1. LIFE CYCLES OF THE ROWING REFEREE 2007 Edition

2.  Referee Commission January 2007 2 Three Stages in the Lifecycle Candidate Assistant Referee Referee

3. Candidates

4.  Referee Commission January 2007 4 Who Is Eligible?? Rowers Coaches Parents Spectators Spouses Friends Young People Old People Men Women …

5.  Referee Commission January 2007 5 Candidate Requirements Must be or become a member of USRowing Must be 21 years of age Must be able to swim 200 yards Or tread water for 10 minutes Must attend a clinic Must observe 6 key positions at least once Starter, Judge at Start, Referee, Chief Judge at Finish, Marshal, Control Commission (Dockmaster, weigh-ins) Must pass written exam to advance

6.  Referee Commission January 2007 6 What does a Candidate do? You will be assigned to work with different Referees at each regatta Sign up in advance Try to work with as many different Regattas/ Referees as possible Size of regatta and level of regatta play role in where candidates are assigned More is better

7.  Referee Commission January 2007 7 Candidate Responsibilities The candidate’s training period is to determine: Whether or not this is a committment you want to make Do you really want to spend a lot of time with with wet clothes in the trunk? To teach you techniques and skills to become a referee Test determination YOU decide if you want to take the exam.

8.  Referee Commission January 2007 8 The Assistant Exam Offered periodically at mutual convenience of examinee and examiner 2 - 2 1/2 hours Written exam Multiple choice Short answer Closed Book (Rules of Rowing)

9.  Referee Commission January 2007 9 After the Exam? Candidate referees who meet all the qualifications and pass the written exam advance to Assistant Referee status. Assistant Referees spend the next 2 to 4 years learning their craft.

10.  Referee Commission January 2007 10 Equipment After passing the exam, you can start investing in equipment (the list is endless) Clipboard Binoculars Stop Watches (3 or 4) Megaphone Flags Painter life vest noisemaker space blankets First Aid Kit ETC!!!

11.  Referee Commission January 2007 11 Equipment, continued Warm, dry clothes are essential Dress for the weather, always in layers Keep a spare set of everything in the car Rain gear is a valuable investment Buy stock in Glad/ZipLoc storage bags!

12.  Referee Commission January 2007 12 Basic Requirements (Apply to All Referee Ranks) Attend 1 Clinic each year Work a minimum 4 regatta-days per year Work at more than 1 course every year Respond to Annual Data Call Re-certification exam every 4 years

13. Assistant Referee

14.  Referee Commission January 2007 14 Rough Waters Ahead? Assistant Referee requirements are designed to ensure exposure to all positions under a wide range of conditions.

15.  Referee Commission January 2007 15 Initial Work Experience To develop basic competence, all new Assistant Referees are required to work the following positions for the minimum number of times indicated: Marshal 2 Chief Judge 5 Starter5 Control Commission 2 Referee 10 Judge at Start 5 Performance evaluated by a Referee, on a Satisfactory/Needs Improvement basis Written feedback provided on observed shortcomings

16.  Referee Commission January 2007 16 What’s Next? Time to complete period of Initial Work Experience  2-4 years,  Level of supervision and attention paid to your needs will vary Depends on type of regatta Depends on Chief Regional Differences Options Remain as Assistant No further written evaluations Re-certification exam every 4 years Petition to be evaluated for advancement to Referee

17.  Referee Commission January 2007 17 What You Should Know More is better 4 regatta-days per year will maintain your license It will not enable you to gain the skills you need to develop initial competence, or advance Travel! Many opportunities for Assistants in the all regions and localities other than their own Regatta Seasons Sprint: February-November Head Races: September-December

18.  Referee Commission January 2007 18 Referee Exam Two part exam Written exam Practical Who is eligible? Assistants with completed initial work experience Upon petition to Regional Representative

19.  Referee Commission January 2007 19 Written Exam Open book Scenario-based Emphasis on Thorough understanding of the Rules of Rowing Accurate application Logical reasoning

20.  Referee Commission January 2007 20 Practical Exam May be administered in one of three ways Mock Practical Conducted by evaluation team Usually lasts three hours Least effective method Live Regatta Assistant Referee is ‘observed’ at actual regatta Most effective method Combination Frequently difficult to schedule clinicians and examinee for just one method or the other, a combination of approaches can work well

21.  Referee Commission January 2007 21 Evaluation Team Two and preferably three Senior Referees Usually Clinicians Usually known by the examinee Examinee will know who is on their team prior to taking exam Evaluation Team may grade both written and practical components

22. Referee

23.  Referee Commission January 2007 23 Referee is different than Assistant Referees should perform with a degree of independence and greater competence not otherwise expected of an Assistant Referee Expected to routinely and informally teach, counsel, monitor, supervise, and evaluate officials with less experience. Expected to be able to work independently and effectively in resource-constrained situations, exercising essential judgment and decision-making skills to insure standards of safety and fairness.

24.  Referee Commission January 2007 24 Requirements & Roles Requirements Same basic requirements Again: more work is better than the minimum required Roles Evaluator of/Mentor to Assistants Chief Referee Clinician

25.  Referee Commission January 2007 25 Chief Referee Referee in charge at a regatta Assigns officials (Chief is first among equals) President of the Jury Verifies safe conditions and insures fairness

26.  Referee Commission January 2007 26 Clinician Critical resource for training and development Uses effective teaching skills that go beyond anecdotal narration Demonstrated ability to communicate balanced judgment in application of the rules Has extensive regatta experience at multiple regatta levels Evaluator/Examiner

27.  Referee Commission January 2007 27 Questions?