The TRRA is pleased to announce a day of training for both existing and new referees. Two programs will be run concurrently on June 26, 2010 at Texas State University.
Firstly, the TRRA is hosting a Referee Level 1 Officiating Course on June 26th at Texas State University in San Marcos. This is the initial course required in order to become a rugby referee. There are no prerequisites for attending this course and it is the sole training vehicle for the education of entry level referees as certified USA Rugby referees.
The Level One Course covers the referee’s priorities, provides an introduction to the Laws, and examines scrums, ruck/mauls, tackles, lineout’s, offside, and advantage with focus on the critical parts and how to referee them. When a student has completed this course, and the accompanying test which will be administered on the day, they are ready to begin refereeing safely. The objective is to ensure Law knowledge and to assure that the understanding of the course material has been met. This is just the first step in a referee’s education, but it is the necessary beginning.
The course by itself is useful for coaches and players, in addition to the primary goal of starting people as referees. Students who pass the examination and then become active referees will be reimbursed the $50 course fee by the Texas Rugby Referees Association (TRRA) after they have refereed a minimum of five matches. All clubs within the TRU are strongly encouraged to send at least one referee candidate to the session in order to build the ranks of our referees, particularly from within the clubs. Please contact either James Summers or Greg Puklicz with the name of your attendees.
Secondly, in conjunction with the new referee officiating course, the TRRA will also host a conference/skills camp for all currently certified referees.
The goals of the referee conference/skills camp are:
1. To provide Texas rugby referees with a networking opportunity outside a match/tournament environment.
2. To provide a forum for active discussion of rugby law theory and practical application.
3. To promote consistency and higher referee standards among Texas rugby referees.
4. To discuss ideas for the improvement of the referee training structure in Texas.
5. To begin the process of training and promoting 3 new referees to L1 by December 2010.
6. To begin the process of training and promoting 5 new referees to L2 by December 2010.
The TRRA has secured Kevin McCaslin, former USA Rugby National Panel referee, to attend and provide instruction at the event. In addition to training sessions on various aspects of the law and game management, we will hold an open forum to discuss referee questions and concerns over topics ranging from practical law application, to the training/promotion structure within the TRRA.
This conference is intended as an open forum, and discussion of all referee related questions and concerns will be encouraged. ALL referees are strongly urged to make every effort to attend this event.
The agenda for the day is outlined below. The times and topics are subject to change at the request of the group. There is no fee to current TRRA members.
Please confirm you will be attending either this event or the Level 1 course by contacting either James Summers, TRRA Central Scheduler, or myself, by e-mail as noted below.
Greg Puklicz
TRRA Chairman
gpuklicz@madycorp.com
James Summers
TRRA Central Scheduler
summersjw@austin.rr.com