that even he, after 15 seasons, is still a pup in terms of experience and longevity.
Long before Leo and Lenny came along, Maxie Moreno and Stoop Kenichi were running the fields, making the calls, developing the kids. The two have become a staple on island playing fields for over a quarter of a century. Combined, they have put in over 78 years as referees of Kauai sports, and they are still going strong today.
“I plan on retiring when my body can’t handle it anymore,” said Moreno, who will head into his 38th year as a Kaua’i referee in 2002.
“I don’t know how much longer I can go, but I will continue as long as they still need me,” said Kenichi.
Maxie and Stoop are the originals. The beginning point to Kaua’i’s most poignant team.
Stoop and Maxie took the job around the time Pop Warner football was introduced to Kaua’i in the 1960’s. Stoop helped maintain and coach the Koloa and Kalaheo sections of the league, which eventually led him to begin officiating KIF games. Moreno was already officiating in the KIF, and began Pop Warner when Harold Namu and Jerry Centers, then the organizers of the league, turned him on to officiating the younger kids. The two have been running the fields ever since.
What’s kept Maxie, Stoop, Leo and Lenny on the job for this long? From all four of them, it was the same answer:
“We do it for the kids, we love watching them grow up, watching them develop and learn. And, of course, we love the game.”
Although the clan still exists and will continue through the 2002-3 season, they know some of its members will soon retire and have expressed a need for new recruits.
Leo would like to call it a career, but says there is a lack of interest among Kauai residents to become referees. Some people don’t want to face the firing range. Others think the referees on the island have formed an exclusive clan which bans outsiders from joining.
Guys like Leo and Lenny want to dispel these rumors.
“We are always looking for people to become refs,” said Lenny. “We need new recruits. Some people fear the fans and the job, but if they study the rules and are prepared, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Besides, they have a team of guys who will support them through every call.”
“We were extremely fortunate to get guys like Jerry Morris [a former PAC-10 official] and Ben Bregman [Arena Football official] to join us,” said Leo. “We are always in need of personnel, especially if we can get people with that kind of experience.”
Lenny and Leo insist that experience is not necessary as long as the person who signs up is willing to put in the time.
“We don’t throw new guys into high school football games on their first day,” said Lenny. “They will work their way up to that level, starting with the youngest leagues.”
“We will take anyone off the street as long as they are willing to study the rulebooks thoroughly and learn the game.”
