Spring Flings

Do you guys ever have those times in your life when things just seem to be going right?  Yes, you still have your day to day inconveniences, you still have to pay the bills and all that, but some things just fall into place.

Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston -
My U18 games will take place here.

The last month has been a whirlwind in the soccer part of my life, but a good whirlwind.  About a month ago I was invited by our SYRA, a guy who has gone well above and beyond to help our state restructure itself, to attend an RTS (Regional Training Seminar).  Being a grade 7 with great interest in upgrading by year end the idea of attending a Pro clinic resonated loudly with me.  Yeah, except that fitness test, but you have heard me complain all about that.

Well, I’m less than 24 hours away from running the test.  I’m very confident today because of all the training in the past month.  I didn’t think a month ago that I would feel so confident a day before the test, but I do. 

A little aside for those of you who might be a grade 8 and you are debating what to do with your career, upgrade, stay an 8, maybe even retire.  I looked at the list of who is attending the clinic and was blown away.  Along with several 7s, 6s and 5s there are several notable attendees: Michael Kennedy,  Abiodun Okulaja,  Andrew Chapin, Bill Dittmar, George Gansner just to name a few.  I have met several MLS quality referees in the past couple years, most at the Regional Tournament, but never have I been involved with so many at one time.  And that’s not even the best part!  The two men leading the discussion will be Herb Silva and Alfred “Lithuania” Kleinaitis.  Spend some time with Alfred and you’ll know why I call him “Lithuania”.  If you are thinking there is no reason to upgrade or go to these events I would like to point out just whom you will be rubbing shoulders with.  It’s a great opportunity to learn from the best and pick the brains of some pretty well-respected people in the referee community.

As I was training for the upcoming fitness test my SYRA, who happened to be training there with his wife, mentioned there may be an opportunity to ref some youth games in Charleston.  These aren’t just any youth games either, they are the youth teams for MLS clubs, all academy teams.  I about jumped out of my shoes!  I just received my assignments today, the U18 boys games at Blackbaud Stadium on Sunday, February 26^th.  I have been to Blackbaud, known guys who have reffed there, but never gotten the opportunity to ref there myself.  What’s also pretty cool is that these games take place the morning after three MLS teams will have played there as part of the Carolina Cup (http://www.charlestonbattery.com/news.asp).  The next weekend, March 3^rd, our local referee society will be taking a bus to Charleston to watch the last two games of the Cup, joining the referee group from the low state.

All in all a soccer-ific  Spring.  I can’t wait to get everything started with the fitness test tomorrow.  Lastly, I want to point out that these things aren’t happening simply because I’m a high-up referee with lots of connections and I’m so good at what I do.  I am a normal grade 7 ref looking to advance.  If you take the time to get involved with your local chapter, show up to your games on time, work at this profession these things will happen.  There are so many opportunities out there but you have to be willing to put in a little extra effort and make a few weekend trips (and have a loving wife who lets you do these things!).  Get out there and make your own opportunities, you’ll be surprised at how many doors open up.

Update on Fitness Test Training

As you guys may remember I began training for the FIFA Fitness test a few weeks ago (http://footyref.blogspot.com/2012/01/fifa-fitness-not-yet.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReffingTheBeautifulGame+%28Reffing+the+Beautiful+Game%29).  That didn’t go so well to say the least.

The first day I went out, which I chronicle in the link above, I really had no idea what I was doing.  My hopes were to run 30 intervals with modified (read: longer) rest times.  My goal was just to survive really, not necessarily set any world records.  No worries there as I didn’t do either.

To say I was pretty bummed was an understatement.  My mind was racing every time I thought about the test I would have to run at the Regional Training Seminar (RTS) clinic in a very short four weeks.  Would I be ready in that short amount of time?  What can I do to get ready?  What if I don’t get to the point where I think I can pass the test, should I drop out at the last minute and not shame myself or my state by failing the test?  My body wasn’t running fast but my mind was approaching light speed.

Two days after my initial foray into training for the fitness test I went to a local track group’s workout.  This group is led by a fellow referee’s wife, Alisen.  She’s a registered RN and has just gotten into corporate health and wellness, coming up with training plans for employees.  This track group was just what I needed.  I showed up the first night not exactly knowing what to expect.  Whatever expectations I did have were thrown out the window in about the first five minutes.  For the warm-up, the bloody warm-up, we jogged two miles.  It was going to be a long night.

After the warm-up we did some dynamic stretching, some fly work (sprints: 20m, 30m, 40m), and then began the meat of our workout which for me was 4x800 all supposed to be done under 3:36 with 90 seconds rest in between.  Yeah, right.  I hit the first target time.   The next three I added about 15 seconds each time.  If I had any doubts I was out of shape they were forcefully thrown out the window by the end of this workout.  I was so tired I didn’t even think about the one mile cool down run.

Three sore days later I headed out to the track after work to attempt the 30 interval modified test again.  I was determined to finish this time.  One of my problems was that I was trying to finish each 150 meter run in 30 seconds, something that only FIFA centers have to do.  The actual test at RTS would be 35 seconds for the same distance.  I still kept my rests at 45, 50, and 55 seconds, increasing with each set of ten intervals.  Another of my problems that I solved on this night’s run was to start in the middle of the track turn, even with where the goalposts for football would be.  This decreased my time on the curve of the track and increased my time on the straight away which made me reach higher speeds.  These two changes completely improved my performance.  Not only did I hit 30 intervals, about 3.7 miles, but I did so with relative ease.  I still needed to bring my rest times down, but my confidence grew exponentially in just that hour at the track.

I rested the next few days, especially with my legs having taken the pounding on a hard track two nights in the previous week.  The next Monday I went out with the track group again, this time running a one mile time trial for the workout.  Again, they all whopped me, younger, older, male, female, it didn’t matter.  But my confidence was still on the rise.  I knew in just a short couple of weeks my running had improved. 

To the group’s credit they went out of their way to accommodate the referees of the group and agreed to run the FIFA fitness test the next two weeks.  The first night we split into two groups: the first mainly made of the group’s real runners and the second a combo of the group’s refs and one of the regular runners.  Either way, running the test with others was a huge help.  Not only did you feel you were accomplishing something as part of a bigger organization but you were able to push each other on.  This time we ran it in the specified times, 24 intervals, 35 seconds per 150 meters followed by a 40 second recovery of 50 meters.  Every single person, ref or runner, hit every time.  I walked away from this experience knowing I would have no problem with the test.

Last night was the last track group run before this coming weekend’s test.  Again, the refs ran the fitness test, this time with a new participant, a female referee with WPS experience.  She would also be with us at RTS on the weekend, but mentioned her reservations about her fitness and her feelings on her ability to pass the test.  Ha!  She paced the group for the entire 24 intervals!  Not only did our group finish the test without a hitch, but she led almost every single interval, from beginning to end.  So much for those reservations.

We are now four short days away from the actual test.  A mere month ago I was nervous and even debating how I should bow out of RTS should I think myself not able to complete the test.  To say I have a different mindset today may be the biggest understatement I have heard all year.  That and Suarez is a dirty player (sorry Liverpool fans, I couldn’t resist). 

My hope is that you read my experience with training and use it as motivation to hit whatever goal you set for the Spring season.  Maybe it is to pass the FIFA test; maybe it’s to lose five or ten pounds so that you are no longer moving your head more than your legs to get the proper angle on the play since you are out of position.  Whatever your stumbling blocks, know that you can overcome.  Come up with a plan and stick to it.  I would highly recommend, if you hate running as I do, to find a group that you train with at least once a week.  Find some people who will push you beyond what you could do yourself.  You may be amazed at what you can do after four short weeks of training.

RefTalk

Down here in the wonderful South our youth leagues begin in the fall and close in the early winter, just before Christmas.  For the second year I was invited by the State Cup assignor to join many very good referees for the semi-finals and finals of the tournament.  Because it was being held locally and I have a position on the local board I was asked to buy some breakfast food for our pre-tournament meeting.  Willing to help and also looking to make sure the local organization didn’t fail the rest of the state I jumped at the opportunity.

I came in early Saturday, about a half hour before the meeting and set up the food, steaming Chick-fil-A nuggets, Dunkin Donuts, and some other goodies for the guys to scarf down.  As I was setting up in the hotel conference room I noticed four black bags, approximately 12”x8”x10”.  No markings on the bags whatsoever so I just assumed they were bags the hotel used or gave away to big groups.  Thought nothing more about them.

We began the meeting: what to expect at the tournament, field marshals, etc.  All very important stuff but nothing out of the ordinary for a tournament.  Then, the kicker: Our SYRA starts talking about how the State Committee wants to go in a new direction and really improve our quality of refereeing throughout the state.  He pulls one of the black bags and says “That’s why we bought four sets of RefTalk for the tournament and at the end of the tournament one set will go to each of the areas of the state.”  I think everyone in the room was floored!  I certainly was.

Unless you are already at a very high level of refereeing you probably have never used RefTalk.  I never have and certainly didn’t think I would until I reached at least grade 6 and maybe got on a USL game as a fourth or some such event.  To use it for your run of the mill youth games?

Of course with anything new there is a learning curve and on such important games as State Cup you don’t want to throw a monkey wrench into something that’s already working pretty well.  If I would guess I would say some of us were nervous over adding technology to our games.  I definitely was a little nervous but I’m pretty sure the excitement of the opportunity pushed the reservations out of my mind.  We got to the fields extra early to make sure we got the equipment strapped on just the way we wanted, leaving enough time to warm up with it on to make sure everything fits right and we adjust whatever we need to adjust. 

As we put the devices on we could tell the coaches were even looking over at us with smirks, probably chuckling a little to themselves about the refs using their new toys, but also we could sense they were impressed.  Seeing us use RefTalk showed them we cared deeply about our performance and wanted every tool that enabled us to do our best.  For ourselves, yes, but also to do our best for the game.  I used the device in three games over the weekend and we didn’t have problems with coaches or players in any of my games.  Talking to other referees they had similar outcomes.  I would like to think it was just our fantastic refereeing that was responsible for this good behavior, but I think RefTalk helped shape the coaches’ impression of us before the games even started.

Not only did RefTalk help us in that fashion but on the field it proved to be very helpful.  I can think of several instances throughout the weekend where being able to communicate over such a long distance proved to be a huge asset.  One particular incident happened in our first game.  I was AR2 and around my side of midfield an attacker and defender got tangled up.  The attacker looked like he might just fight through the confusion but the defender finally brought him down.  Foul on the defender, but nothing with intent or malice that we could see.  Also, not a tactical foul.  However, the attacking team felt extremely aggrieved and protested loudly.  Our center did his best to get everyone calmed down but still they hollered for justice.  Remembering “Kill The Referee”, the documentary following the referees of EURO 2008, I pressed the button to activate my mike and encouraged the center to just get the game moving again, blow the whistle, tell them to start and get out of the area.  He listened and did exactly that.  The ball was in play not two seconds later with no other thoughts to the play that just took place.  Without RefTalk this would have been impossible.  Had I been center I would have done exactly what my center had done, try to calm everyone down, explain it was just an accident, and let the protesting go on and on.  You get tunnel-vision in situations like that.  But to have the ability for your crew to talk to you and bring four minds into the conversation proved very beneficial.

You also get instances where technology is a hindrance.  We had such a case in my last game of the weekend, my only center.  I really screwed the pooch on an incredibly easy play.  So much so that even my assessor could tell something didn’t look right. 

On the far sideline, in front of the parents and fans the ball got kicked out of bounds.  There were a few bodies in the mix and I didn’t want there to be any confusion between myself and my AR as to which direction to go.  Instead of doing what I always do and raising one hand slightly to the side I want to go with my other hand pointing the same direction across my stomach I decided I should try to buzz my partner and verbally communicate which way I wanted to go.  Wouldn’t you know this would be the time I couldn’t find my button?  I struggled for what seemed an eternity, probably 1-2 seconds, over what should have been an easy call.  On top of me looking like an idiot my AR is sheepishly looking at me waiting for me to do something. 

I think when you total up both sides of the ledger, the pros and the cons of RefTalk, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.  Certainly after three games I am no expert, but the positives that I took away from the weekend were worth the awkwardness I felt in a few instances.  RefTalk really raises your game to that next level.  It makes tough decisions easier to make because you can immediately get input from the rest of your team, or tell that what you saw or what you expect of them.

If any ever get the chance to use RefTalk I would highly encourage it.  If you have used RefTalk before I would invite you to share your experiences with it.

New bloggers

Hi everyone, as you may be able to tell I am really going to try and have more posts for you.  I want to keep the blog fresh and rolling so that our readers aren't checking in and constantly finding the same post at the top.

As such I have asked a few of my fellow referees from the Palmetto state to post whenever they can.  So expect some posts from some people other than me coming up.  As always, if you have any comments or suggestions we would love to hear them.

Thanks for reading!

FIFA Fitness? Not yet.

Long after all the Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie along with all the Christmas goodies comes the thought that eventually you need to get in shape for the next season.  Well, that time has come and gone for me.  I’ll be attending a Regional Training Seminar (RTS) in Greensboro in mid-February, which means I have to run the FIFA fitness test (http://www.footballwest.com.au/resources/FIFAFitnessTest_E.pdf - They have 10 laps minimum on this but I know MLS uses 12 laps). 

I’ve never run the test before so I must admit to being a little intimidated.  The Cooper test is just a twelve minute run and you have to get something like five or six laps, roughly 1.5 miles I think.  For our local society we also run a 200 meter sprint and a 50 meter sprint (I think it’s 50), but generally it’s a piece of cake.  Like the link shows the FIFA test is an interval test, 150 meters running in 30 seconds followed by 50 meters walking in 35 seconds.  Those times might be different for RTS, but that’s the general gist of the test.

When I first got the email about RTS I knew I had to train.  One problem: I hate training.  I like running after things: usually soccer balls, basketballs, softballs (yes, I’m old now), and players on the pitch, but I hate to just run.  I got out a couple times during the week at 6:30am to run two to two-and-a-half miles.  Certainly not enough but after not training for several weeks since State Cup I had to get my legs under me.  Saturday I finally went out to the track to train more specifically for the fitness test next week.

My mentor for the Youth Regional Tournament last June had emailed me the training program he used to pass the fitness test for the MLS playoffs last fall.  He ran 30 intervals at 30 seconds apiece.  However, other than the difference in laps (15), he also changed the rest time for week one of training to 40 seconds for the first ten intervals, 45 seconds for the second ten intervals, and 50 seconds for the third ten.  Week two he changes the rest times to 35, 40, and 45.  Week three he switches to two sets of 15 intervals at 35 and 40 seconds rest.  Week four he goes 20 intervals with 35 seconds rest followed by 10 intervals at 40 seconds rest. 

The thinking behind this is that your body becomes conditioned for 30 intervals, not just 20 in the case of the website above or 24 in his case.  When the test comes around 24 intervals seems like a breeze.

It’s not a breeze the first time you go out and try it, at least not in my case.  It was pouring outside today where I live but I knew I had to get started with this kind of training.  I stretch, get a quick, half-mile jog in to loosen up my legs and then begin the intervals.  First six or seven were pretty straightforward.  Felt a little winded, but ok.  Got to around eight and was really feeling it.  I know, only got to freaking eight and I was getting gassed!  I was able to keep going to ten before I really felt like crap.  I took a longer break after the first ten to recover.  At the very least I wanted to keep running the 150 meter distance to get more used to it.  Well, I could only make it four more intervals. 

The total distance covered was 1.69 miles.  I’m currently ten intervals short of the required 24 and obviously way off the time required to pass.  Am I a little scared?  Heck yea.  Am I more encouraged than ever to do whatever it takes to pass.  You better believe it.  My goal is going to be to make it out to the track three times a week, maybe not always doing the training I’ve mentioned above but doing some sort of sprint training.

If you have any tips out there I would love to hear them and I would also like to hear if you will be attending any of the RTS around the country.

Opportunities

Hello again.  I know it has been a long time since my last post and for that I apologize.  Part of it is that I just haven't had much to write about; there is no club soccer in the spring in South Carolina, save U-13 and U-14.

Recently, however, I have made some decisions on some reffing related trips.  The first is Memorial Day Weekend.  Last year my wife and I decided to travel North for the holiday to her parent's place.  The main reason I suggested the trip was for me to referee a large tournament - The Dayton Warrior Classic.  She would get to see her parents (and I didn't have too - just kidding honey!) and I would get to ref and get paid for the trip. 

It was such a good experience we decided to do it again.  It's about an 8 hour trip by car but I think it will be well worth it.  The tournament is well run from a referee perspective.  The games were on time, they worked in games off (I was on a 4-man rotating crew both days), there were plenty of cold beverages to re-hydrate, lots of food, marshals who actually help, and the money was brought to you in cash via envelope before every game in denominations easily divisible between the crew.

Last year I got to work with three state referees from Ohio North.  I did 6 U-16 boys games on Saturday and 3 U-17 boys games on Sunday with them.  Sunday night I had the middle on the U-18 final, originally scheduled as the semi-final but somehow turned into a final. 

I'm very excited to be working this tournament again and will hopefully have a similar experience to last year.  The second decision was much harder to make.  Having recently had a child I was thinking that I probably would not go to regionals this year, in an effort to help out my wife.  However, she gave me the 'ok' to sign up and now it looks like I'm off to Tennessee for my second regionals experience.

This is a huge honor for me, one for which I am very grateful.  Last year was a great event in Baton Rouge, LA.  It was a great learning experience and a chance to rub shoulders with some great referees.  I am also excited for this year's trip.  The games are going to be good, for sure, the instruction will be top class and the times spent with other referees will be memorable. 

While preparing for both of these events I am focusing on my fitness and my knowledge of the Advice to Referees handbook.  I have long loathed running; if there is not a ball involved I do not care to run.  I'm glad my wife likes to run with me so that we can train together.  We've been running lately and my goal is to be able to run 8 miles straight by mid-June, around regionals.  We're running just about every day with longer runs on the weekend.  Also, I just came across a workout in Muscle and Fitness magazine called the "Metabolic workout", also referred to as EPOC.  The theory is to do different tasks in quick succession creating a lack of oxygen so that your body goes into your fat stores for the oxygen it needs.  Hopefully I can shed  few lbs by the time regionals rolls around: I am shooting for about 10 total.

I'm also reading through Advice to Referees currently, highliter in hand.  My goal is to make it through that twice in the next month.

Here's to two good tournaments and that I can physically and mentally survive both!

Take a look around

Last weekend I had the opportunity to watching potential MLS referees in the flesh.  The games were part of the Carolina Cup hosted by the Charleston Battery.  My local referee chapter put together a bus trip from Greenville, SC to Charleston, bought the tickets, provided food and then had a cookout with referees from Charleston.

When the eating and socializing was over the games began.  The referee in the first game was Mark Kadlecik, from what I heard he's somewhat of a newcomer to the MLS scene hoping to get a full slate of MLS games this year.  He's right on the cusp of being a regular face.

What the crowd will probably take away from this game was that he sent the left back from Toronto off in about the 30th minute for two professional fouls that happened within about two minutes of each other.  Both were great calls.  However, what I took away from his performance and will try to implement into my game is his awareness of the play, and by that I mean turning his head during dynamic play to see where the play is going to go next.

Constantly I saw him scan the field in front of him for movement that would tell him where the next phase of play was likely to be.  For example, if the ball was on his right, toward the sideline, he would look across the penalty area as it was likely that a cross or through ball would be coming into that area.  Now, I want to caution that we should not be looking as a play on the ball is being made by a defender.  We cannot look away from a challenge, that is when we must be looking at the play.  But when an attacker clearly has possession and you have a second to scan the field, take a look.

There are two reasons (and probably more) that this technique is helpful.  First, you get to see what is happening off the ball.  Is an attacker being held while he is making a run?  Are the players expecting a cross or a pass on the ground?  Is there a large group of people in front of the keeper?  Now you have a better idea of what is likely to happen and can be proactive rather than reactive.  Second, in the spirit of being proactive you can position yourself according to what you see.  If there is a run being made toward the AR you can cheat his way.  If everyone is congregating on the back edge of the goal area you can be ready for a cross in the air.  Maybe someone is checking back to the ball and has lots of space.  Position yourself for where the action is most likely to happen and remember presence lends conviction.