Referees – how to setup Google Calendar

For the 2009 Fall season we will be using the Google Calendar integrated into the TRU Website.

Availability requests will be mailed out at least one month in advance and will show up in your email or Google Calendar.  Don’t have Google calendar, click below for a quick tutorial of how to get it.
How to set up Google Calendar – Video

Please respond to the availability request in a timely manner.  If no response is received, you will receive future emails reminding you and requesting that you update your availability.

How to respond to Availability and Match Requests – Video

Match Assignments will be made based on the positive response to the availability requests.
Match assignments will also come through as “Meeting Requests” through Google Calendar and you will respond “Yes” or “No” in order to confirm the match with the assignors.

If you have any questions, please contact Greg Varnell at gvarnell[at]gmail.com

TOLA Finals

The TOLA series capped off it’s finals at the Shreveport-Horseshoe TOLA 7s Aug. 8-9, 2009.  Host club Shreveport won in overtime against a well-coached Little Rock Club.  National women 7s coached, Julie McCoy had her boys playing great rugby but Hal Struckman and his Shreveport gang stood tall at the end and came away with the victory.

Greg Varnell was in the middle with Wendy Young and Rich Prim assisting on the touch.  Mr. Varnell did an excellent job.  We had a good crew of match officials during the weekend; from the very new to the very, very old.  Match officials included  Chris Kelly, Traci Schmidtke, Wendy Young, Greg Varnell, Rich Prim and visiting referee from the deep south, Chris Piscotta.

Congrats to a strong referee crew and kudos to a great job the Shreveport team provided as host on this very hot Aug. day.

2009 TOLA Shreveport referees
2009 TOLA Shreveport referees

Match officials included in photo above from l to r:  Chris Kelly, Traci Schmidtke, Wendy Young, Greg Varnell, and Rich Prim.
Our visiting referee from the deep south, Chris Piscotta, was not available for the picture.

TRRA AGM, Saturday August 15th

The Texas Rugby Referee Association (TRRA) will hold it’s Annual
General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, August 15, 2009 starting at 10AM
sharp in the municipal offices of the City of Centerville, Texas,
located at 325 E Saint Marys St (Hwy 7) Centerville, TX 75833, just
east of I-45 at Hwy 7. Lunch will be served and we will try our best
to conclude all business by 3PM.

All TRRA members are urged to attend. If you are unable to attend,
please provide your proxy to either the Chairman, Greg Puklicz, or the
Vice-Chairman, Jim Wolfinger, or any other member of your choosing. If
you wish to submit a proxy, please send an e-mail clearly stating your
name, to whom you are providing the proxy (one person only) and
reference that the proxy is for the 2009 TRRA AGM only. Please copy
any proxies to Greg Puklicz at gpuklicz@madycorp.com
An agenda for the meeting will be circulated one week before the
meeting. If there is any matter any member wishes to place on the
agenda, please e-mail Greg Puklicz. The agenda will include a
financial report, an update on the final agreement with the TRU, a
training and development report, logo selection, discussion of bylaw
updates, discussion of insurance requirements, an update on our new
scheduling system, and elections for Chairman and Vice-Chairman,
amongst other things.

A final vote for the new logo will be conducted at the meeting. Any
member who has a proposal for a logo must bring a fully developed
color logo on an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper for the membership to
review and consider.

In addition, all members will be required to pay TRRA dues for the
coming 2009-2010 season in the amount of $20. Please bring cash or
your check book. Checks should be made out to the TRRA. All members
who pay their dues at or prior to the meeting will receive their copy
of the new 2009 IRB Law Book at the conclusion of the AGM. Also, new
kit will be available after the meeting (once the new logo is selected
and embroidered) but only to those members who have paid their
2009-2010 dues.

Should you have any other questions with regard to the AGM, please
contact Greg Puklicz, Chairman, or Jim Wolfinger, Vice-Chairman

TRRA Referee Training Courses Coming Soon!

All –

Please note the following Referee Courses coming soon and get signed up ASAP as spots are filling up quickly:

For Existing Referees/Coaches:

Are you interested in learning how to constructively coach and evaluate referees? Are you a new or experienced referee who would like to know how you are evaluated and what coaches are looking for? Are you currently a referee coach/evaluator who would like to brush up on the latest techniques and ideas? Are you a rugby team coach who would like to understand what referees are taught, to help you become a better coach?

* Level 1 Coaching Match Officials (CMO – Level 1) course being taught by USA Rugby’s Ed Todd on August 22, 2009 in Dallas, TX.

For New Aspiring Referees:

Are you interested in becoming a rugby referee? Are you a rugby player or coach who would like a better understanding of the Laws and how they are applied? Are you interested in getting paid to participate in rugby – referees receive travel allowances and match fees!

* The TRU’s Rich Prim is an iRB certified trainer and he will be teaching a Level 1 course at Texas State on September 12th.
* Joe Zevin from ERRFU is an iRB certified trainer as well and he will be teaching a Level 1 course in Dallas on Saturday, September 26th.

Please contact Greg Puklicz @ gpuklicz@madycorp.com for further details and to confirm your spot ASAP in one of these courses as they are filling up quickly. Please note the courses are being sponsored by the TRRA and there is NO fee/charge for TRU/TRRA members. For out of state participants, contact Greg Puklicz to determine your participant fee.

Referee Level One Courses coming soon

All –

Please note the following Referee Courses coming soon and get signed up before they fill up:

* Level 1 CMO course being taught by USA Rugby’s Ed Todd on August 22, 2009.

* The TRU’s Rich Prim is an iRB certified trainer and he will be teaching a Level 1 course at Texas State on September 12th.

* Joe Zevin from ERRFU is an iRB certified trainer as well and he will be teaching a Level 1 course in Dallas on Saturday, September 26th.

Please contact Greg Puklicz @ gpuklicz@madycorp.com for further details.