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As Department of Defense Dependents Schools high school volleyball swings into the 2011 season, the call goes out for referees, experienced or not, to work the matches. The Kaiserslautern Officials Association, contracted to officiate for the season, welcomes civilians, military and dependents to support youth sports, to enjoy travel in Germany and the Benelux, and to make money while keeping active.
Males and females are invited to train for calling the volleyball matches and tournaments each Saturday at American high schools from Brussels to Vilseck, from AFNORTH to Stuttgart. Those with officiating or college level playing experience, and those on base teams (male or female), are especially needed to mentor the newer referees.
KOA will host a rules and skills clinic at 10 a.m. Sept. 10 at Patch Barracks Sports Center in Stuttgart. Mike Brown, a highly skilled volleyball technician, will lead the clinic.
Also on Sept. 10, Dave Lock, KOA commissioner, will head up a clinic at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (exact location to be announced). Both clinics will deal with registration, uniforms, rules, pay procedures and KOA membership fees.
For referees with experience officiating volleyball under National High School Federation rules and free to travel on weekends, DODDS pays match fees, mileage of 51 cents per mile and lodging costs when working more than 150 miles from home. However, newer referees mostly work meets close to their home communities unless they ask to travel.
Some more isolated sites such as Vilseck, Bamberg, Hohenfels, Ansbach and Schweinfurt in Bavaria suffer from a serious lack of certified officials, so those who certify at the clinics get chances to work tournaments almost every weekend. Other areas needing officials include AFNORTH and the Benelux bases of Brussels and SHAPE.
For more information, e-mail KOAref@aol.com or Al.Shaff@yahoo.com, or call at 06371-946084.
