Just kicked off 2019 with a college showcase. First game as CR was a BU18. One of the emeritus assessors watched my game and complimented me on my feel for the game and clearly dealing with a player who was itching for PO. He did comment that he wished I was in better shape... so do I
It looks like maybe it's a gate - they open it when there's a game? But that doesn't explain why they leave the flag out for someone to trash or steal.
Not, technically, illegal. The soccer field diagram page has a note "If used on a football field, portable goals should be anchored at least 2 yards in front of the base of the existing football goalposts." A lot of things wrong with that statement, beginning with describing the pitch as "a football field" i.e. it's really football's facility and soccer is merely borrowing it. It only say that the goals SHOULD be anchored..... , so they don't have to be, and the field diagram page is not considered to be part of the NFHS soccer rules. Anything that's on that page that isn't covered in Rule 1 is not required. But, yet, it is laughable.
Had a good clinic with NISOA Director of Operations Lance VanHaitsma as instructor. I learn a lot at these clinics. I know I will likely never be a grade 7, but I'm thinking of throwing my hat in to go to ODP this year.
It was mainly on the NFHS rule changes and how they are catching up with IFAB. He showed numerous clips and we were to decide what is DOGSO yellow, DOGSO red, etc. Though I don't do high school yet, and may not, it was good reinforcement for the USSF games that I do. We also did some field work, though inside a gym, on positioning. Some clumsy, 350 lb. 50 year old tried to go from side shuffling to sprinting too fast in his turf shoes and landed on his face, bruising his knee. After RICE-ing it when I...er...he got home, it feels a lot better today.
I did a few AYSO EXTRA 12U playoff games over the weekend. Always a mixed bag. Coach at midfield convinced he knows OS better than my National AR. Coaches convinced I know nothing about OS. A tossed parent. But also the coach who consistently told his players, "yes he caught you offside" or "put your arms down and you don't get called for that foul." And the coach in the pregame who says, "Girls, look." Points to the badges on the ref team. "See those? Advanced, National, National. That means these guys know what they're doing. If you're complaining, they are right and you are wrong, so don't."
Interesting situation this past weekend - HS JV Boys. Two fairly evenly matched team with a dual system. I'm on the visitors' Left Back diagonal next to the home coach, but up and down the field as the visitors were slightly more dominant. The home coach told me at halftime that the LB was calling me names and complaining about my refereeing. He also mentioned it once again during a stoppage to deal with a spectator on the far side who was complaining and discourteous to my partner. I know I having poor hearing, but I only heard the LB once and I dealt with him - just a minor, short complaint about a foul called or not called! Definitely not card worthy..
I know what you're doing. You're trying to sucker me into telling this one again, but I'm not gonna fall for it.
I passed my Assessor/Instructor course this past Sunday. Spoiler alert USSF will be combining Assessors and Instructors into one group, Coaches. Additionally, they want to move the 4 hour classroom session out onto the field for practical training, that way the first time a new referee holds a flag, blows a whistle, etc, it won't be at their first game. I was a guinea pig for learning how to run a field session (only 2 in the state have done it with anyone). There was concern, for new Coaches, that practicing with other referee Instructors/Assessors would be difficult because they are experts already. It turned out to be the opposite. Because they've seen many new referees, intentional or not, they approximated a new referee by doing stupid stuff that you need to expect. An example of a field session. In the drill below, the 'players' in the center of the box move around passing the ball and the AR of matching color on the outside needs to follow the player. Step 2, after they get the hang of moving back and forth, raise the flag to signal for offside every 3rd touch. I have a video but it isn't online. Quite frankly, it looks like it would be good in-service training for referees too.
I think this is more or less public knowledge depending on how your state has communicated it. Some states have been communicating this, some I think are waiting for official announcement type stuff (which I haven't seen). I like the direction they're going with this stuff. For all the imperfections we can point out in ourselves and USSF, the idea of moving in-person training to more hands on, on field exercises makes a ton of sense. I know Rick has talked about moving as much as he can to online modules / webinars so everyone gets the same training. The more time you can use together to get practical experience, the better.
Talked with the SYRA about this at the 2019 recert, but it’s not plausible here in Chicago (-50 tomorrow morning with the windchill). Maybe something in the summer, but nothing certain yet. Also a 5 from Ohio told me the grade shakeup is coming in the next few years.
We did it in a gym due to rain. Wanted to smack the guy who had decided to teach blowing the whistle but he was doing it right with lots of noise. There is a reason that I didn't move back to Evanston after college... and only part of it had to do with my lack of Ruby on Rails experience that pervades the city.
What the hell!?!? We just had a grade shakeup 5 years ago. I'm still a little bitter. I was a grade 5 when the most recent change occurred. It knocked me back down to a grade 6.