2010 Referee Certifications

[LABertocci]

I have been getting a lot of questions about what is required to attain USAWP referee certification. Here is a quick summary, using the text (below) from the informational document currently on the USAWP web site.

“WANNA REF?” – HOW DO I GET STARTED?
AN OVERVIEW OF USAWP REFEREE CERTIFICATION GUIDELINES
Brand New Referees:
1. Register with USA Water Polo as a “Referee” or “Referee/Coach” Member.
2. Register for and pass the “Introductory Refereeing” Course at http://www.waterpoloacademy.com
3. Contact your Zone ODP Head Referee (contact information listed on this website) to complete the required “on-deck” observation and training.
4. You are then certified as a “Level 1 – Provisional” Referee and subject to the assignment criteria and limits set forth by your Zone.
5. To achieve “full certification” status you must register for and pass the “Minor Fouls” and “Major Fouls” courses at http://www.waterpoloacademy.com within the current “certification period” (Please see the “Referee Rating and Certification Criteria” on this website for more information.)
Returning Referees:
1. Register with USA Water Polo as a “Referee” or “Referee/Coach” Member.
2. Register for and pass either the “Review of Fouls” course or the next course in sequence at http://www.waterpoloacademy.com.
3. Contact your Zone ODP Head Referee to complete the required “practical” portion of your certification. (Please see the “Referee Rating and Certification Criteria” for details as to the “practical” requirement(s) for each level of Certification. [/color]

Here are the answers to the most common questions (in no particular order) we are getting:

(1) The current instructional database (with fields color coded for easy look up) is updated weekly and distributed to each zone HR as well as posted on the WPA web site. Anything required for your (re)certification is highlighted in yellow. If you have any difficulty finding this database, email me and I will look it up for you;

(2) Any course taken in November or December will count towards your referee certification through the END of 2010. So, anyone who wishes to get their (re)training completed (and out of the way) before the first of the year may do so;

(3) For those of you who have some time flexibility, my advice is to take your courses sooner rather than later. Based on how the past two years have gone, the months with the largest classes are February - March - April. Based on how students have responded within these courses, the smaller classes are easier for students to get through;

(4) The Introductory Refereeing course is designed for complete beginners. If you have had ANY past referee experience or instruction, you are better served by going directly to the two course sequence of Minor Fouls and Major Fouls;

(5) For those who have not taken and passed both Minor Fouls and Major Fouls, completion of that sequence is required for certification;

(6) For those who have taken and passed both Minor Fouls and Major Fouls, re-certification may be achieved by either taking the next course in order (Advantage then The Center then Tactics) or by taking Review of Fouls (to be offered monthly starting on the 23rd of each month).

I hope this helps.

[LABertocci]

As of just now, no one had registered to take the "Review of Fouls" course (scheduled to begin on 23 November) as a path to recertification (via USAWP) for 2010. The course is built, and is scheduled to be offered monthly, beginning on the 23rd of each month. For those of you who need it, we are ready. Perhaps it will be populated in December. If not, it will be ready in January 2010 and forwards.

[kaminooto]

I just signed up for your Intro class on 2/1. I plan on going though all your courses; I'm hoping it might give me a different perspective and better my coaching skills.

[LABertocci]

I just signed up for your Intro class on 2/1. I plan on going though all your courses; I'm hoping it might give me a different perspective and better my coaching skills.

I hope so too! I have always believed that it is just as impossible to be a good referee without knowing what coaches know as it is to be a good coach without knowing what referees know. Although it has evolved more slowly than I might have preferred, we WILL have a full coach curriculum on line and when we do, THOSE courses will be able to be taken (for re-certification) by referees.

[LABertocci]

An update (no particular order) for all of you out there who have been asking...
(1) our entire WPA referee curriculum is up and running;
(2) for reasons related to educational quality, we resist running sections with fewer than 10 students. Normally, we push those students to the section offered the next month, in hopes that the next month the section will have at least 10 students;
(3) for reasons related to student convenience, we resist postponing anyone more than once. So, during the less busy months of the year (September thru January), we do have some small sections. We try to compensate for having a small section by having the instructor be more active;
(4) for those interested in USAWP certifications, as of 9Jan2010, no changes to those policies have been published;
(5) for those who desire a minimal refresher and/or minimal recertification, you may take Review Of Fouls. This course is open to anyone who has previously taken and passed both Minor Fouls and Major Fouls. It takes the student back through all the major content found in both Minor Fouls and Major Fouls and includes whatever is new (or recently clarified) by FINA.

[LABertocci]

Today is 12 January 2010... and as of today, there have been very few enrollments for the January 2010 courses. It is not academically robust (defined via pedagogical best practices) to offer an online course with fewer than ten students. As the Director of Water Polo Academy, my official statement is that we will try, to the best of our ability, to balance the postponing of enrollments with the need to have a course with enough students to have it be intellectually rich enough to be worth YOUR tuition $$.
(1) we are still here. And we believe, no less strongly, in the value of these instructions to any referee who takes these courses;
(2) for those of you who are planning to take these courses solely to become (re-)certified as USAWP referees, we have a finite instructional capacity. If you wait long enough, you may find that you are not able to get into, and pass, whatever course(s) you need.

We are doing our part. Really.

[LABertocci]

This is 27 January 2010. We continue to get absolutely SILLY questions from current referees about their training requirements. As my PhD advisor used to say, "facts remain facts even if you choose to ignore them."

Here is the referee curriculum, AGAIN:

Beginner Level:
Introductory Refereeing - this course was built (almost three years ago) for those who have (both) NEVER had any experience as a referee and have NEVER had ANY referee training. If you have EVER refereed or have EVER had ANY referee training, do NOT take this course. I know that many in the USAWP decision-making process may have told some of you (who do not qualify under these conditions) to take this class. They are well-intentioned but incorrect.

Intermediate Level:
Minor Fouls
Major Fouls
These two courses contain ALL the content required for all functional referees. Currently, the rules that USAWP has adopted (and this might change at any time, USAWP is a big corporation, and it can do whatever it wants to do) requires these two courses. Back, in 2007-2007, "we" all agreed to grandfather all the SoCal in-person training to include credit for having taken Minor Fouls. Similarly, "we" also agreed to grandfather all the San Diego in-person training to include credit for having taken Introductory Refereeing. Thus, all those who attended those in-person sessions got credit for those courses. CONGRATULATIONS. Now read what I just wrote and move forwards. If you get different instructions, those instructions are incorrect. If you STILL get push-back, just contact me directly.
Review of Fouls.
This has been constructed as a simple "re-certification" path for those who want minimal annual renewal training. It is open ONLY to those who have taken, and passed, both Minor Fouls and Major Fouls.

Advanced Level:
Advantage
This is designed for those who have taken and passed both Minor Fouls and Major Fouls. It explains, like in no other setting, the meaning of his simple rule.
The Center
This is the course designed to help referees whistle the most difficult position in the pool. It requires prior passing of Advantage. Any referee who considers him/herself "advanced" should take this course.

Other:
In the past, we had a tactics course. We dropped it because we hoped to link to coach-training courses offered by USAWP as part of their ODP. If this cannot happen, we will re-mount this course, taught by a top coach, so that advanced referees can learn what top coaches think. If you are an "advanced' referee, you must understand what top coaches think.

[h20pologuy]

I would like to say these classes are truly unlike any other online class, or any in class refereeing classes that I have taken. Being a soccer referee, and being required to take 18 hours of classes in 2 days, it was horrible. I love these classes because you can take them at any time of day, and move (sort of) at your own pace. I also like that is not just read this and take a multiple choice test like online driving school. It really makes you think why and how things are done, and it doesnt turn you into an automaton just spitting back information that you read. It really works your critical thinking ability.

[LABertocci]

Thanks for the kind words. Speaking for all our instructors, I can only say THANK YOU for the sentiment. We are ALL, as a team, doing our best, for the referees in the USA.