West Coast Officials Association WCOA Officials Association Tampa

West Coast Officials Association WCOA Officials Association Tampa Monday July 13, 2015 General Membership

Agenda - General Membership § § § § § Opening Remarks Introduction of Officers Football – Remarks & Introduction of Sports Committees Basketball – Remarks & Introduction of Sports Committee Update from FHSAA Leadership Conference Update from Lanness Robinson Treasurer Remarks, Dues, Fingerprints & Budget WCOA Procedural Updates Bylaws Change & Policy Addition

Agenda - General Membership § Opening Remarks § Let us go “back to the future”. § § § I often reflect on the wisdom of W. W. C. D. “what would Clem do? ” And I realize that Clem would do what is suited for him at that particular time in our WCOA history. § This is not that time. § In order to grow and stay strong as an organization we must plan, set goals and work towards that future. § Keeping in mind those values and principles of our past.

Objectives as Leaders § § § Good leaders lead themselves, they lead by example Leadership is visual, people do what people see Values based on principles and align with our Vs and Ps Add value to people Focus on others 1 st All leaders must give feedback to their crew, as a leader. (How did we do? How are we doing? What area of improvement do we need to improve? What is our goal? )

Objectives Agenda § § § § Administrative Recruiting Retaining Motivating Rewarding Training Evaluation process

Objectives Agenda § Developing more committees – with annual goals § § § § Historian - record and display the history of WCOA Hall of Fame (who did what and when) Policy and Procedure (is that right) Education/information (tracking/updating information) Rules Interpretation (you make the call) Recruiting/Retention (recruiting brochure, incentives) Website (ideas and improvement) Finance (show me the money)

Executive Board Officers Rodney Dickerson Greg Kaiser Dave Queen Kim Mowrey Jeff Albers Thom Powers Larry Rothermel Holly Russ President VP of Football VP of Basketball Member-at-Large, Football Member-at-Large, Basketball Treasurer Secretary EO Chairperson

Football Sports Committee Greg Kaiser VP of Football Richard Birdsong Jerome Ford Harold Greenfield Marty Palenik Sports Rep - Evaluations Sports Rep - Grievance Sports Rep - Secretary Sports Rep - Training Ken Calhoun Hank Weil Booking Commissioner Asst. Booking Commissioner

VP of Football - Dr. Greg Kaiser § General Remarks § Committees

Football Committees § FHSAA Mandated Committees

Basketball Sports Committee Dave Queen VP of Football Ella Coffee Reggie Mc. Neal Marcus Williams Dan Willis Sports Rep Carl Erickson Nolan Padgett Booking Comm. - Assigning Booking Comm. - Rescheduling

VP of Basketball – Dave Queen § General Remarks § Committees Update

Leadership Conference Notes Florida High School Athletics Association § Awards Ceremony to recognize and award their “Officials of the Year”

Leadership Conference Notes Florida High School Athletics Association §Girls Basketball Official of the Year – Holly Russ

Leadership Conference Notes Florida High School Athletics Association §Football’s Official of the Year – Greg Kaiser

Leadership Conference Notes Florida Senate Bill 948 “The FHSAA Bill” § Was never considered during the special session § The bill, therefore, has died

Leadership Conference Notes FHSAA Dues Increase By $2 § Last year the FHSAA paid $91, 000 for insurance § Last year the insurance paid out $101, 000 in claims § Therefore, all officials will see a $2 increase in their registration fees for 2015

Leadership Conference Notes Ejections § Ejection should be a last resort if possible – Preventive officiate – Warn – Eject § At some point, use the word “ejected” when you remove a player or coach from the game. Officials’ reluctance to use that specific word have caused big problems. – “No one told me I was ejected, they just told me to leave. ” – “The official told me I couldn’t play anymore, that’s all. ”

Leadership Conference Notes Ejection Reports § State just the facts, but be very specific about what happened – Never offer an excuse for the person’s action – Don’t offer interpretations about what happened – Never include past issues, only the facts from this contest – Never suggest what the punishment should be § Use exact quotes, write the profanities out in full § This is a legal document § This document always goes to the school involved and may be released to the media with your name on it ! The report is provided EXACTLY as you wrote it !

Leadership Conference Notes Guidebook Updates (Gray Book) § The online officials’ guidebook is going to undergo some extensive editing and review § The rank 1, 2 and 3 system is going to be redone – The FSHAA recognizes that there are qualified younger officials who should be playoff eligible – The FHSAA also recognizes that just because an official has 30 years of experience or is a good test taker should not automatically make them a rank 1 – Games worked, meetings attended, clinics attended, evaluations, etc. are things they are considering giving various weights to.

Leadership Conference Notes FHSAA Website To Be Redone 2016 § The website in general and the data base housing your information, registration, exams, etc. will change in 2016 to update to a more modern and secure network

Leadership Conference Notes FHSAA Coaches’ Evaluations § The coaches’ advisory committee requested that coaches be allowed to evaluate the officials § The coaches wanted these to be unsigned anonymous – The FHSAA said, nice try but you will put your name on it § Areas the FHSAA is willing to allow coaches to comment on: – Appearance – Professionalism / Approachability / Demeanor – Movement / Hustle – Consistency § This failed in the past, for the winning coach would say “great crew” and the losing coach would say “they suck”

Leadership Conference Notes Update Association Bylaws § The FHSAA encouraged all associations to review and update their Bylaws to reflect their current operating procedures

Leadership Conference Notes Associations Should Review Their Grievance Process § The WCOA grievance process is: 1) If a Sports Committee takes an action a member feels is unjust, that member first appears before that Sports Committee to present their case 2) If the member is unsatisfied by the Sports Committee’s action after their meeting, they may then request to meet with the Grievance Committee and present their case to them 3) The Grievance Committee will report their recommendations back to the Sports Committee who will then review the Grievance Committee’s recommendations and decide whether to amend or uphold their previous action 4) If the member is still unsatisfied, he / she may request to meet with the executive board

Leadership Conference Notes Do Not Touch Anyone § If players are involved in a fight, by all means get between the players. However, do not grab or restrain players. § Don’t try to correct or fix any player equipment. § If a crazy fan runs out onto the field, don’t go after them, try to tackle them or interact with them. Get out of their way, let them run around to their heart’s content, and let the police deal with it. § If there is a medical situation, you can deliver basic CPR to someone in a life threatening state such as not breathing or in cardiac arrest if you are qualified to do so. Otherwise, if it’s not a life threatening situation, stay out of it.

Leadership Conference Notes Our responsibilities as WCOA Officials § You are a public figure – Can be recognized in restaurants, mall, grocery store, etc. § Your conduct is always under scrutiny – People are looking for a way to may you look bad § Your actions wherever you go will represent the WCOA – If recognized as an official, you personify the association § Other officials will view your actions under a microscope – Fellow officials are your harshest critics § ALL types of communication could become public – Verbal, email, text messages, Face Book, Twitter, etc.

Leadership Conference Notes Our Responsibilities to Fans § Never respond to a fan § No direct contact with fans § learn to tune them out – if you are listening to them you are not focused on your officiating responsibilities.

Leadership Conference Notes Our Responsibilities to the Players § Be consistent and constant § Use them to your advantage – “Hey captain #21, get a handle on #55 and calm him down or he may end up costing your team a penalty. ” § Leave a positive impression – Talk to them, offer direction, try to keep them from fouling § Be enthusiastic and show them you’re in the game – Jog, have an athletic posture, have good body language § Positive reinforcement – Way to help up your opponent – Thanks for getting the ball for me

Leadership Conference Notes Our Responsibilities to the Coaches § Perception § Uniform and Equipment – Look the part § Fitness and Appearance – Do you look capable of interacting with athletes? § Professionalism, Approachability, Demeanor § Knowledge of the Rules – There is no excuse for not knowing the rules § Courage to Make Calls / Pass on Calls – Don’t call every little thing you see, but do see everything you do call

Leadership Conference Notes Our Responsibilities to the Coaches § Communication – If you throw a flag or call a foul, you’re the only one that knows what is going on. You MUST bring the coaches into the loop too and communicate with them § Character – You are there to defuse, not to ignite – While the coach is emotional and trying to win, you are to remain calm and not care who wins § God Given Skills – The “IT” factor § If you can’t tolerate getting yelled at, time to find a new hobby

Leadership Conference Notes Responsibilities to the Media § Do not talk to the media – You always have no comment – Silence can never be misquoted or turned against you § Social media also is not a place to vent or editorialize, for you never know who that post might get forwarded to – “Coach Gruden was a real ass tonight, I enjoyed throwing him out of the game. ” – “I can’t believe the terrible call our back judge Joe Doe made tonight that cost the Red Coats the game. ”

Leadership Conference Notes A quick tempered man does foolish things.

Lanness Robinson Notes § MUST know your Lawson number to report to the school in order to get paid – No Lawson number means you will get placed on the county’s No Pay and No Assign List § Lawson numbers are a vendor number that you use instead of your Social Security number which helps protect you from identity theft

Lanness Robinson Notes § Game reports are VERY important to him – Issues are addressed with the school if we raise them – Reports need to be very specific and submitted promptly to get the problems addressed immediately – If there is a particular issue the game report doesn’t cover, email that to VP of Football or Basketball and they will summarize the emails received each week into a single email to Lanness

Lanness Robinson Notes § Hillsborough County Schools Athletic Department has purchased HUDL for ALL schools so please remind the coaches to share their game films with the WCOA

Lanness Robinson Notes § Hillsborough County Public Schools Financial Facts: – Bill Gates issued a 7 year grant to Hillsborough County Public Schools, that grant has now ended – It costs approximately $80, 000 per high school each year to put on all athletic events at that school – Each high school on average only collects $54, 000 in gate fees, fund raisers, donations, etc. Only three high schools cover their costs: Plant, Newsome and Gaither – That equates to an average - $26, 000 deficit for each school each year { 28 schools x $26, 000 = $728, 000 }

Treasurer - Thom Powers § General Remarks § Dues / Fines § Fingerprints § 2015 - 2016 WCOA Budget

WCOA Procedural Update Executive Board Meeting – Appointments § Treasurer, EEO Chair, Secretary, BC’s § Booking Commissioner & Treasurer Agreements § Conflict of Interest Attestation (EB) § Election Procedure & Election Committee – Harold Lawrence – Lamarr Simon – Brett Nehrt

Proposed Changes - WCOA Bylaws Article VIII, Sections 1 - 7 The Executive Board proposes removing the language that the Elections Committee puts together a slate of nominations which are then reviewed by the Sports Committees and that the President of the WCOA must then receive all nominations from the floor. § 2 nd Required § Discussion § Membership Vote

Directions—Basketball Officials

West Coast Officials Association WCOA Officials Association Tampa Monday July 13, 2015 Football

Key Football Dates 2015 4) Monday July 27 7 pm Leto 5) Monday August 3 7 pm Leto Schedule Lottery Test Review On Line FHSAA Exam August 11 – 20 24/7 6) Monday August 17 7 pm Leto 7) Monday August 31 7 pm Jefferson 8) Monday September 14 7 pm Jefferson Nominations 9) Monday October 5 7 pm Jefferson Playoff Crews 10) Monday October 26 7 pm Jefferson Elections

FSHAA Football Officials’ Recognition 35 Years Tom Ream 30 Years Tommy Johnson Jeff Maust 25 Years John Fiore 20 Years Jim Gottas

Football 2014 Official Awards Official of the Year Claude Burg Rookie of the Year Jimmy Golden Most Improved Official Aaron Berry Iron Man Award Ryan Fitzgibbons

Gold Whistle Award Gary Saliba John Torres

Varsity Schedule § Now with the Assignment Committee § The lottery will be during the August 3 rd meeting § USF will be playing the Memphis Tigers on Friday October 2 nd ? Bye

Rule Changes 2015 Clarified Dead Ball Penalty Enforcement Modified 10 -2 -5 – If both teams commit unsportsmanlike, non-player or dead ball personal fouls, prior to the completion of penalty enforcement for those fouls, the distance penalty for an equal number of 15 yard unsportsmanlike, non-player or dead ball personal fouls will offset. Any remaining penalties will be enforced separately in the order they occurred.

Youth Training 2015

Rookie, New Referee and Back Judge Clinic § Saturday August 8 th 8 am § Classroom Work Ø St. Joseph Hospital Medical Arts Center Auditorium § Scrimmage Field Work

Varsity Crews Referee Umpire Linesman Line Judge Claude Burg Darrell Richardson Walt Markwas Marshall Dessalines Matt Simpson Ken Calhoun Mike Herring Brian M. Davis Jeff Albers Carlos Nieves Harold Greenfield Jack Gillis Tony Sloan Richard Mc. Cluskey Nate Collins James Strickland Ben Heugel John Fiore Michael Wheeler Dave Stone Gary Mays Dave Brian Stone C. Davis Tom Johnson Danny Frauenfeld Lamarr Simon Aaron Berry Michael Farmer Greg Kaiser Richard Gervais Jerry Delli Paoli Curtis Jackson Camille Nichols Ken Keene Buzz Swartz Bernard Douglas Brian C. Davis Dave Stromquist Jim Kelly David Koenig Hank Weil David Lockwood Mark Comer Rodney Dickerson Brett Nehrt Phil Crangi Matt Kemp Ryan Fitzgibbons Eric Newman Ed Ortiz Bruce Cox Mike Edwin. Munger Ramos Mike John Munger Richardson Andrew Linden Marty Palenik Al Cammisa Herbert Grigg John Torres Larry Thomas Jeff Maust Thom Powers Kim Mowrey Steve Brannan John O’Meara Robert Fulmer Rodney Dickerson Gary Saliba Tom Ream Miller Matthews Mike Moten Richard Cusack Monty Theus John Tagler Greg Griffin Richard Birdsong Eric Etienne Joe Lanier Reed Williams Jerome Ford Keith Peloquin Trace Williams Jonathan Padgett Back Judge

Alternates List

No Picture In Arbiter = No Games • You need to have a clear face picture in Arbiter if you would like to be assigned games • No picture in Arbiter = No games • The picture should be clear and something you would post at work Ø Not the falling down drunk picture Ø Not the group shot Ø Not the taken 1 mile away shot • Lanness, schools, administrators, athletic directors, coaches, etc. can all access your picture

Pre-Season Activities § Make sure you have the proper uniform and officiating items. § Make sure your uniform still fits. If not, there is plenty of time to order the proper size and have them appropriately altered.

Availability § Keep Arbiter updated § Block what you need to block as soon as you know it. § Most of the time, fines are preventable

Youth Update • Brandon League (TCYFCC) Ø WCOA will no longer serve the Brandon League (TCYFCC) Ø They have decided to give SICOA “a try” • TBYFL Ø Games start in early August Ø They are adding a back judge to the 2 upper level games (JV and varsity) Ø They are placing a game official on the box

Youth Football Rules

Changes To The Evaluations Process • The Evaluations Committee has been meeting regularly to review changes to the evaluations process • Chairman Richard Birdsong will provide us with an update