https://docs.google.com/viewerng/vi...-and-safe-sport-authorization-act-of-2017.pdf I think that @GoDawgsGo is correct, and that this is in addition to state laws. I am a mandatory reporter. Having been witness to violent and statutory rape, human trafficking, and domestic abuse, i beseech all adult referees to take this role seriously. Any of us could make a life changing/ saving impact on a young person’s life.
No joke but I was AR2 during a U16G game who fell down after minimal contact. She was writhing in pain like 5 feet from me. As that was happening there was subs so the ref was taking his time to come. During these moment she was groaning about her leg being twisted or something. She looked at me from the ground and asked me for me to feel it to make sure so. I just kept staring at her and said "Sorry its best we wait for professional help" I was flabberghasted. Heh. Unless you're in mortal danger, I shan't be touching you.
I did my Safe Sport back in August when it expired. I get why the feds want this done. It’s all CYA. It’s frustrating for two reasons. 1. It’s only good for 365 days so it’s independent of your badge year. So for me in mid year I am suddenly suspended. Give me a break. 2. I have to do these modules for my work as a college faculty member. And none of them are portable. It’s all the same and it’s all based on federal monies. Let them be portable. ETA: all this was the outcome from the Olympic doc abusing the gymnasts. If I could chop him into chunks and run him through a meat grinder I would.
Taking this off topic some more. I once got to participate in our local pro team's between period entrainment and won the contest ( I throw a good muffler.). The prize was the teams jersey. All good until time came for me to literally strip it off of the cheerleader, at center ice. Nope, I am not touching you and you can take it off yourself and hand it to me, thank you very much. Friends had fun telling the spouse about that later. And why do hockey teams have cheerleaders anyways? Cheers, Mi3ke
When i started refereeing HS, most all of the players from my daughter's travel team that i helped coach for years with another dad (a veteran competitive coach) also played for various high school teams in my association's coverage area. I'd show up to work a HS game not having seen them for months and some would run up to give me a hug... i'd tell them, "no, can't do that here and now..." Not really because of Safesport, but because, "...your opponent will think i'm going to cheat in your favor!" That and getting them to call me "Sir" or "Ref" on the field instead of "Coach" or by name was a real challenge with a couple of them. The funny part was having to say the same thing to a couple of the girls' moms who came down to the track fence before kickoff for a hello hug too! (note: obviously, there were a lot of inter-family friendships outside of the soccer team.)
I was officiating long jump at the world indoor track & field championships. During warm ups, the athletes run down the runway to get their steps right for takeoffs. Indoor track facilities are very compact. The end of the landing pit was right at the edge of one of the two curves of the track and there is a curb there so runners don't step on the inside edge of the line. We didn't want to have the long jumpers trip over that curb during their warmups, so I was detailed to stand at the end of the pit and hold them back from crossing onto the track. I was suddenly and forcefully aware that I had some very fit young women literally jumping into my arms!
As we all know AYSO is all-volunteer. A few years ago when my youngest niece started playing, I signed up to officiate in the local region. I arrive for her first game. As I am inspecting the field, she runs up and hugs before going back to warming up.
And USSF just insisted that AYSO use the safe sport training. Until this year, AYSO had its own safe haven training program. Along with other newish requirements, it is creating more hoops to jump through for new volunteer refs to start, as well as new requirements (fingerprinting and safe sport) that all returning volunteers have to do. I won’t be surprised if a number of the long-time volunteers who do a few games here and there fade away instead of complying. Our registrar estimated a $15 increase per kid in costs. I’d be fine with the costs if I was more convinced it was a value add and not merely CYA.
USA Track & Field decided that all volunteers had to be Safesported. But, similar to AYSO, there are fairly few certified officials available to do the youth meets. As a result, moms and dads are voluntold to come over and held run the events. The new requirement, however, said that you couldn't volunteer unless you had Safesport training. It wasn't immediately apparent to the powers that be what would happen at the youth meets. "Sorry. I can't come run the event because I don't have Safesport training." The Safesport video may be longer than the events! After a couple of months, it was grandly announced that people could volunteer three times a year without Safesport training. Discreetly, there was nothing in the announcement about how the clubs were supposed to track whether Mrs. Jones had already been pulled out of the stands enough times this year that she wasn't "allowed" to come do it again. So, do club lines need Safesport? Do team mom-managers need Safesport? At recreational youth soccer, with the parents on the same side of the field as the teams, where's the dividing line between loud parent and assistant coach when it comes to Safesport? And, just to pile on more requirements, in our state, all coaches and officials are required by law to have annual training on the recognition and management of possible concussions in all youth sports. "Youth sports" is defined broadly enough to include an adult soccer game where a 17 year old is, for example, playing with their parent. Their player card has their birthdate on it and those under 18 have big red letters saying when they are no longer a minor. If any player is under 18, the referee has to be aware of which player it is that may have a possible concussion, and sit them out if they are a minor.
A couple of years ago I was doing a u14 game. It was a game where the grandmother of one of the players was on the sideline. 40 years ago, I coached one of her boys who was ten years later killed by a car. I hadn't seen her for about 10 years. How could I not give her a hug!
A lady who was president of our association up to a few years ago (and who I blame for getting me involved in the USSF side of the house) was at a rec league U10 championship game I centered. Her daughter was the HC. At halftime she walked up to us and gave me a big hug. I couldn't stop her. She forced me into it. She also started "assessing" us. When she was done with me, I explained to the other two who she was. After the game she told me how much she missed teaching new refs. I told her she should be a mentor. She would be a good one! Well, this thread took a detour from recerting.
I just want to echo the fact that I am a member of three different organizations that each require SafeSport certification and all of them require me to complete it independently and not transfer in my certification. Ridiculous.
When I first started officiating, there were rarely any changes to the LOTG, so you "might' be able to get away with online training as is being done now. However, in the past 5 years, there have been numerous changes to the LOTG. In the past, someone could raise their hand before the instructor went to the next screen to ask for clarification. You can't do that now. I know guys that had their recerts done by someone else and provided their username and passwords to friends since they don't have the time to figure out how to even log in!!!
Is that a requirement by the organization or a design item by SafeSport that collects the fees more than once?
Yep, with results we see on fields most every week. They gave the ringer their game fees, right? I mean, fair's fair. Seriously though, ugh...
Today, the U.S. Soccer Learning Center finally shows my January 3 SafeSport refresher. Yesterday it did not. I'm now set for 2022.
Well, that would sure ruin a good conspiracy theory! I know the fingerprinting is definitely not free, and its very frustrating to pay (or have organizations pay) over and over for it. I've completely lost track of how many times I've been fingerprinted for volunteer work.
Um, no. I'm well aware they are different. But I didn't know safesport was free--both are new requirements to AYSO (which already had mandatory Safe Haven training), and I haven't done the SafeSport training yet.
Hah. I had worries as the counter of incorrect kept increasing and it was tied score several times for me. That said, I had great difficulty understanding the questions and scene descriptions. I figured the test queries were more of understanding english instead of football.
It certainly looks like that. I kept responding even after the page prompted me to take coffee breaks. I had wondered the website will fail me when I was less than 85% correct. Have no fear fellas, it does not. In the final tally, I had 3 more incorrect responses than correct; they were testing my understanding of english language than law knowledge! I will soon be refereeing on a field near you, so wochchit!
I'm pretty sure* I got dinged on a question where a goal is scored after the ball hits the hand of a teammate. Which was no bueno in 20/21 but is no longer proscribed. Also I failed the assignor recert first time through. Wow. But hey, I now know how many grades of assignor USSF has. Should be worth another $5 per assignment I think. *test seems to have disappeared from GameOfficials so I can't re-review my answers.