Feb. 3, 2003
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Marsha Wetzel, an instructor from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), has become the first deaf referee in the history of NCAA Division I women's basketball.
"It was one of my basketball officiating goals to get to this level," Wetzel said of her first year in Division I after several years of officiating Division III and high school games. "I was thrilled when I received an invitation to attend the Patriot League and A-10 tryout camp last summer.
"I think being a basketball referee is a great way to stay in touch with the sport, and it has been the ultimate professional accomplishment for me, especially as a role model for the deaf community. There have been obstacles and struggles in officiating, mainly related to communication barriers when not with an interpreter. It requires strong will, faith and a desire and determination," she said.
Wetzel participated in the referee try-out camp for the Patriot League and the Atlantic 10 Conference last summer and was added to the staff of both, said Renee Dorfman, coordinator of officials for the Patriot League.
"She's very crisp and very clear with her signals, she exhibits good judgment and consistent, fair application of the rules," said Marie Koch, coordinator of officials for Atlantic 10 Conference. "Her court awareness is excellent."
Executive Director of the Patriot League Carolyn Schlie Femovich said, "Adding Marsha to the women's basketball officiating staff has been very positive for the League, which strives to promote equal oportunity and diversity. She is a highly-qualified and skilled basketball official. It is a real testament to her dedication and commitment to officiating that she has risen to become a respected Division I official."
Wetzel was assigned eight games in her first year on the Division I level, four in the Patriot League and four in the A-10. She has worked seven games so far this season, including Lehigh's 83-77 win at Colgate Sunday, and has one game remaining. Both Koch and Dorfman said that Wetzel's being deaf has had no impact on her ability on the court.
"Marsha has certainly worked hard and has earned the right to be in a Division I game, simply based on her officiating ability, and nothing else," said Koch. "And she would be the first to tell you that she must continue to work hard to maintain her status."
"If a coach has a question for Marsha," said Dorfman, "she would be able to address the question with her partners, just as a hearing official would. She usually has a sign language interpreter on hand during the whole game; but if not, she and her colleagues write notes back and forth."
"It was completely different when I worked in my first Division I game in November (2002)," Wetzel said. "It was easy for me to make the calls while watching the game as an outsider or spectator. But it is more challenging when I'm actually on the court. I feel a higher concentration level and quick decision making in a Division I game than other games."
"I'm confident and feel good about my performance in Division I games this season. I have received compliments from the coordinators and coaches. I appreciate the great support of Renee Dorfman of the Patriot League and Marie Koch of the Atlantic 10," Wetzel said.
Wetzel is an NTID instructor and Sports Assistant Program Coordinator at RIT. She works with RIT's 1,100 deaf and hard-of-hearing students and supports those who are involved in RIT's intercollegiate athletic and intramural programs.
Her responsibilities include teaching Wellness for Life and Wellness Activity classes to deaf students, including basketball officiating. Wetzel also hosts deaf awareness workshops to RIT intercollegiate athletic teams and its Center for Human Performance staff and student employees, and provides support to deaf and hard-of-hearing intramural teams and officials, and serves as student club advisor for RIT's Deaf Basketball Association.
"Marsha is an exemplary role model for all of our students at RIT," said Robert R. Davila, CEO of NTID and vice president at RIT. "She proves that education, hard work and commitment eliminate any obstacles people think they have toward realizing their dreams."
A skilled basketball player herself, Wetzel played at Gallaudet University, where she earned a B.S. in Recreation and Leisure Studies in 1985, and another B.S. degree in Physical Education in 1990. She then earned an M.S. degree in Athletic Administration in 1993 from Springfield College in Massachusetts, and another M.S. degree in Deaf Education in 1998 from Western Maryland College. She earned Coach of the Year Award after just one year of coaching girls varsity basketball at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D.C., from the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials. Wetzel also participated internationally in two Olympic-style Deaflympics.