Tournament Cancelled

Dear Coaches and Club Directors,

As the OVR continues to grow with junior players, our need for qualified officials also continues to grow. We are attracting new people every year to the referee ranks, yet one area of expertise has yet to be tapped... that of our older junior players, the 17s and 18s. They certainly know how to play the game and should be able to learn how to officiate more easily than those with no background or experience.

This letter’s intention is to seek your comments and/or recommendation of players who you think might be interested in becoming an OVR referee. Brian Hemelgarn (our Referees’ Chair) would like to utilize this group to officiate the younger ages -- 10s and 12s -- working alongside veteran officials. They would gain officiating experience without the pressures of higher caliber play, add to our pool of certified officials for the dozens of tournaments each weekend, and earn a few dollars -- $100 for the day (generally 6 matches)! This not only helps the region by adding a few more officials, but it will also help YOU – more referees means it’s easier to cover your events!

We would like to set up a training site (at a 12s tournament) to teach these junior players how to officiate, both as a first referee (R1) and a second referee (R2), and we’ll even throw in scorekeeping as well. Upon successful completion of the training tournament, the new referee will receive the OVR Junior Olympic Official’s patch, and he or she will be ready to go! There will be no charge for attendance at the training site; the only expense will be the purchase of the “Certified Volleyball Official” shirt for $20.

Please email me with your thoughts and ideas on this subject.

Thanks for your time,
Barb Strome
Junior Officials’ Development Director

P.S. If you are in need of a second referee/scorekeeping clinic for your club, contact me and I will find a clinician in your area. The fee is still $75 for a 1-2 hour clinic.

Barb Strome (BStrome@aol.com; posted 2004-01-27 21:52:40)