There's been plenty of discourse regarding officiating in this space, particularly the outcome of the last Yokota-Zama boys soccer match. Players, coaches and yes, referees have stated their cases, in some cases with strong passion and feel for what went on on the field and what referees go through as a matter of routine.

Redcard states correctly, I have taken my turn in that blazing cauldron. Two times, in rather clutch situations:

Musings and mutterings from Okinawa as Ornauer prepares to turn the page on the final competitive calendar of the 2007-08 school year:

-- Talk about your playing games of "Can You Top This?" First, Kadena's 400-meter relay teams shatter the Okinawa Activities Council district records, the boys at 43.83 seconds and the girls at 51.9. So the next day, Yokota's Phillip Williams tracks the 400 hurdles in 57.7, a tenth better than the 13-year-old record, and Zama American beats St. Mary's International for the first time in 20 years. Is that Kanto Invitational on May 17 gonna be off the chart or what?

KAIAC tournaments are done; all that's left are a few regular-season showdowns, including Kadena at Kubasaki on May 9.

Here we go: 

Musings and mutterings from Okinawa as Ornauer continues to recover from his ritual April bout with jet lag. Man, this gets harder every year:

-- It took 10 school years, but Guam High finally can claim a boys volleyball victory over Father Duenas Memorial. The Panthers on Saturday rallied from a 25-21 first set loss to upend the Friars 25-17, 25-22 at FD's Phoenix Center. Mikel Nelson's 10 spike kills, Alan Diaz's five service aces and five defensive digs and Jason Taitano's 11 assists led the way for Guam High (4-1), which trails only George Washington (5-0) in the league standings.

Forgive the silence the past couple weeks. Sure was nice to spend time in the States. Into the home stretch we go, with the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference tournaments upcoming Friday and Saturday:

Boys
 1. Seoul Foreign (17-0). Congrats to Crusaders on yet another APAC title, and to senior Remco Rademaker shattering the Pacific's single-season goal-scoring mark. He has 51 heading into KAIAC.
 2. Kadena (6-5). Four-match winning streak, including 2-1 win Saturday over Mil United.
 3. Christian Academy In Japan (3-0). Leo Kobayashi with nine goals in three matches. Same stuff, different season.
 4. Yongsan International-Seoul (11-1). Guardians boys are having the finest year in the school's history in all sports.

Try this on for size: 14 teams, representing 16 schools, more than 300 athletes represented. The largest gathering of Pacific high school track and field athletes ever assembled.

Six records fell, two on Friday, four more on Saturday. And they weren't just topped; they were demolished, each and every one. One race came down to one-one thousandth of a second, the girls 100 hurdles. And for the first time in meet history, one school, Kadena, swept both team titles.

Don't let the name fool you.

An event that began in 2003 as a five-team invitational has burgeoned into a two-day mega-event simply known as "Petty," which this weekend will feature 14 teams representing 19 schools from Seoul to Guam's Tumon Bay.

Seven records fell in last year's 5th Alva W. "Mike" Petty Memorial Track and Field Meet. Organizers, coaches and athletes believe that at least five, perhaps many more, might tumble in a meet that begins at 3:30 p.m. Friday and continues at 8 a.m. Saturday in the stadium named for Mike Petty.

Musings and mutterings just hours before the first gun sounds in the 6th Mike Petty Memorial Track and Field Meet:

-- Striking the right note Wednesday was the new rule mandating penalty-kick shootouts in case of a tie during Okinawa Activities Council regular-season play. Kadena's and Kubasaki's boys played to four draws in five matches last season. Why is the rule so good? 1) You know what they say about ties and sisters, and 2) It prepares teams for Far East Tournament matches, where shootouts are mandated as well. Kadena's boys didn't play a single shootout last season until the championship, which the Panthers lost to Christian Academy In Japan in PKs 5-3.

Mutterings and musings heading into Wednesday's Pacific high school soccer slate, which looks like a Who's Who of the Pacific pitch with one rising star on the shelf, perhaps for quite awhile:

-- Kadena at Kubasaki, girls at 5 p.m., boys at 7 p.m. Most storied Class AA Tournament programs, Kadena girls with five titles, Kubasaki girls with three; Kubaski boys with two, Kadena boys with four. Boys get to smack each other around after getting smacked around by adult programs Peru Nikei and Mil United. On girls' side, question of which defense will be more successful in shutting down Kadena's Stephanie Eik (7 goals), Helen Schrock (7) and Cassie McDonald (9) or Kubasaki's Bridget Ramirez (10) and Sara Harter (6).