NFHS Launches Interscholastic Officiating Course

[Tim C]

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (December 16, 2011) — The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has officially launched its Interscholastic Officiating Course.

The online course is the “first-of-its-kind” in a series of officiating courses from the NFHS, and is designed to introduce new officials or individuals interested in becoming an official to the world of interscholastic officiating. The course covers topics such as the basics of becoming and staying an official, the science of officiating a contest, the art of officiating a contest and putting it all together.

“The course gives aspiring officials some of the general tenets involved in the avocation,” said Mary Struckhoff, former NFHS director of sports and officials education who continues to serve as a consultant. “Therefore, we believe it will better prepare individuals to have successes on the court, field or mat.”

In addition to the many in-person training options at the local level with officials associations, the NFHS is providing interested parties an online option to become familiar with interscholastic officiating. The course is modeled after the highly successful NFHS Coach Education Program, which has delivered more than 700,000 courses in five years.

Designed to take 30 to 45 minutes to complete, the NFHS Interscholastic Officiating Course is free for members of the NFHS Officials Association, while non-member individual officials may take the course for a fee of $20. A discounted bulk rate of $10 is also available to non-100-percent states and officiating groups when 50 or more licenses are purchased.

“When officials have early successes and feel more confident in what they are doing, they tend to stay longer in the avocation,” Struckhoff said. “Increasing the pool of quality officials and retaining those quality officials is good for interscholastic activities and the young people participating.”

The course can be accessed at NFHS Officials: Home. For more details, contact the NFHS Officials Department.