SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION, INC.
A Federal Non Profit Tax Exempt Corporation – www.sdcfoa.org
THE WEEKLY BULL - August 27, 2014
Change of Date for the Banquet – Due to a conflict with the HSSOC Legends Awards Night, one we’ve avoided in the past, we are changing the date of the banquet to Wednesday November 19th. The 7-man mechanics meeting previously scheduled for the 19th will now move back to Wednesday November 26th. Please change your calendars to reflect these new dates! Don’t forget to recruit door prizes and it’s never too early for one of our celebrated awards stories!
The San Diego County Sports Officials Hall of Fame – The 2014 Induction Ceremony will take place Tuesday, September 23rd. Inductees will include football officials Dick Brockett, Lou Furrer and Jesse Thompson. Please join us in celebrating their contributions to football officiating. For details contact Lauren Smeenge at the San Diego Hall of Champions at 619 699 2309
Agenda This Week – Weekly Bulletin, video study, and finish up rules review.
Thank You From the First Year Instructors – Every year our first year officials work their very first scrimmages with the outstanding guidance of some of our best crew members. This year was no different! Our regular crew members did another amazing job of educating, supporting, and helping to develop the 1st year officials’ skills this past week. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the Association and its membership! – Andy Casagnola, Jeff Phillips, and Dick Brockett
George Schutte – The architect of our instructional program taught me many important lessons on the field and in life. One important “football moment” was his lesson on the instructional program of the SDCFOA. George taught that if you’re relying on the meetings for your instruction, then you’re shorting yourself! The SDCFOA instructional program really consists of: our meetings, video study, study groups, independent study, our youth assignments, game observations, finding a mentor, a crew’s development throughout the season, pre-game preparation, and the fellowship and important conversations that come with the food and beverages after the game. That’s the SDCFOA Instructional Program as George designed it! Don’t miss out on any of these important components!!!
Special Referee “Bonus Meeting” – Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:00pm with Chris Wiggins (another top official in the SCIAC D3 college ranks) – Meet in the amphitheater at the front of West Hills HS. We will move to a room from there to listen to Chris and to watch video of his most salient points.
Targeting – I will be surveying the crew chiefs to determine the number of targeting fouls each week. I think this information will be helpful to all of us in a general sense. There were no reports of targeting fouls called in this week’s scrimmages.
Late Hits & Unnecessary Roughness – Let’s not forget to refer to late contact or unnecessary contact fouls with the same terminology as we’ve always used. These fouls are personal fouls. Reserve the term targeting for actual targeting fouls (taking aim, initiating contact, with the helmet, shoulder, arm, wrist or hand, above the shoulders). Most of the fouls we’re going to see are late hits or unnecessary roughness so be accurate in your report.
Free Kick Reminder #1 – After the ball is marked ready for play and until the ball is kicked, no K players, with the exception of the kicker, may be more than five yards behind the kicking team’s free-kick line. No foot can be on or beyond the line 5 yards behind K’s free kick. If one player is more than 5 yards behind the retraining line, he must kick the ball.
Free Kick Reminder #2 - After the ball is marked ready for play and until the ball is kicked, at least four K players must be on each side of the kicker. This requirement must be met from the time the referee blows his whistle for ready for play, until the ball is kicked. Any motion by the kicking team must not create an overload at any time following the ready for play whistle (overload being less than 4 players on either side of the kicker).
Calling a Crew Member Off a Call - Don't speak in code! If you have information that a foul was called and you had a clear look at the action and it was absolutely not a foul, don’t speak in code, just let the official know that you had a very clear look at the action and you’re taking responsibility for the call, as you recommend that your fellow official have the referee wave off the call. When we get the call correct (as confirmed on video later on) we can congratulate and celebrate both officials for a job well done!!!
Fatigue – It’s going to be warm out there this week. Don’t forget to hydrate days before your game. Hydrating the day of the game is too late. Do an excellent job of stretching and hustle all game. We should be in shape and ready to go. Remember what Vince Lombardi said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all!”
It’s game week! Are you ready for Friday Night Lights!
