WPH Press, Tucson, AZ, 2/27/24
Handball is unquestionably one of the most difficult sports to referee, as referees are tasked with calling serves, bad bounces, the score, tracking timeouts and most challenging of all, making subjective hinder and screen calls taking place at extremely fast speeds, often from less than ideal vantage points. Referees need to be judges, as they invariably are presented with cases disputing or advocating for certain calls with fans chirping in their ear. Referees are not paid and are required to referee immediately after a loss, most of the time without having the chance to gather their thoughts.
The Race 4 Eight stars were asked to vote for who they thought were the best referees on tour. Max Langmack earned top honors by a landslide, demonstrating the respect he has earned amongst his peers for volunteering to referee many of the tour’s marquee matches. Jab Bike took second place honors, vaulting into the top two in just his second year on tour.
The Race 4 Eight’s top two referees not only referee after losses, but often volunteer to referee four, five or even more matches during a weekend. Langmack, Bike and the other top referees volunteering their time and expertise to referee is a big reason the tour runs so smoothly and efficiently.
2024 Race 4 Eight Referee Rankings (as voted on by the Race 4 Eight pros)
- Max Langmack (51)
- Jab Bike (32)
- Shorty Ruiz (28)
- Sam Esser (27)
- Abraham Montijo (18)
Race 4 Eight pros were asked to vote for their top two referees, with five points awarded to a first-place vote and four points awarded for a second-place vote.
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer