[rommel22]

We have our regular chapter meetings in January, February and March. We also have one meeting in the middle of the season to review any problems that may come up and one end of the year dinner meeting. I say we have about 8 meetings in all. You have to attend at least four pre-seaon meetings to get a schedule.

Our training is a five week class that meets on Saturday's (Starting this Saturday, Jan. 24) for three hour sessions. At the end of the class room sessions, the trainees participate in an on field scrimmage of high school teams with veteran officials in mid-March. The vets take turns alternating between refing the game with the rookies shadowing them and then the rookies referee while the vets shadow the trainees. It's a two day weekend scrimmage. The new guys get a lot of practical experience that way.

We also put first year officials on high school games; we need to to get everything covered. But, we use three officials on regualr season varsity high school games in our area. We started this three years ago and it's working out great. It's easier to train and teach the new guys when they are working with two veterans and don't have to worry all the time about covering everthing and running around the field like a chicken with their head cut off. JV and middle school games only have two official assigned to them.

We have about 40 current officials and have a class of about 10 new ones starting this seasaon. I'm one of the trainers as well as the chapter assigner.

This season I will be working all levels of the game. College varsity, college club (USLIA and NCLL), high school varsity, JV and middle school (Youth.) I will only work about three of four days a week so I can go out and evelauate some of our crews. I only work middle school and JV games in an emergency (Someone calls off a game at the last minute.) I like being the third man in on a varsity game.