GLOA News Blog

The Youth Officials Training at Hembree Park closed last night. Since registration opened 35+ young men have signed up for the Hembree Park training session. The GLOA wants to thanks those who have taken the time to register and remind them to please purchase the required training materials (a link was sent with the email you received to purchase the materials).

If you were not able to register in time we may be offering more training classes in the future so please check back regularly to see what new classes are available.

This past Saturday twenty five young men completed the Level 1 lacrosse training program hosted at the Brady Benefit Tournament. These new officials exceeded the expectations of the trainers during the classroom session on Friday night and the field training on Saturday afternoon.

Each trainee officiated two halves while shadowed by an experienced GLOA official. We would like to thank Eric Sanders, Jeff Greene, Brian Work,  Damian Kavanagh, Doug Congleton, and Sonny Pieper for volunteering their time and effort to help these new officials through the field training.

The GLOA would like to thank the Brady family and all of the staff at the tournament for providing a fantastic venue and for promoting how lacrosse families rally around each other in difficult times.

Remember there is still available youth training in September!
Thursday, September 23rd Classroom Session
Hembree Park Recreation Center (HPRC)
850 Hembree Road
Roswell, GA 30076
Time- TBD
(REGISTRATION CLOSES FRIDAY, AUGUST 27TH)

Field Training - Saturday, September 25th
Multiple Fields - All in the Roswell Area

To Register:

1) Click on "Youth Officials Training" on the right-hand navigation.
2) Expand "Classes Available For Registration"
3) Review the class information and decide which session you want to participate in.
4) Expand the "Register For A Class" section and provide ALL of the requested information. (If you are not a US Lacrosse member, please go to www.uslacrosse.org to become a member and receive your membership number).
5) SUBMIT THE REGISTRATION FORM
6) Follow the PayPal Link and pay for your training materials.

You will get an email confirming your registration.

 

The Georgia Lacrosse Officials Association, GLOA, has opened registration for two upcoming training opportunities.

Friday, August 20th, Classroom Session
SAWNEE MOUNTAIN PARK
3995 Watson Road
Cumming, GA 30040
6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
(REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED)

Field Training - Saturday August 21st & Sunday August 22nd
Multiple Fields At / Near Sawnee Park

Thursday, September 23rd Classroom Session
Hembree Park Recreation Center (HPRC)
850 Hembree Road
Roswell, GA 30076
Time- TBD
(REGISTRATION CLOSES FRIDAY, AUGUST 27TH)

Field Training - Saturday, September 25th
Multiple Fields - All in the Roswell Area

NEXT STEPS:

1) Click on "Youth Officials Training" on the right-hand navigation.
2) Expand "Classes Available For Registration"
3) Review the class information and decide which session you want to participate in.
4) Expand the "Register For A Class" section and provide ALL of the requested information. (If you are not a US Lacrosse member, please go to www.uslacrosse.org to become a member and receive your membership number).
5) SUBMIT THE REGISTRATION FORM
6) Follow the PayPal Link and pay for your training materials.

You will get an email confirming your registration.

NOTE THAT BOTH REGISTRATION PERIODS HAVE CLOSING DATES. WE ANTICIPATE THE CLASSES FILLING UP VERY QUICKLY. REGISTER AND PAY PROMPTLY TO BE IN THE BEST POSITION TO SECURE A SPACE.

We do anticipate one or two more classes being offered before the 2011 season. HOWEVER, we STRONGLY encourage you to select one of these two sessions if the dates work for you. Please note that the website may indicate that the August classroom session is on a Thursday night. It is not. It is on Friday August 20th as noted here.
 

image003GLOA members, through their generous donations to the Ron Mallonee Fund, helped sponsor Team Georgia this summer as they traveled to Orlando, Florida.  Five GLOA members officiated at the U-15 National Championship Tournament (Topher Lawson, Gordon Corsetti, Bob Foster, Jeff Green, and Sonny Pieper).  One of the team coaches was former GLOA President Jim Westbrook.  Below is a thank-you note from Team Georgia:

On behalf of Team Georgia, I would like to thank you for your generous donation. Because of your contribution, we were able to offer scholarships, provide much needed drinks and snacks between games, and send a strong team to represent Georgia at the U-15 National Lacrosse Championship in Orlando, Florida. The level of competition was remarkable and although we won only one of our five games, we were able to keep the scores close enough to make it into the Championship Bracket. Team Georgia represented our state well both in the sport and in character. These boys came home with some wonderful memories and ready to work hard to meet their next challenge! Thank you again for helping to provide this extraordinary opportunity!

Players:

Nicholas Bentley - Decatur
Wesley Berberick - Decatur
Matt Biondich - Johns Creek
Trey Caso - Canton
Jack Cherry - Atlanta
Brandon Davis - Milton
Ben Fleck - Johns Creek
Matt Geran - Alpharetta
Garret Gomez - Suwanee
Cole Houghton - Roswell
Justin Jackson - Johns Creek

Brock Lohnes - Roswell
Connor McCann - Suwanee
Ryan McDaniel - Johns Creek
Allen "Duncan" Morris - Woodstock
Connor Segraves - Suwanee
Steele Shull - Suwanee
Brian Sykes - Johns Creek
Chad Toliver - Roswell
Justin Westbrook - Johns Creek
Mitchell Berggreen - Suwanee

Coaches:
James Westbrook
Bob Biondich
Tim Geran
Russ Caso

mdoc trainingI had the pleasure of attending the Scholastic Officials Committee Training Clinic held at UNC Chapel Hill with fellow GLOA officials Jeff Greene and Kurt Trampel this past weekend. The three of us officiated approximately 6-8 games apiece with college officials watching us and critiquing each element of our game that needed refining. Rick Wooten and Mike Williamson, the organizers of the clinic and a combined 60 plus years of lacrosse officiating experience, did a phenomenal job bringing in college officials with years of experience to coach all of us through two and three man mechanics. It is a major benefit to officiate a game and get immediate feedback from refs who officiate at the highest levels of our sport. Having these refs shadow us on the sideline, absorbing critiques after the games and just listening to their game stories was an absolute treat and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I cannot recommend this clinic enough for anyone who is interested in improving their officiating. Learning new skills, having immediate critiques, officiating with guys from different states and enjoying the camaraderie of it all was a blast. If anyone is interested there is a second SOC training clinic from July 30 - August 2 also at UNC Chapel Hill. Follow that link and send an email to either Mike Williamson or Rick Wooten if you are interested in attending. They are expecting around twenty teams so you will get plenty of games and plenty of opportunities to improve your game. Cheers, Gordon Corsetti

ron mallonee photoATLANTA (May 19, 2010) - The Georgia Lacrosse Officials Association (GLOA) is proud to announce the 2010 Ron Mallonee Scholarship winners. The Ron Mallonee Scholarship is awarded each May to a select group of deserving Georgia high school athletes. This scholarship allows these young men to attend lacrosse summer camp where they can continue to learn and improve their skills.

A veteran lacrosse official in Georgia, Ron was a Charter Member of the association who passed away in 2004 after a brief battle with cancer. Long-time Atlanta lacrosse fans who met Ron undoubtedly remember his unique passion for the sport of lacrosse. His presence was welcomed on the field by coaches, officials, and players due to his outgoing nature, his enthusiasm, and his friendly demeanor.
 
Veteran Club Player Jon Ochsner recalled how unique Ron was. "Ron officiated our men's club games by himself, which is unheard of today. He understood the flow of the game very well and always called a safe and fair club game. He always made a point to get to know all of us club players off the field."
 
In his memory, GLOA created the Ron Mallonee Fund which annually awards camp scholarships to deserving high school boys who have a passion for the sport of lacrosse and a desire to improve. Since the Ron Mallonee Fund's inception in 2005, GLOA has been able to provide scholarships to over thirty players from the state of Georgia to attend lacrosse camp.
 
The six 2010 Ron Mallonee Scholarship winners are as follows:
Nick Bentley (Decatur High School) - Ga. Tech Lacrosse Camp
Marcel Camacho (Lakeside Evans High School) - Ga. Tech Lacrosse Camp
Trevor Coen (Kell High School) - Ga. Tech Lacrosse Camp
Chip Hedger (Alpharetta High School) - Ga. Tech Lacrosse Camp
Billy Riley (Centennial High School) - Ga. Tech Lacrosse Camp
Bilal Vaughn (Grady High School) - UNC Lacrosse Camp
 
These six players were all nominated by their high school coaches and received their award at halftime of the GHSA Lacrosse State Championship Games played this past Saturday.
 
"We are so grateful that Trevor has the chance to attend the Georgia Tech lacrosse camp and improve his skills. Lacrosse is a very fast paced sport requiring incredible agility. This camp will allow my son to compete at a higher level. Thanks so much to all the officials who make this possible," said Cicely Coen.
 
"We greatly appreciate their generosity of the numerous lacrosse referees and the Mallonee Family that have made contributions to the Ron Mallonee Fund over the last few years," said Georgia Lacrosse Officials Association President Sonny Pieper. "Ron would be so pleased at how well the sport has grown in Georgia. I invite all lacrosse fans to help support a great and worthy cause by donating in his memory."
 
If you would like to learn more about the Ron Mallonee Fund, please visit the GLOA web site online at GALAXREF.com and click MEMORIAL on the top right tab.

We will have further information published soon regarding 2010-2011 GLOA executive board elections, additional summer training opportunities at US Lacrosse events, and information on how you can work various summer/fall leagues.

There will be some opportunities to get involved with GLOA committees. I would encourage all of you with interest (and talents) to help volunteer for the association. This is your association and I hope you will get involved.

Stay tuned to your e-mail and enjoy the offseason (while it lasts)!

We know that everyone is anxious to get paid for their season’s worth of lacrosse games.

Treasurer Pete Fleury is in the process of invoicing all 60+ teams in the state of Georgia. After the schools receive their invoices, the schools have 30 days net to pay GLOA. As a result of this lengthy process, our GLOA referee payments typically are not mailed out until the month of June.

We ask for your patience during this time frame. There are over 135 officials in the association now! Pete will be working very hard to get everyone paid as quickly as possible. He has been known to put the “complainers” at the end of the line when it comes to end of year payments.

If you would like to receive your payment via Direct Deposit (which will speed your payment up 3 or 4 business days), please contact GLOA Treasurer Peter Fleury with your Bank Routing Number and your Account Number. Otherwise, you will receive a plain white check via US Mail from First Decatur Bank. Pete’s email is treasurer@galaxref.com and his cell phone is 770-827-7499.

Westminster defeated Lovett and Milton knocked off Lassiter to win the two boys Georgia State Championships on Saturday. Congratulations to both state championship crews on a job well done. You can check out some online coverage of the games via the Georgia Lacrosse Blog here:www.georgialax.blogspot.com.

At halftime of both state championships, GLOA presented 6 summer lacrosse camp scholarships from the Ron Mallonee Fund. Your generous donations made this possible. Thanks to all GLOA referees who came onto the field to help present these awards to the deserving student athletes.

Since we have know reached the end of the GHSA high school season, low white socks and the GLOA white hats are officially approved for use for summer leagues and summer tournaments. If you still need a white GLOA summer hat, please email me for more details. We have less then a dozen white hats left in inventory.

Thanks to all who helped "wrap up" our spring season this weekend at the GLOA End of Year Party. We had a fantastic turnout last Friday night. Special thanks to Bob Foster and Gordon Corsetti from our GLOA Awards Committee for helping organize the party.

Hearty congratulations to all the GLOA award winners for 2010!

IRON MAN - Jeff Greene

ROAD WARRIOR - Mike Gossett

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Eric Sanders

MOST IMPROVED - Gordon Corsetti

RON MALLONEE AWARD - Landon Hunsucker

At the party, we were able to raise an additional $560 for the Ron Mallonee Fund & Kevin Moore Fund through our raffle. Thanks again to all who donated raffle prizes and to everyone at the party who purchased raffle tickets.

We hope to grow the raffle into a large fundraiser for the association next year and possible look for a larger party venue. If you have any suggestions or comments regarding the GLOA Awards Ceremony, please send them via e-mail to Bob Foster (uva71@comcast.net) or Gordon Corsetti (gordoncorsetti@gmail.com).

If you haven't already done so, there is still time for you to make a donation to the RMF and KMF! Please contact Pete Fleury via email with your end of year donation to either or both funds. Every donation helps. You can donate a specific dollar amount or a specific number of game fees for each of the two funds. Pete will deduct your donation amount from your end of year check reducing your tax liability. His email is: treasurer@galaxref.com