Grandville assistant principal named inaugural NCHC Officiating Achievement Award winner
By @MichaelCaples –
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference announced the inaugural recipient of the league’s Mark Rudolph Officiating Achievement Award this past week, and a Michigan native received the honor.
John Philo of Byron Center, Mich., accepted the award at the NCHC’s annual linesman camp in the Detroit area on Saturday. While it may sound like an award just for his performance on the ice, Philo is being recognized by the league just as much for what he has done off of it.
Last January, Philo assumed the duties of acting principal at Grandville after the school’s principal was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia. The added workload – which never got in the way of his refereeing duties for the NCHC – was made that much more difficult for the father of three when the Grandville community lost three students in the spring. Freshman Alyssa Arends lost her battle with bone cancer on March 2. Grandville hockey captain Ryan Fischer passed away just five days later on the day of the team’s high school state semifinal appearance. Senior Roman Aguilar-Emmons was killed in a car accident on May 3, as well.
“The greatest challenge during this time was keeping my emotions in check in order to make the best decisions possible – keeping our students, staff and community as the focus of each of those decisions was very difficult,” Philo said in a release from the league. “Organization and humility were the keys in keeping my head above water.”
Philo made sure that he took care of his responsibilities at home at the same time, helping his wife Erica take care of their three children – sons Joshua and Luke and daughter Ellie.
“Finding the balance between the needs of my school and the needs of my family was very difficult. I am truly thankful to have an amazing wife and supportive family,” Philo said.
His ability to perform as a referee despite all this – during the NCHC’s inaugural season, no less – didn’t go unnoticed by the league offices.
“Philo strives to be the best every game. He takes pride in minimizing and learning from mistakes and values the comradery that officiating offers,” said NCHC director of officiating Don Adam. “He leads by example while officiating with a ‘quiet confidence.’ Philo simply respects the game of hockey and officiating, as well as those with whom he shares the ice.”
Philo also credited his experiences officiating as something that helped him through the adversity he faced off the ice.
“Ironically, the experiences that I have had as an official have helped me tremendously,” Philo said of dealing with the Grandville tragedies. “I’ve learned to make the best decisions that I can, with the information that I have, and then move on. I’ve learned not to get wrapped up in the mistakes that I have made, but to move forward and be certain that my next decision is a quality one. I’ve also learned that listening and being ‘present’ for each and every person that I encounter helps me to better understand an entire situation. You can’t lead if you don’t serve those who work with you.”
To see the full release, click here.