Referee: Columbus Area Fitness Test

The Columbus Area Fitness test will be held this Saturday, July 12th at 9:00 am. The location is Groveport Madison High School on South Hamilton Rd. Please arrive before 8:30 to fill out the required paperwork and warm-up.
 

 

This test is required for all grade 5 & 6 referees and all grade 7 referees wanting to officiate Division 1 men's games. It is also required if you are upgrading from a grade 7 to a grade 6 referee.  (Note: Although not required for all grade 7 referees it is highly recommended for all referees working CPSL).

As you probably know, changes to USSF policy will soon require all referees working adult amateur matches to be a grade 7 and above.  Assignors will not be permitted to assign grade 8 officials to adult matches.  Additionally, in order to have the whistle on a D-1 match, a referee will have to have taken the USSF fitness test.  Although not required for D-2 matches, preference will continue to be given to officials who have taken and passed a yearly fitness test.

 

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This day starts with an audible buzz.

 



Then the Traveller in me starts the journey. 

 

There are lonely moments on the road, but travel is one of the "off the field" skills that aspiring referees need to cultivate. 

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Though this road trip is for a fitness test and not a match, it makes sense to practice the routines for Arrival that would take place for any other assignment.  The goal is to arrive on time--see http://howtosoccerblog.blogspot.com/2014/06/game-assignment-us-soccer.html

 --so you allow for travel difficulties (frequently encountered) and can perform the Pre-Game Duties in a professional manner.

As I arrive, I meet some aspiring referees in the parking lot.  The group today is made up of referees who are Grades 8 and 7.  I am the only State Referee here.  Last year I ran at the Pro Clinic--http://howtosoccerblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/referee-training-seminar-2013.html#.U8J_civD9zk--
and one of these referees asks me about why I am not there again?

There are multiple reasons, and they include both Off-the-Field and On-the-Field dimensions of Life as a Referee.  If my part as a referee is coming to a close, then life as a mentor is a role I can begin.

It begins here with some of these referees.  As the day begins it is clear, some of the talent in this pool has no sense of the protocols, and will suffer to learn through experience.  As much as I am here today to perform for my score, I am here to give back to this society of referees.

I sense my motivation comes from what I wish someone had told me.

Most of these guys are milling about while the administrators measure and lay out cones. A few Referees are warming up, and I am among them, taking time to record the events, so I can come home and share the experience, and maybe help a few more referees see what I see.

At The Track




The Timers are in their huddle now...

and the runners have moved from the corral to the track.

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The groups start out tightly knit, but as we reach the seventh lap, there is a group of leaders trailed by the rest in staggered fashion.  The leaders have among them the referees who want to upgrade, and at each gate they mostly continue what they have been doing since we arrived: talking.

They are young, and later when I ask about their experiences and what they are working on, they have some stories to tell.  One among them has had issues getting assignments matched appropriately for upgrade.

I do my best to reign in his aggression, and I advise him to a) burn no bridges; b) focus on Attaining each next assignment; c) Utilize the assessment process for growth, development, and finally, upgrade.

I want to suggest that this society is fundamentally Confucian, and that movement toward the center depends on allegiance to some "Off the Field" principals, such as respect for the family, and the systems in place, and those who have come before.

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I have changed into cool down attire, and am ready for the ride home.

Coming Home from my Fitness Test I pass a Boatsman, a Biker, and then this Cycler, and I think about... there are other ways to spend the weekend.  I could be a sportsman, more socially engaged, or have a mowed lawn, but I am not/don't have those things...From Sunday till the next Sunday and beyond,  I am a Coach and I am a Referee.

And my life happens when the ball is not in Play...