I 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