The man behind the whistle: Pat Sargent

If you've gone to a basketball game anywhere on the Hi-line there is a chance you have seen Malta's Patrick Sargent.

He has been a member of the Montana Officiating Association for the past 23 years and has also been a teacher at Malta Public Schools for the past 24 years.

Sargent graduated from Hardin in 1985. He lettered in football, track and wrestling. After his graduation Sargent went on to wrestle at Dickinson State University, where he would also study in the school's Animal Science program.

"I went to Dickinson State because I had grandparents in Dickinson and grandparents on a farm east of Dickinson," Sargent said. "I had spent summers from the time I was five to when I graduated from high school on the farm with my grandparents. I wanted to go back to that, so that's what prompted me to go to Dickinson State."

DSU only offered a two-year program for Animal Science, but Sargent wanted to earn a four-year degree, so eventually he transferred to Montana State University, where he continued to study his original major course. He was hit with a curve-ball.

"When I got there, they told me I had to take pre-requisites before I could get into their program," Sargent said.

He went on to take a few of the appropriate courses before entering MSU's program, but after experiencing the size of the school, Sargent opted to transfer to Eastern Montana College, which today is called MSU-Billings.

"You were more of a number than a student, I felt at that point," Sargent said.

Though the student-teacher ratio was not ideal to Sargent, he was able to find enjoyment during his time at MSU, competing with a power lifting club.

"There was a number of us that were part of that program and we were fortunate enough to work out with the varsity athletes," Sargent said.

He continued to participate in the power lifting circuit for two years, despite transferring to Eastern Montana after only one semester at MSU.

"They didn't have an Animal Science program, so my next option was Physical Education," Sargent said. "That's how I ended up in Education."

Today, the Physical Education major is called Human Performance and Sports Science, which Sargent believes is a stronger name for his area of expertise.

"It's a fancy word for saying you teach P.E.," Sargent said. "I tell people, if they think it's easy then they should sit through my anatomy or physiology and exercise physiology and exercise science classes and then let me know how easy it is."

After receiving his Bachelor's degree from Eastern Montana in the December of 1990, Sargent went on to do his student teaching period in Glen Ullin, N.D., while staying with his grandparents on the farm.

In the1991-92 school year, Sargent went on to teach Elementary P.E. in Boise, ID. It was a one year position.

After his first full year as a teacher, Sargent then went on to teach in Phillips, S.D., where he would teach K-8 P.E., as well as a head wrestling coach position. Though he could've made a career out of staying in Phillips, an opportunity would come.

"I had a chance to get closer to home after that first year and when the position in Malta was advertised," Sargent said. "I started looking for that opportunity (to move closer to home) and Malta presented that opportunity to be close enough to home to get home when I needed and wanted to but far enough away where I could be myself."

Sargent became the health and physical education teacher at Malta Middle School and High School in the fall of 1993, a position he still holds today. He was also hired as the head wrestling coach and also coached middle school track and football.

After moving around several times since beginning college, Sargent had finally found a home, though it took a few years.

"It was probably four or five years into my career that I thought that this was probably someplace that I was going to be for a while," Sargent said.

In 1994, Sargent requested that his Advanced P.E. class become a Weights Class. Kelly Taylor, Malta High School's principal at the time, honored the request.

"That's kind of how we got the program that we currently have off of the ground," Sargent said.

Sargent has coached in a few different positions in Malta's school system over the years including Middle School Volleyball. He was an assistant coach for the Malta Mustangs' football team from 1996-2001, in which he was able to help lead the team to State Titles in 1996 and 2000.

He was the school's Head Volleyball Coach from 1998-2010, in which teams posted three of five of the school's winningest seasons, including the 2002 season in which Malta went to state.

Sargent was introduced to the Montana Officating Association by former Malta teachers Bernie Wasser and Andy Otteson.

Sargent has been officiating basketball for the past 23 years, wrestling for 20 and volleyball for the past eight years.

Being an official Sargent has had the chance to see many athletes and like many jobs, being a referee has highlights. Sargent's favorite highlight came from 21 years after he started officiating in the sport that he has the least experience as an official.

"My most memorable moment to this point would be officiating the 2015 State Volleyball Championship Match between Huntley Project and Red Lodge two years ago," Sargent said. "That was my second state tournament that I had ever officiated and it was my first championship."

Sargent was the first referee during the match, which is the official in the tower.

"I was a little nervous stepping up on the tower," Sargent said. "Every point is crucial but it is that much more amplified when it is the state championship match and when it is broadcasted live. The intensity of the match is that much more intense."

Though teaching and being an official takes up most of his time daily, Sargent enjoys what he does, even with the stressors.

"Many people have said if you enjoy what you are doing, you never work a day in your life and I enjoy it," Sargent said. "There are times when the officiating part of it is stressful and there are times that the teaching end of it is stressful."

To get through those stressful times, which at times can include being harassed by passionate fans, Sargent reflects on something he saw for years on the door of his former co-worker.

"Karen Rosendahl always had a statement sticking on her door," Sargent said. "It was something to the effect of treat someone with kindness because you don't know what they are going through. Somebody might be suffering a little worse than me. Try to be as respectful and courteous to them as you can be because they might be suffering through something considerably worse than you are struggling with."