2011 Referee Training

[LABertocci]

Over the last 14+ months, since USAWP announced their own training structure, we have fielded MANY questions. Let me answer a few of them.

I started this entire referee instructional effort during summer of 2007 when, because of a quirk of my "day job" career, I had 10 weeks with nothing better to do. At that point, I was WAY PAST being a legitimate working referee, was no longer part of the NGB, and had always thought that it was past time to figure out a BETTER way to train referees. The current WPA is a very low-tech first-approximation. So I took all my old notes, including my FINA Referee School notes, and built the outline. I added the video clips Bruce Wigo made (1999-2002) and here we were. The only other additions were the "forums" and the instructors.

It has been SPECTACULARLY successful.

Its success is mostly due to the course instructors... all of whom continue to deserve thanks.

We will continue to move forwards.

Our instructional construct will resume as of 8 January 2011.

USAWP (in the form of the USAWPOA/USAWPRA/etc...) has mounted its own instructional offering. I welcome ANY entry into the effort to train referees. The more GOOD input we can generate for our referees, the better will become our referees. I applaud all efforts made by ALL interested parties.

Ours (WPA) will remain an instructional construct where students actively participate, where instructors actively teach, and all (students and instructors) actively interact for the greater good. Our content will remain as cutting edge as possible, currently defined as the source of the current instructional video used by the FINA Referee Schools.

We remain willing to be the most potent possible partner to any instructional effort mounted by USAWP. We are similarly willing to remain willing to be the most possible partner to any instructional effort mounted by all the state-HS referee groups with whom we have partnered in the past.

Our goal is to do the best we can for the greater good.

For those of you who want the combination of cutting-edge content and instructor-led-learning we offer, we welcome you to join our efforts or return to our offerings.

[LABertocci]

I have a good-sized group taking The Center (WPR401) right now. It is a rebuilt course that includes all the videos (sent to each student on a DVD) I produced for the FINA Referee Schools. I am greatly enjoying it. I know all of you (current and prospective referees) have many training options. All I can do is assure ALL of you is that we will continue to do our best to do the best we can do for ALL of you.

See you online!