RIPPLE EFFECT

 

The organization spent some $5,000 to send five elite referee supervisors to Feasterville, PA, to monitor every single game of the 2009 NCRHA Nationals (which commenced this morning – http://www.ncrha.org) and give the referees working the event instant feedback.

 

“We brought in Randy Sappo, Alex Morrison, Ben Shiley, Brad Sotak and Mike Bunting,” said the NCRHA’s Director of League Operations and Officiating Rob Coggin. “This is very unique in the roller hockey community – these guys are unbelievably qualified supervisors. Between them, they have over 2,500 games of professional hockey experiences in leagues such as the American Hockey League, the ECHL, the Central Hockey League, the International Hockey League and even the National Hockey League. They’ve worked at every level there is in roller hockey, from the NARCh Pro finals to Roller Hockey International to the International Ice Hockey Federation and beyond.”

 

Alex Morrison, one of the five referee supervisors flown in by the NCRHA, said that their job is to improve the staff by providing constructive criticism, feedback and a support structure to improve everyone’s game.

 

“With the experiences we’ve had, which run the gamut from refereeing a Mite C bronze-medal game to a Roller Hockey International championship game, you can take something of value from every game you work,” Morrison said. “The most important job is to make sure that we communicate with the NCRHA referees to make sure that everyone’s on the same page as to the standard of play and making things as consistent as possible. We recognize, however, that they’re not robots. At the same time, if we can better things positioning-wise or with judgment, then we’ve accomplished what we’re here to do. The great thing about the staff here is that everyone is willing, eager and has an open mind.”

 

This is the second year in a row that Randy Sappo has monitored the referee crew at the NCRHA National Championship.

 

“Last year’s NCRHA tournament was the first time I’ve ever been in a situation where I could see improvement in the staff in three days,” Sappo said. “As a supervisor, it’s very fulfilling to see guys go out and work on things almost immediately; in most cases, you don’t get to see an official work again for months. We took guys from all corners of the country – where they’re used to calling different standards – and brought them all together over the course of the tournament. Once they see what we want on a national level, they can go back to their regional level and maintain that standard. That is advantageous for the players and the officials, because they’re used to the way things will be called when they eventually get to nationals.”

 

“Having these individuals here to monitor games and provide our officials with tips to improve their games is an immeasurable asset to the NCRHA officiating program,” said veteran official Vic Zuniga. “I’ve really only seen this type of support structure at ice hockey tournaments, such as District or National Championships. These men are respected by the staff because of what they have accomplished in their own officiating careers, so the feedback they provide is accepted without question and incorporated immediately into the referee’s following game.”

 

Since every game is supervised and all the referees are on the same page, there’s a benefit to the sport in general, says Coggin.

 

“In addition to the immediate value to the quality of this event and the feedback to the referees in the here and now, there’s a long-term benefit to our players,” Coggin said. “This experience makes the NCRHA referees better next season and beyond. There’s an even better value to the sport as a whole… all of these referees are working other tournaments, and for other sanctioning bodies. What we’re doing here will have a ripple effect that we believe will benefit others in different settings. These referees will be able to pass their experiences on to everyone else at future tournaments.”

 

And that makes the $5,000 money well spent.