Carol Bodie, pictured with the other inductees for 2018
By Valerie Sliker, courtesy Wagener Monthly

Former WSHS graduate Carol Hoover Bodie was inducted into the South Carolina Basketball Officials Association (SCBOA) Hall of Fame on March 28, 2018, becoming the first woman ever to be inducted. Bodie is a trailblazer in the world of SC high school sports. She was the first female in the state to officiate a high school state final. In 2006, she was awarded as girls’ basketball official of the year and she was the first woman to officiate an all-star game. She’s not sure how many state finals she has done in her 26 years of officiating, but it’s been more than a few.

Previously, Bodie has served three years as a district director and three years as an assistant district director in the SCBOA, responsible for the training and the education of officials, as well as scheduling officials for sub-varsity games, scrimmages, jamborees and holiday tournament games. In SC, varsity scheduling is administered by the SC High School League. The better the official, the better game he or she gets to officiate.

Bodie officiates varsity basketball and volleyball. SCBOA’s regulations prevent officials from officiating varsity basketball games at their alma mater, so she has not officiated a game at WSHS; however, Bodie has officiated several varsity volleyball games here. She’s been calling high school volleyball for 16 years and she did the lines in college volleyball for 2 years.

“I’ve made a lot of friends over the years,” Bodie said, referring to other officials. “They’re like family.” It is this “family” that Bodie credits for getting her through her husband’s recent illness and death after nearly 40 years of marriage.