SHREVEPORT – Jami Brossette competed in about every sport imaginable at her small Hathaway High in Jefferson Davis Parish – cross country, basketball, track and field, tennis and swimming.
But now, the mother of two young children puts on a different jersey on gameday – that of a volleyball official.
With officials across the state and around the country aging and becoming more scarce, the profession is hoping the younger generations, like Brossette (mid-30s), will take up the mantle.
Brossette, who ascended to the Area 1 Representative for volleyball to the Louisiana High School Officials Association this offseason, said officiating caters to former athletes and young parents alike.
“You can officiate on your own schedule,” said Brossette, who officiates Louisiana high school and college matches along with club volleyball year-round. “If you know you can’t work on certain days, you can block off those days and say you aren’t available.
“For anybody that loves sports, it’s a great way to give back to the community.”
Brossette, who is the assistant director of recreation sports at LSUS, dipped her toe into the officiating waters in intramurals as an undergraduate student at Northwestern State.
Intramural volleyball happened to be one of those sports, which led to an offer to officiate high school volleyball in Natchitoches Parish as a graduate student.
“I knew the very basic rules, but I didn’t have any experience playing the sport and thought it was a terrible idea,” Brossette said. “My high school didn’t even have volleyball … but I figured let’s just try it.
“I enjoyed it because I love sports and had a background in officiating in general.”
According to a 2022 survey by the National Association of Sports Officials, the average age of officials is more than 53 years old and almost completely male (93 percent).
That study added that 60 percent of officials are over the age of 50, even after a wave of older officials retired during the COVID-19 pandemic. Which means the industry is probably set for a steady wave of retirements in the coming years in which they’ll need younger, experienced officials to withstand.
Officiating associations from across the state are beating the drum loudly to get more people involved, especially younger folks.
But Brossette said she’s come across several current LSUS female students on the volleyball officiating circuit, signs that there could be at least local interest in younger folks donning the stripes.
“They all played volleyball in high school, and now they are officiating,” said Brossette, who added that she didn’t find them through the LSUS intramural network. “High school athletes usually don’t think about officiating when they finish high school – they think they are going to play in college or are going to coach.
“But if I knew about officiating when I was an undergraduate college student, I would have definitely have done all the sports I could do. It’s great money for a college student especially, but it can be a nice income stream for anybody.”
Brossette has done more than just simply officiate, she’s taken on a leadership role.
She’s constantly involved in volleyball clinics, state championship tournaments and other teaching opportunities, which led her to be selected to the LHSOA 40 Under 40 cohort this summer.
“It’s something that I’ve continued to do throughout motherhood – I definitely got questions about officiating when I was seven months pregnant,” said Brossette, a mom to 5-year-old Aiden and 3-year-old Everett while being married to husband Dylan. “People don’t think it’s doable with young children, but it really is.”
Brossette is deep into the volleyball officiating world, but football would be her next venture if she ever added a sport.
But one doesn’t have to be a superhero mom to officiate.
They just have to take an interest, get a little training, and put on a whistle.
Learn more about becoming an official on the LHSOA website.
