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What is the best thing about being an official?

NASO members said:

The following is an actual incident handled by NASO through the MICP program. NASO members receive supporting documents, advice and initial consultations as part of their membership.

Verbal Assault

Member Inquiry: What steps should our association board take in handling a vicious verbal assault from one official in our association to another?

MICP Action: NASO provided guidance to the association board member. Since the official who was verbally assaulted reported it to the board, the association must follow its bylaws and procedures in determining if it should discipline the accused member and to what extent. There should be an appeal/due process opportunity. If the allegations are not documented or addressed, the association could increase its liability. NASO sent several articles on association management to the inquiring NASO member as well.

Resolution: Thanks to the assistance of NASO, the association was able to address the issue in the correct way and limit liability concerns.

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Are You a 9 to 5 Official?

Few of us would consider for a minute giving less than a full day’s work for a day’s pay at our regular jobs. In fact, you may often find that additional requirements of your position include travel for training, frequent meetings, studying trade journals and regular reviews by your superiors.

Yet when it comes to officiating, some of those same people either intentionally or unintentionally are content to do the minimum to get by.

What would happen to you as an official if you put the same type of effort into developing your game as you do to develop your career? Could you benefit by treating officiating more like a job?

Preparation. To do your best at your job, you need a good night's sleep, a nutritious breakfast and enough time to get there without rushing. But how many game days do we work after long weekends, rough nights or just plain fatigue? Beyond that, have you ever worked a game when you are starving, or perhaps crammed a fast food burger on the way to a game? Neither are ideal situations.

How often do you find yourself driving to a game with “your hair on fire” because of either poor scheduling or poor planning? On game days, make an effort to get a good night’s rest, properly scheduled and well-balanced meals and set your schedule so that you aren’t pressed for time on the way to the game. You’ll find that just those steps will increase your focus and improve your game.

Career development. If you have a job in which you are licensed, like a professional driver, an electrician, a pilot, a doctor and others, you are familiar with the concept of keeping your license current by re-testing, exams, study and schools.

Licensed officials often tend to discount similar elements. Sure, we send in our license renewals, and usually on time. But many of us would be happy if it ended there. Are you an official who complains when you are required to take the Part 2 test? Do you look for reasons to skip clinics, rules interpretation meetings and association meetings? Do you seek out things to study to improve your mechanics and understanding of the rules?

Others around you notice those things, and your lack of commitment will certainly show in your games. Have you been missing clinics, meetings and study? Kick it up a notch and watch what happens to your game.

Assessment. Most of us go through (or is the word “endure”?) annual reviews in our jobs. Our supervisor assesses our performance over the past year and gives us direction and goals for the future.

As officials, we often daydream about doing the “bigger games,” but we don’t speak to those who have seen us work for constructive criticism, much less plan a course of action to meet those goals.

Draw a plan of action from the experiences of others who are where you want to be. Be open to the suggestions of experienced officials who are willing to help you improve. Most importantly, listen to your observers: They work for your “bosses,” and know what they're looking for in their officials.

Treat your avocation a little more like your vocation, and see the benefits you can derive from being a “9 to 5 official.”

Written by Dave Sabaini, a freelance writer and official who lives in Terre Haute, Ind. This article originally appeared in the 3/06 issue of Referee.

Create Your Own Summit Story

The 28th Annual Sports Officiating Summit will be the most enlightening 2-1/2 days you can spend this summer. It is also your chance to spend quality time with some of the most quality individuals in the industry.

From the very first night, at the Opening Ceremony and Gala Reception, you’ll have the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and past colleagues. You’re also guaranteed to meet other officials and leaders who share your passion for officiating. Other events such as the Officiating Industry Luncheon, Mississippi River Cruise and the Gold Whistle Award Celebration will give you ample occasion to form new and lasting friendships with fellow attendees.

The Summit’s downtown Minneapolis location, at the beautiful Marriott City Center, is easily accessible and centrally located to make your time as enjoyable as possible.

Yes, coming to share your experiences and learn from industry luminaries is the heart and soul of what the Summit is all about, but it is also about relationships and fostering a greater sense of community. Officiating is stronger when you, and those like you, collaborate to find solutions to the common issues all are facing.

If you haven’t made the decision to attend the Summit, you are not too late. Visit the informational site, discover the great sessions and fantastic speakers, and make the choice to come create your own stories and spend 2-1/2 days with your peers at the industry event of the year.

For more information or to register, click here.
E-mail: questions@naso.org
Call: 262/632-5448
Fax: 262/632-5460
Mail: NASO, 2017 Lathrop Ave., Racine, WI 53405

NASO Summit Headed to Atlanta in 2011

Next year's Sports Officiating Summit, presented by NASO in cooperation with the NFHS and the Georgia High School Association (GHSA), will be held in Atlanta. The Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel will be the location for the annual gathering of officiating leaders. With the theme of “Image in Officiating: The Perception. The Reality. The Focus,” the Summit will be held from July 31-Aug. 2, 2011.

Check out what NASO President Barry Mano and GHSA Executive Director Ralph Swearngin are saying about the theme of the officiating industry’s biggest event in 2011:

Barry Mano, NASO President: “The theme for the 2011 Sports Officiating Summit is certainly one of the most thought provoking in our history. The NASO staff gave serious consideration to the issues and challenges that we face today in officiating. We consulted with the GHSA and the NFHS. Unanimously we agreed, image in officiating needs our attention.”

Ralph Swearngin, GHSA Executive Director: “The leadership of the GHSA and the Georgia Athletic Officials Association are extremely pleased with the theme that has been selected for the 2011 Summit in Atlanta. This theme will provide the structure for the two-day program we are developing for our officials, and will provide quality topics for the entire Summit.”

For more information or to sign up early for the Atlanta Summit, contact NASO at 262/632-5448.

Let's Hear Your Best Story ...

You’ve probably been sharing your best officiating stories at any number of postgame crew gatherings for years. Referee magazine wants to publish your favorite war story from the officiating trenches. Type up your story in 800 words or fewer and e-mail it to lastcall@referee.com. Sure, you might lose the opportunity to tell the story to your buddies, but now you’ll have an even bigger audience. Here’s a story of a soccer referee crossing paths with a unique team from the Gulf Cost.

Playing Up a Storm

By Richard Coupe

A high-pitched feminine squeal distracted me momentarily from my assigning duties. The annual October Brandon Soccer tournament had been in full swing since the night before, and I was already short of referees and it was just after lunch. With the rest of that day and the next to go, I was feeling the pressure. Recognizing that it was just another Chinchilla arriving, I went back to my work.

The Chinchillas were a U-16 girls’ team from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The team had not been together for two months, ever since that fateful day in August 2005 when Katrina had devastated much of the Gulf Coast.

The squealing from the parking lot had been going on for a half hour and, as each Chinchilla arrived, the noise increased as another voice was added to the tumultuous welcome of the next. The team’s coach came up to the referee tent and introduced his son who was a referee also (I immediately put him to work). Handing the coach the registration packet, I asked if he had a roster. He said he didn’t; the hurricane had destroyed everything. I hesitated for a second — thinking of the ugly possibilities in this litigious society in which we live — and realized if they didn’t have a roster they probably weren’t covered by insurance.

But after seeing the destruction on the coast, how could I tell this coach that his girls couldn’t play because they didn’t have the proper documentation? I asked him to write their names down, and we’d call that the roster. He said that he only had 11 and they came from five different states to be together.

I was unable to watch their first game because I was busy with assigning. While posting the scores, I saw that they had lost and that someone had crossed through the name Chinchillas and written in “The Refugees.” I was able to assign myself as an assistant referee to their next game and watched them play with enthusiasm and grit. But two months of no practice and probably little conditioning work was taking its toll, and the team they were playing was showing no mercy. The Refugees lost badly, but in a display of the spontaneous charity and goodwill that I have come to associate with my adopted home state of Mississippi, the parents of the winning team took up a collection so that the Refugees could go to dinner together.

The Refugees had their consolation game on Sunday. As I watched them warm up, I thought that they were a pitiful looking lot: sunburned, bruised and battered. One was out completely with an ankle injury. With the crush of finishing up the tournament, I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to the Refugees, but hoped that this weekend had allowed them to forget, for just a moment, how their lives had changed.

Fast forward to May 2006 at the state tournament in Tupelo, Miss. My feet were killing me as they had been wet for hours now. I was celebrating not being decapitated by the ball that had blasted out of a U-19 boys’ melee, which had occurred just in front of me.

I noticed a team forming up on the sidelines. Glancing back quickly, I saw that it was a girls’ team and that they looked somewhat familiar. It took a minute, but then I realized that it was the Chinchillas. There were more than 11 this time, and they looked fit and ready to go. They finished second in the state.

Richard Coupe, who lives in Brandon, Miss., has refereed soccer in the Jackson, Miss., area for more than 10 years. This article originally appeared in the 9/07 issue of Referee.

NASO is celebrating its 30th anniversary! Thirty years of providing you and all members the most comprehensive insurance protection, finest educational materials and unique benefits to make officiating safer and more fulfilling.

There is a quick and important way you can help celebrate NASO’s 30th anniversary.

Nominate an official you feel can benefit from NASO membership. Nominate an official like you, committed to improving skills, continuing education and dedicated to being the best official possible. That is the type of official that makes NASO stronger.

The annual NASO membership campaign is critical to NASO’s ability to carry on with its important work. We count on our members to make a difference.

With your nomination, we will send to each nominee an NASO Invitation Kit, and include you as a reference. Each kit provides complete information about the benefits and services of NASO membership.

And when your *nominee joins – we’ll send you a very special gift: A $30 certificate celebrating NASO’s 30 years as the officiating industry’s leader. You can redeem your $30 gift certificate on any NASO or Referee book or product offered at the REI Store.

Best of all there are no restrictions on which publications, books or products you can get. If it’s listed on the website above you can apply your $30 gift certificate toward it. 

Send in your nomination today.  Click here to enter your *nominee’s contact information and yours as well. We will do the rest.

Conditions ...

2010 Membership Drive began January 1, 2010 and ends December 31, 2010.