Woodlake High School principal Mike Burchett is a man of many talents.
Burchett, a Visalia native, is a longtime educator, former coach, and, for the past three winters, has spent his free time in the evenings as a wrestling official.
So why, on top of his demanding administrative duties, does Burchett stick himself in a gym doing a job that usually goes unnoticed unless a call doesn’t go a coach or wrestler’s way?
For the love of the sport.
“I still want to be involved,” Burchett said. “It gets you a really close view. You get the best view of the best wrestling when you’re an official. It just kind of goes with my skillset. I know the rules very well.”
Burchett has been a part of wrestling since he was 12 years old and is currently the director of Kings-Tulare Wrestling Association, a Greco and freestyle youth wrestling program.
Before becoming a referee, Burchett spent many years coaching in Tulare County, which included head coaching stops at Tulare Western and Woodlake. He also coached at Mt. Whitney.
Three-and-a-half years ago, Burchett and the Tulare-Kings Wrestling Association were set to participate in a weekend tournament, but with a referee shortage, the event was possibly going to be cancelled.
That’s where Burchett stepped in.
With his extensive background in the sport, Burchett officially met the qualifications to become a referee and has been on the mat ever since.
“It’s very enjoyable,” Burchett said. “It just felt like it was something for me to do. I personally don’t do it for the money. I do it because I find it enjoyable and fulfilling, and it’s giving back to the sport that I really got a lot out of and continue to do.”
Burchett, 48, is a busy man.
During the fall semester, he works 60 hours per week.
In the winter and spring, that drops to about 50, which frees Burchett to get on the mat, mostly on the weekends, for tournaments.
And when his schedule allows, he will pick up a dual match assignment during the week.
Burchett officiated El Diamante state champion Chris Creason’s 100th win against Mt. Whitney on Jan. 20 in Visalia.
Last season, Creason became the first Tulare County boys grappler to bring home a state gold medal since 2017 and was also the first Visalia boys wrestler in nearly half a century to stand atop the podium. Mt. Whitney’s Scott Jones claimed the state heavyweight title in 1980.
“This is my hobby,” Burchett said. “I enjoy it a lot. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it. Wrestling has just been a part of my life. I’ve been in gyms on Saturdays for all but four years of my life, when I was AD at the school without wrestling, which was kind of painful. It’s kind of the way I do things. I would be there anyway.
“My son wrestles in junior high. Wrestling is more of a lifestyle than a sport.”
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, an estimated 50,000 referees left officiating nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, dipping to as low as 189,140 officials in 2019-20.
Officiating numbers have increased since then, but there is still a need for referees across all sports, Burchett said.
Recruiting and retaining young officials is an ongoing challenge.
A 2023 survey conducted by the National Association of Sports Officials found the average age of high school officials is 56.68 years – up from 53.29 years in 2017.
Anyone interested in becoming a high school official can find information at the Central Section website.
“I think it can be thankless, but that’s why we need to have officials too,” Burchett said. “It doesn’t go without them. Our job is to be an arbitrator of the rules. We want to be as correct as possible, all the time. We strive to be so we really work on rules and interpretation, and just being in the right positions. That takes a long time to learn, even if you’ve coached a long time. Knowing to be in the right position and knowing what is the right call to make.
“Wrestling can be tough. There are many subjective calls, so it can change a match. You have to make the right decision at the right time, and do the best job that you can.”
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Woodlake principal Mike Burchett pulls double duty as wrestling referee
Reporting by Vongni Yang, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
