JUNIOR CLINICS

The suggested club clinic fee is $5 per person. This is to be arranged with the clinician.

Junior clubs may make clinic arrangements with the Scorekeeper, Assistant Scorekeeper, Referee, and Assistant Referee Chairperson.

Junior clinic dates will be in the format of a classroom workshop. Juniors may also attend adult clinic dates. Ratings must be obtained at a sanction season tournament.

Juniors wanting first referee certification must attend an adult clinic.

ADULT CLINICS

Pre-registration is needed. Six (6) people must register with the clinician or else the clinic is cancelled.

Rule changes for volleyball are considered at meetings conducted by the FIVB. These changes do not filter down to the USA Volleyball until the season afterwards due to the time needed for rulebook printing and distribution. In recognition of this, there will be mandatory meetings (combining refresher clinic and tests) for all officials every year.

New USA Volleyball official candidates and re-certifying USA Volleyball officials must attend the required clinic(s) in their entirety in order to be given credit for the clinic.

Please note that mandatory re-certification meetings and practical re-certification ratings will probably occur in different years. In most cases, officials who keep up their certification will not have as many meetings, tests or ratings as under the previous system.

RATINGS

The WEVA Board has reduced practical re-certification requirements to one "up" and one "down" rating every three years. The referee chairperson may review referee performance and require practical ratings in less than three years.

Juniors will be certified in two brackets. 10-under through 14-under is the first bracket. 15-under through 18-under is the second bracket. When moving from 14's to 15’s or 16's, juniors need to retake the clinic(s), test(s), and ratings(s).

First Referee: New candidates replace a referee who is a Qualified member of the Region Rating Team at a regular season match. Rating referee receives the match fee. Re-certification must also occur in the regular season.

Second Referee: New candidates are rated during a regular season match. Re-certification must also occur in the regular season.

Scorekeeper: The rating must occur at a regular season match.

Ratings, other than juniors, should be requested of the referee chair at least two weeks prior to a given tournament.

Certification / Recertification

Officials failing to re-certify or failing to attend a required clinic and take a test will be subject to being dropped from the Officials Roster.

Clinic Dates:
Buffalo Area Clinics: Contact Mike Paull to register, wevaref@yahoo.com
Fee: $5
Location: BNCC, 425 Meyer Road, West Seneca 14224
Session I: Wednesday, December 16, 6pm-9pm
Session II: Sunday, December 20, 6pm-9pm

Rochester Area Clinics: Contact Fred Chase to register, fchase@rochester.rr.com
Fee: $5
Location: Penfield HS Library, 25 HS Drive, Penfield
Session I: Monday, December 14, 6pm-9pm
Session II: Friday, January 15, 6pm-9pm*

*Location TBD

USA Volleyball Referee Training and Education Web Site Redesigned with Free Public Access

Colorado Springs, Colo. (March 1, 2010) - The USA Volleyball Referee Training and Education Web site www.VolleyballRefTraining.com has undergone an extensive redesign with vast new capabilities and re-launched Feb. 25 as a free, public resource suited for officials, scorekeepers, coaches, parents, players and fans.

The Web site offers training and education materials to assist both new and veteran volleyball referees as they become more experienced in the art of officiating. VolleyballRefTraining.com is the place for the most current and reliable information related to USA Volleyball officiating, featuring recent rule and technique changes plus the latest rule interpretations.

As part of the redesign, produced by the USA Volleyball Officials’ Commission and designed by Kurt Moore of FishMoore Design (www.FishmooreDesign.com), this officials’ resource is now open to the general public. The Web site provides multimedia training videos and presentation materials, sanctioned by USA Volleyball, to assist all volleyball officials with everything they need to know when officiating at USA Volleyball events. The growing library of presentations and materials, developed by USA Volleyball’s leading officials, features real-life situations plus the latest USA Volleyball-authorized comments and commentaries on the best practices in officiating, teamwork and mechanics.

“With this re-launch, www.VolleyballRefTraining.com becomes the preeminent resource for USA Volleyball referees,” said Kathy Ferraraccio, chair of USA Volleyball’s National Indoor Referee Sub Commission. “By making it free and open to the public, USA Volleyball will broaden knowledge of our great sport and give the thousands of referees across the country access to the best possible information.”

In addition, the official’s resource page includes a list of officiating opportunities such as USA Volleyball Junior National Championships, qualifiers and regional championships, and an avenue to purchase DVDs of training modules. The blog associated with the site provides an interactive forum about rules and techniques, discussion about video clips, and informal, you-make-the-call polls.

VolleyballRefTraining.com is geared toward USA Volleyball officials, but it is also a friendly resource for parents and fans to become better educated on the rules of the game. At the same time, the USA Volleyball Officials’ Commission is actively seeking new officials and this resource site makes a good starting point to learn the sport and its rules. For more details on how to become an official, go to www.volleyballreftraining.com/certification_requirements.php.

Ferraraccio would like to recognize the many individuals who have dedicated countless volunteer hours to VolleyballRefTraining.com’s development, including Steve Webster, Tom Sweeney, Tom Blue, Glenn Reid, Brian Hemelgarn, Gloria Cox and Michael McPoyle.