Referee Certification Course

[Sean Schuff]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

Thank you for your confidence.

I'll second that response!

A few things to keep in mind...

If you haven't ever done it you have no idea how difficult reffing can be. I have had the privilege of reffing at IRI (Where the egos come to play!) for the past few years and it is not a simple job. Keeping your eyes on everything that goes on during a match is a challenge in and of itself. Add to that the multiple interpretations of the rules and it makes for a potentially chaotic environment. IRI and Andy Baker have done a great job in making sure the refs do their job well. However, that is just one event.

FIRST has taken a fantastic step in the right direction to make sure all refs across the country and around the world are ON THE SAME PAGE. Having a consistent interpretation of the rules will make for a much more enjoyable experience for all teams. It's the inconsistencies from ref to ref, match to match and event to event that causes the greatest frustration for all involved. The online learning and certification process will help to move toward more consistent calls and rule enforcement. It can only serve to help - it certainly won't hurt.

Hats off to FIRST for moving forward with this!

Sean