SCRA Presidents Message
March, 2009
It’s that time of year where
games are scarce and we tend to catch up on all those honey-do projects we put
off in the fall. Older youth, State & National Cup tournaments begin in April
and we look to our best referees to help us show state officials that we are a
quality organization and very proud of it.
The Board continues to look
for ways to come up with new ideas to better serve you. We will be implementing
a new mentor program soon and hope many of you will participate. We will keep
you posted as information becomes available.
Membership Numbers:
Latest
SCRA 2009 USSF certification update; our numbers have increased to over 400
certified referees. If you received two packets like I did, save the extra
badge in case you loose your original one. If you
have not received your certification package, please follow-up and reference
the list of registered referees on the Cal South SRC website. Remember, we
cannot assign you games if you are not on the 2009 registered list of certified
referees. If you have any questions or issues, you can contact Penny Rehm, the Registrar for Cal South, or Jerry Zimmerle, Ken Bruette or myself.
Calendar of Events:
Spring
CSL season – Ongoing
Older
youth, State and National Cup tournaments begin in April
General
Membership Meetings – Tuesday April 7th and May 5th, 7:00
pm at the Norman Murray Center
Referee
Refresher Clinic – Saturday, May 10, 9:00 am – 11:00 am at Norman Murray Center
LNYSA
Tournament - May
16th & 17th.
Upgrades:
If
you are considering upgrading your USSF badge level in 2009, now is the time to
contact Mark Rogers to be placed on a list for field assessments. This also includes maintenance assessments
for state referees. It was recently announced that Cal-South approved State or
National Cup matches for USSF upgrade or maintenance assessments. We strongly
encourage you to let us know so we can utilize all of our opportunities.
Health Safe:
Please
remember to be health safe as you train for the upcoming season. This includes
a regular visit to your physician so he or she can be aware of your training
program and monitor you as you get or stay in shape.
Assignment Turnback
or Declines:
Adherence
to our turnback or decline policy outside of personal
emergencies will be high on our list for 2009. We all understand things happen
beyond our control and we will work with you to address those situations. For
excuses other than personal emergencies, we will follow through with our
current policy posted on the website.
Survey Questionnaire:
I
wanted to thank all of you who participated in our survey questionnaire in
March. We are compiling and analyzing the results and will share with you your feedback
and any pending changes. Stay tuned….
KIDSAFE Risk Management:
During
our March membership meeting, Paul Doty from Cal-South presented the KIDSAFE
Risk Management program to be unveiled next year. He covered topics such as
confidentiality and the criteria that will be used during background checks to
pass or fail candidates. The program is only intended for adults 18 and over
and is not applicable to youth. Please see the Cal-South website for further
information. Also, in an effort to support this worthwhile program, the Board
has decided to arrange for a mobile live-Scan unit to come out in the fall and
at no charge, make it available to those in attendance. Those who choose not to
take advantage of this opportunity can go to any near-by live scan outlet and
cover the expense on their own. Please remember, you will not be assigned any
youth matches in 2010 if you are not in compliance.
Remember your health always
comes first and never compromise your life even if you are in the middle of a match. Let’s continue to work together to make a
difference and be the best you can be. Until we meet again, be safe, healthy
and happy….
Sincerely,
Marcel Caruana
President
South Coast Referee Association