SCRA Presidents Message

July, 2008

As we get closer to another season of tournaments and league play, we need to prepare ourselves before we walk out on the pitch. One of the first things that come to mind is physical conditioning and second is proper hydration. Both are equally important because safety comes first and heat stress and heat exhaution are a very big concern with all of us at SCRA. We need to get the message out to everyone to start some kind of conditioning regiment so you can get acclimated to the physical demands you will experience in August and in the fall. Each year in Southern California, we always have several individuals that succumb to heat stress and in some cases, heat exhaution. I want to emphasize that I do not want to have a single referee in our association succumb to those conditions if we can prevent them. We as an association are concerned about our fellow referees and have raised those concerns internally and we have listened to you and communicated those concerns to some of the league officials we support that we need to make sure the referees have sufficient rest periods so they can properly get adequate hydration. Please be vigilant when your out on the pitch and if necessary, stop the match if you feel ill or if you suspect a player or fellow referee is having problems. Don’t be a hero because no one wins in this scenario. These conditions can have permnant consequenses including death and we need to do our part to do everything we poosibly can to prevent them.

The next item I want to cover is updating your availablity in The Arbiter. Everyone agrees that it would be great to know your referee schedule as early as possible. In order for our assignor to assign the games and publish the schedules as early as possible, we need to know everyone’s availablity at least 8 to 10 days out or more. The SCRA Board recognizes that this has been an issue in the past and we will make this a high priority this year. If you have any questions or issues signing on The Arbiter, please contact Jim Cottle for assistance at jscottle@cox.net .

So the message I want to convey is:

· Start a physical training regiment before you do games.

· Prepare yourself on adequate hydration before and during your matches

· Update your availability in The Arbiter by unblocking dates now.

I look forward to seeing all of you on the pitch this year; healthier, happier, and full of energy ….

Marcel Caruana

President - SCRA