By Al Camp
Chronicle staff

     Clyde O. Pock, a sports official for more than 50 years, will be inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s hall of fame.
     WIAA and The Seattle Times announced last week that Pock will be one of several inducted into the hall Wednesday, April 16, at the Spirit of Washington Events Center in Renton.
     Pock was named to the Washington State Officials hall of fame in August of 2007 in honor of serving as an official for Okanogan County schools for more than 50 years.
     “There are some humbling things to it,” said Pock of the honor. “And feelings of oh dear, why am I going through this.”
     He will be the only official inducted, though there were three officials in the WOF induction.
     Pock, who was a teacher and principal for 30 years, said he’s been assigning secretary for 30 years for volleyball, took over football assignments a few years ago when Jack Miller died, and has been doing basketball for several years.
     A tennis and basketball player at Omak High School, from which he graduated in 1946, Pock played tennis and junior varsity basketball at Whitworth College before teaching at Newport High School.
     After a brief stint in the Army, he began teaching at Okanogan High School, then became principal in 1966. He retired in 1981.
     Pock has been a registered basketball official for 54 years. He’s also officiated football for 53 years, softball since the early 1980s and volleyball for many years.
     Basketball officiating seemed a natural fit at first, said Pock, since he’d competed in the sport. The next year he started doing football games.
     While calling hoops was his favorite early on, Pock says he now enjoys calling softball games.
     The toughest sport to call is football, said Pock, who on average is run over several times each season.
     “Not every game, but every year,” said Pock. “But sometimes I don’t get knocked down. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of them and ward them off as best as I can, or go with flow, or the blow.”
     He figures he’s called penalties on three generations of families maybe as many was 20 times, though the Boesels in Brewster were the first.
     He’s officiated many post-season and state tournament games in all sports.
     “My most memorable moments and greatest accomplishments are just working with the kids,” said Pock, quoted in a WIAA announcement. “Without the kids, I would not be officiating.”
     Besides being an assigning secretary, Pock also is the historian for the basketball association.
     “He has always had an extremely professional approach to officiating and has always been available for young officials to talk about rules, court demeanor, mechanics and anything else,” said the announcement.
     “Clyde has even provided transportation to games for officials who can’t find their own transportation,” according to WIAA.
     “I’ve only done that two, three or four times, but it’s true,” said Pock.
     “As a football and volleyball assignor, he makes sure the matches are covered the old-fashioned way - with pen and paper. I believe if we had more people like Clyde in the officiating arena, we would all be better for it,” said Cindy C-Wilson, Washington Officials Association president.
     “Pock continues to be an inspiration to us all by regularly hunting, fishing, and being a role model, always with a smile on his face,” said Wilson.