Officials Mini-camp

[walt]

In the summer, in conjunction with a boys varsity league, our organization runs a "summer camp". To participate, an official pays $25. The clinicians are volunteer officials from our organization that had to have worked a minimum of a state semi-final. Five of the clinicians who regularly volunteer work NCAA ball. The league is made up of the traditionally the top 8 boys programs in the state who decided to get together and play a round robin format to stay active in the summer. It is 4 games played on Sunday evenings and the coaches used to "officiate" the league. We saw it as an opportunity to teach newer, less experienced officials and put "officials" on the floor for the teams. The officials don't get paid and neither do the clinicians. We use the $25 the officials pay to pay for food and drinks a couple of times for the working officials and the clinicians during the summer (# of get togethers depends on how many officials sign up and thus how much money we have). If we have any money left over, it is donated to a local charity benefitting childhood cancer research. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, only a small handful of officials take advantage of the opportunity (maybe 15 people or so sign up). They work 3 person, we film the games, and provide links to the films. I just wish we could get more officials to sign up.