By Jennifer Rezac, President, Referee Training Academy
NIRSA, through the leadership of the NIRSA Championship Series Committee, is conducting an environmental scan of its 650+ member institutions to help NIRSA volunteer leaders discover more about the scope of student officials’ development on their campuses. You can help strengthen the way collegiate recreation approaches this essential component of intramural and club sports programs by making sure your campus participates in The Student Officials Development Environmental Scan.
Student officials’ development adds value to student officials, campuses, and society
Student officiating offers a unique experience to people from all walks of life. There are few comparable endeavors that require an individual to make quick decisions and convey them clearly and convincingly while under pressure. Student officials are esteemed not only for consistently making the right call, but also for their ability to convey poise, tact, and strength in the way they address the emotions and flare-ups that are integral to competition. Regardless of background or career path, the traits exercised by student officials are exceptionally beneficial to just about any professional job or setting.
The quality of officiating has long been an indicator of the quality of an intramural sports program. In addition to providing a fair, safe, and sporting atmosphere, the effectiveness of student officiating plays a critical role in ensuring a satisfying, fun, and worthwhile experience for the participants. Intentional officials’ development offers hosts of students unique, practical opportunities—real life learning laboratories—for enhancing a variety of skills including leadership, conflict resolution, decision-making, and communication.
NIRSA’s role in student officials’ development
NIRSA member schools have been strong champions of intentional student officials’ development since the organization’s inception. While the level of time, resources, and expertise dedicated to officials’ development at national intramural and club sports competitions has varied given each host institution’s particular situation, a hallmark of NIRSA Championship Series tournament host sites is the many departments who dedicate considerable resources and are able to recruit to their tournament staff many professionals and graduate assistants with extensive officiating experience.
One factor that has undoubtedly assisted NIRSA in increasing the number of qualified sports officials in the collegiate recreation profession is extramural competition. Among the most prominent examples of these events include the NIRSA Championship Series tournaments for basketball and flag football. The presence of intentional officials’ development for students at NIRSA tournaments dates back to the late 1970s. The National Invitational Flag Football Championships—hosted for many years at the University of New Orleans—was among the first extramural competitions to assemble the best and brightest officials, teams, and officials’ development personnel for an intense, developmental experience spanning a short number of days. It’s a format that accelerates valuable and memorable training. These events result in participating officials returning to their campuses with the culture they’ve experienced, and help participants to advance the abilities of others within their institution.
Opportunities to strengthen student officials’ development in collegiate recreation
Many high school officials’ associations are experiencing a shortage of younger members, and the collegiate and even professional officials’ ranks are always seeking prospects for their next generation. Through exposure at NIRSA Championship Series events, individuals have been approached by the NBA, the NBA Developmental League, and the NFL; while others have received opportunities to be added to collegiate officials’ rosters.
NIRSA has a variety of relationships with a range of sports’ National Governing Bodies, and key to ongoing efforts to expand student officials’ development will be expanding and strengthening partnerships with other sports officiating organizations (NASO, NFHS, NCAA, ASA, USAVB, USA Soccer/FIFA, etc.).
The NIRSA Championship Series Committee is exploring new opportunities to underwrite and expand the student officials’ development that trickles down to positively influence hundreds of student officials and clinicians across North America and beyond. You can help our efforts by making sure your campus lets us know about your approach to officials’ development. Participate in The Student Officials Development Environmental Scan by January 31 and NIRSA volunteers will use the responses as the baseline for the size, staying power, reach, value, and challenges around officials’ development on campus.
For more information about NIRSA’s role in student officials’ development, please contact NIRSA Director of National Sport Programs, Valerie McCutchan for more information.
