Ref Martin earns way into Hall

Nearly all of Maine’s 2006 inductees into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame can quantify their successes in the sport.

Among the coaches selected, Katahdin of Stacyville’s Dick Barstow has more than 600 high school wins to his credit, while Bruce MacGregor compiled a 545-176 record over 26 years at Husson College in Bangor.

Among the players, Jon MacDonald, for one, surely has Hall of Fame credentials. He led Stearns of Millinocket to a 68-2 record, three Eastern A titles, two state crowns and the 1963 New England championship before taking his career at the University of Maryland.

But such choices aren’t all about numbers.

Take Tracie Martin.

When she learned she had been selected for induction, she wasn’t quite sure why.

The longtime Narraguagus High School physical education teacher does most of her coaching at Cherryfield Elementary School these days, though she did lead the Narraguagus girls basketball team to more than 100 wins and one EM title game appearance over seven years as varsity coach at the Harrington school.

But her selection had little to do with numbers – Martin will enter the Hall on Oct. 6, for her work as a basketball official.

“When I first got the notification I didn’t know if it was for coaching or if it was for officiating, and I don’t know who nominated me, but I thank them,” she said.

For Martin, officiating has been one way to maintain a relationship with a sport that has been a passion since her youth.

Martin played high school basketball at Vinalhaven before going on to the University of Maine. That led her to student-teach at Cony High in Augusta, where her instructors included Al Card and Charlie MacDonald, both veteran basketball officials.

They urged Martin to grab a whistle, and so she did. She took the officiating class in 1985, and a year later joined IAABO Board 111 based in Eastern Maine.

One of a modest number of female basketball referees in Maine, Martin been a constant on the officiating scene ever since, not to mention spending the last 20 autumns as a soccer referee and the last seven springs as a softball umpire.

During the last 20 winters, Martin has become a familiar presence on the Bangor Auditorium floor come tournament time, and worked numerous championship games.

But as much as there’s the thrill of officiating, Martin finds enjoyment in the relationships forged within the basketball community.

“You look on the schedule and see you’ve got a game coming up at a certain place, and you know you’re going to see somebody there you know,” she said.

But perhaps the strongest bonds are those among fellow officials. Like coaches have their networks so, too, does the officiating class.

“In Hancock County we’ve got a great bunch of officials,” said Martin, whose entry into the soccer and softball officiating ranks was encouraged by two fellow arbiters from the region, Denny Harmon and John Shoppe. “It’s important to get along with the people you work with, because a lot of times you’ll drive an hour with them to the game, work the game and then drive an hour home.

“There’s a lot of good officials, just like there are a lot of good coaches and a lot of good players. That’s what makes it fun. And if you don’t have a good time doing something, then you’ve got to wonder why you do it.”

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net