News Category

The mainstream media has shifted gears over the years. It’s no longer a case of a reporter showing up at a game and simply reporting what happened. In today’s world, the push for instant reaction through social networks and opinions through blogs and columns is much more center stage. At first, the instant commentary focused on the players and the result of the game, but now it’s often focused on the officials or umpires. And when it comes to youth, high school or college sports, sometimes it’s a younger reporterRead More

To ensure your association will be taken care of beyond your reign as president or as a board member, you could start to identify individuals who might be able to lead and replace you one day. Here are recommendations to help you identify the right people. Step 1 — Get to know the members in your association. Find out the types of individuals that are in your group, paying particular attention to those who are a part of various committees. Learn about their experience, their commitment, their personality — whateverRead More

There is no miracle solution for recruiting that will work for every association, but there is some guidance that is tried-and-true. Get answers to common recruiting questions here: 1. What do you say when recruiting new officials? Be honest. Let them know what they’re getting into. Talk about the benefits of officiating (developing people skills, staying involved in the community, etc.) Be sure they understand that there’s a financial investment (uniforms, fees, etc.). 2. How do you grow the market of new officials? Ask local cable outlets, TV and radioRead More

By Lawrence Tomei You have probably heard the old saying that “anybody can grow up to be president.” Of course, the person sharing this adage was probably talking about becoming the president of the U.S. Not everybody is cut out to be president. It takes a special kind of person, someone strong, intelligent, and driven, just to run for the job. It takes still more talent and character to hold up under the pressures of leadership. What makes some of our chapter presidents so admirable and others just so-so? Let’sRead More

By Dave Westol We can compare good association board of directors’ meetings to athletic contests that are well-officiated. Both require preparation, experience … and leadership. What do your board meetings reflect in terms of discussion and interaction? Some board meetings are characterized by interaction between members … lively debates … the sense that through discussion good decisions will be made. Points of view differ, but the ultimate goal always remains: What is best for our association? That is why we are leaders. Leaders communicate. Some board meetings are characterized byRead More

Coaching can be seen as a negative because of some challenging coaches officials have had to experience in their careers. But coaching doesn’t have to be viewed as a negative. In fact, association leaders should be “coaching” new officials in their groups from early on. Here are some topics to cover with new officials, regardless of sport. Explain realistic expectations. Don’t assume new members will know officiating basics, such as wearing the proper uniform or behaving in a professional manner. Explain as much as possible. Go well beyond the X’sRead More

By Carl Smith How can or should a local association encourage, support and assist its members? First, supporting individual members of an association is a big part of why officiating associations were started in the first place. Board members are not only elected to serve as a governing board for the association, but also to make decisions that can and will affect the wellbeing of their members. You’re dealing with people, not robots that go through life fulfilling assignments without so much as a bump in the road. Life isRead More

Training programs come in all shapes and sizes. As the association leader or training officer, you know best what works for your group. But no matter how you go about it, the one thing you must do is formulate a game plan. Here’s how to do it. Determine how much time you’ll need. Will you have six meetings? Four? Ten? How much time you need depends on how much material you need to present. If you’re dealing with rookies, you’ll probably want to meet more times and for longer periodsRead More

By David Westol Put yourself in the place of a new board member. You probably were in that place a few years ago. That person finally allowed other officials to talk him or her into “running for the board.”  “What the heck. I’ll never win,” says the candidate. And then comes the phone call or the email. “Congratulations, new board member!” “Whoa. What did I just do?” says the newly elected board member. More importantly, much more importantly, what are you doing as board members to help, assist, encourage, mentorRead More

We’ve all had at least one “Geez, I wish I had that to do over again” moment in our lives. Likely it was something we said or didn’t say, did or failed to do. But since there are few mulligans in life, we are stuck with the consequences. Here are some tips to help ensure you don’t add to the list of regrettable moments. Step 1 — Take your time. Officials are used to making snap judgments in pressure-filled situations. But away from the court or field, we generally haveRead More