DOVER — There’s a saying in sports that the best-officiated games are the ones where no one even notices the guys and gals in the striped shirts. The very nature of the job involves disappointing half the players, coaches and fans on a regular basis, with many of those same folks letting you know about it.
On May 20, however, the Office of Catholic Youth, Young Adults and Family Ministry honored one of the longest-serving referees in the Diocese of Wilmington. Chris Krawczyk, a member of St. John the Beloved Parish in Wilmington, received the Coach Jim Blunt Memorial Award, named after the late legendary CYM coach who died in 2007.
The award was presented at CYM’s annual dinner, which was held at Royal Prime Events in Dover.
Krawczyk’s involvement with athletics in the diocese dates to 1999. He began coaching basketball and soccer at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Wilmington. He also helped launch the intramural basketball program there for preschool children, and he helped the school develop a new gymnasium. Krawczyk became president of the St. Thomas Athletic Association in 2004 until the parish school closed in 2008.
He then moved to St. Catherine of Siena Parish as a girls basketball coach before moving fully to officiating in Catholic Youth Ministry. He will begin his 20th season as a CYM basketball official this upcoming season.
Krawczyk said he never considered ending his involvement with Catholic Youth Ministry after the closing of both St. Thomas and St. Catherine of Siena.
“I never got discouraged because I wasn’t doing it for me,” he said. “I was doing it for the kids. I started out doing it for my kids, giving them an opportunity, but the last couple years I coached, I coached kids that weren’t mine. It was enjoyable. Then I got into officiating, just to keep it going.”
In 2019, Krawczyk took on the responsibilities of coordinator of basketball officials for the organization. He teaches the fundamentals of officiating, monitors the scheduling of officials for 1,500 games annually, and review opportunities to teach the next generation of officials, according to CYM.
Outside of Catholic Youth Ministry, Krawczyk was president of Elsmere Little League for seven years and also officiated football for 10 years.
Krawczyk said he has stuck with officiating because it is “something to stay active and give back to the community.”
He said he hears back from former athletes he has encountered as a coach and a referee.
“A lot of them come up years after and thank you for giving your time. It keeps me going,” he said.
“It takes a level of passion and heart to continue in youth sports beyond the years of their family’s involvement,” the CYM program read. “Chris has shown his commitment and love for the development of youth sports over a quarter of a century and, in tandem with his colleagues, has significantly enhanced the CYM program in the modern era.”
Krawczyk said he will keep going as an official “as long as the legs hold up.”
