ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAAABACADAEAFAGAHAIAJAKALAMANAOAPAQARASAT
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Preliminary InformationFunding ChangesTrainingTestingTeam RequirementsOrganizationReviewsOtherFinal
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TimestampFirst and last name.What referee testing have you passed for USQ this season?What referee testing have you passed for IRDP this season?What region are you located in?A travel stipend for non-player referees to visit tournaments that are over x miles from their home.Paying certified assistant non-playing referees but not paying playing assistant referees.Paying ALL certified assistant referees regardless of playing status.In a system where assistant and snitch referees are paid, the payment is as follows: $13 to HR, $3 to SR, $2 to ARReferee membership being $30 and your 1st field test being $10 (all subsequent being free). If you do not plan to field test, you must pay the $10 before regionals.Additional comments for this section.Provide referee training events at fantasy tournaments.Weekly or monthly webinar (optional or required for HRs to attend x per year) for referee growth and development to discuss questions and standardize rules.Require or encourage multiple field tests at a tournament: 1 training, 1 actual.Training materials for referees that explain what is and is not disrespect to a referee so this penalty can be more standardized and therefore more regularly enforced to improve respect of referees.Additional comments for this section.Video footage of referees refereeing an unofficial match (or official for provisionally certified referees) that includes require referees which can be evaluated for field testing.An additional training to be taken between the Head Referee written and field test including training videos and read/listen to basic training materials.Require field testers to email a detailed report of field test results within two (2) weeks of someone’s test.Rubric is standardized and in a standard rubric structure.Allowing reviews to be used as a way to extend the provisional certification for previously certified head referees.Additional comments for this section.Pushing up the deadline for referee written requirements for teams to earlier in the season.A requirement for each team to provide x volunteers for y games/tournaments before regionals.Requiring certified referees from each team for each tournament.Additional comments for this section.Putting head referees who have passed the written test but not passed or taken a field test onto the list of head referees per region.Requiring all certified referees to be on the contact list for head referees.Requiring all referees of any level to be on a public list of referees by team or region.A list of tournaments that might provide field tests if there is enough interest.Additional comments for this section.Reviews having short questions and an open answer/comment section.Reviews should be available to referees in their full extent.A review report should be compiled by RDT and sent to each referee anytime reviews are received.Referee reviews are required for the Coach/Captain of each team for an official game.Additional comments for this section.A system on the USQ website to request a Head Referee’s attendance to a tournament through their Referee membership (similar to teams requesting attendance) which a referee can then approve or deny.Release the rulebook by May 15th.A standardized score sheet presented and encouraged by USQ which includes spaces to write down the entire officials team.Require the Tournament Director to submit the Head Referees, Assistant Referees, Snitch Referee, and Snitches to the USQ website in order to submit scores.Include a section in the coach training on the importance of referees.Additional comments for this section.Which section of changes is the most important to you?Which section is the second most important to you?What individual item(s) on this test is/are the highest priority for you?Any additional comments?
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Average4.0617283952.378048783.1975308643.0121951222.6363636364.4578313253.8148148153.68753.9024390243.5512820513.66254.4814814814.33.5443037973.2345679013.9146341463.8902439023.7341772154.1253.854.6172839513.5641025643.9868421054.1794871793.2179487184.2666666674.2658227854.1095890413.6315789473.960526316
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10/17/2014 1:31:56Ra HopkinsHead Referee Field TestNoneWest515425434345542552524545444415Team requirement changesFunding changes, Training changestravel stipend, ALLL the training materials, anything that gets more refs/lightens the load of current refs (ESP the volunteer requirements)seriously, travel stipend and requiring teams to actually volunteer
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10/17/2014 0:01:03(Unknown; submitted before name required.)Head Referee Field TestSnitch Referee Written TestSouthwest543114334334542435545444335555Funding changesTesting changes
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10/17/2014 0:02:57(Unknown; submitted before name required.)Head Referee Written TestHead Referee Field TestMid-Atlantic434525455545521354555There should also be a list of all USQ RAC/RTC members.355545555Organization changesTraining changes, Testing changes
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10/17/2014 0:23:20(Unknown; submitted before name required.)Head Referee Field TestHead Referee Field TestMid-Atlantic51111Payment of AR's/SR's should not happen until standards for AR's/SR's are raised. Additionally we should consider the consequence of an AR payment affecting how many ARs are assigned to games. It is not as simple as just paying them.

Also, this system ignores the benefit of having a knowledgeable person at goal ref, and could lead to the further discounting of their input.

Finally, the ONLY time we should consider a difference between playing refs and non-playing refs is in deciding WHO gets to ref, with the eventual goal of entire staffs being solely by non-players. And, finally, good luck trying to get a non-player AR to go to an event for $2 a game.
4432145312 weeks is too long, it should be prior to the following weekend.

Video is extremely weak in that it misses so much. Most significantly ref positioning.

And is even worse at giving us an idea of how the ref sees things, as, with the ref often off screen, there is no great way to see if they are blocked (it's already a problem with the ref on the sidelines, but it's worse with a camera).

If they wanted to streamline and certify as many refs as possible, RAC would have hired a bunch of unqualified individuals and sent them everywhere. But they did not, because quality has a big value. So don't sacrifice it for this video system.
54454233144RDT is fully qualified to read a review for inappropriate content. They can tell when something is wrong. If you give a ref a chance to dispute it, it does not help anything. Let the RDT review the reviews, see what consistently comes up, and give advice based on that. That's something they already do well. You just don't see it much because there are not usually enough reviews to really see a trend yet, especially for mid-level refs. 31111If you require them to have the entire officials team to submit, what does that really accomplish. Unless all positions are of REQUIRED certification, there is no method to turn such reporting into actual accountability anyway.

TD's should only have to submit the names of individuals who filled positions that needed certification. Beyond that it is extra work for the TD without any real point. At best, it does nothing, at worst, it interferes with scores being reported in a timely manner
Funding changesTeam requirement changesAll monetary incentives for Non-player HRs
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10/17/2014 0:33:50Clay DockeryHead Referee Field TestHead Referee Written TestNortheast52453The dollar figures don't matter, but is think all of these financial matters are key.4423The training field test idea is intriguing, but I am afraid it is very impractical. There are hardly enough slots for one test for everyone and a "training" on what is an actual official game for the teams really bothers me.33441Video is good, but I would never want it to replace love testing.
The email and following the rubric should already be done. It is also never going to be the case that reffing is an absolute, the idea of thinking about that way is part of the problem.

The reviews thing is the one idea that I genuinely dislike in its entirety.
355In order for the requirements to work, teams must be required to actually provide refs, the way it is now is entirely broken.5555Absolutely on all of these, these are both easy to do and very needed. (And pretty much already done by IRDP)1153The captain thing may be interesting, but I don't think we will get it to work the way we want.51554Rules team has been working desperately to get the rule book completed and on time, but May 1 is just not possible. It is barely after World Cup.Funding changesTeam requirement changes, Organization changes
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10/17/2014 1:15:00(Unknown; submitted before name required.)Head Referee Written TestNoneSouth41341Only certified refs should get payment. Would definitely encourage assistant refs, which is harder to get for tournaments I think. Maybe require hosting teams to have free housing for traveling refs.5542The multiple field test is a good idea but I don't think feasibly possible considering how the current ref organization is off.44544Do not understand the first question. I like video/photo training options to be available, but maybe not for an actual field test.3333335Definitely need to let players know where they can get certified all season. Allows for better planning.344445335Training changesFunding changes, Team requirement changesI am a big advocate for video/photo training materials.
Incentives or requirements to get more confident assistant refs.
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10/17/2014 1:50:39(Unknown; submitted before name required.)Assistant Referee Written TestNoneWest4421453452434125555414The ref assessments should be filled out a minimum number of days after the game so that emotion and adrenaline do not affect scores. 54Organization changesTraining changes, Testing changes
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10/17/2014 5:20:26(Unknown; submitted before name required.)Head Referee Field TestNoneMid-Atlantic511114331Only think worry about multiple field tests is less people get a chance to field test at a tournament then. Love the idea of a feedback system and multiple reviewed games so you can improve but we just lack the time/people.2243113444144512I already have a scoresheet you write down all officials names ;)Training changesFunding changes
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10/17/2014 7:39:09(Unknown; submitted before name required.)Head Referee Field TestHead Referee Field TestWest423345353145423541554243345454Training changesFunding changes, Team requirement changes
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10/17/2014 8:22:34Alex KrallHead Referee Field TestAssistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestMid-Atlantic45543Re: Payment distribution
I feel the HR fee should be flat (we don't want HR's intrinsically not wanting a game because there are more certified ARs).

The onus of budgeting ARs (3 vs 2) would be on TDs then, for the bracket / quarter finals / etc game.
At a tournament, this kind of game would "cost" more to the tournament, but can be balanced out across all tourney fees.
45534455334455543255RE: Review Report
1 per event
55555RE: USQ website
This is Krall, this is really a bandwidth thing unfortunately. I've been trying to get this through for months. I will be pushing for priority on this.
Funding changesTeam requirement changes, Organization changesIMO this shouldn't be anonymous. If refs/players can't be held responsible for their feedback on this really important reffing issue I feel it diminishes the importance of that feedback.

Alex Krall
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10/17/2014 8:25:48(Unknown; submitted before name required.)Head Referee Field TestNoneSouthwest41112Have teams be required to have more certified assistant refs, and have them be required to assistant ref the games if other certified head refs cannot help the games head ref. This would alleviate the amount of times we have completely useless non-certified assistant refs "helping out" and being useless. 4143235544554534344555454Team requirement changesFunding changes, Training changes
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10/17/2014 8:42:46(Unknown; submitted before name required.)Assistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestNoneNortheast422222444454545555555434555553Training changesTesting changes, Team requirement changes
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10/17/2014 9:16:09(Unknown; submitted before name required.)NoneNoneMidwest42534We should not take payment away from head refs in order to pay certified assistant and snitch refs. Head refs should receive 20 dollars (I think that is what they are earning now) pay per game despite who is certified on their reffing crew. Payment for assistant and snitch refs should also be higher than 2 or 3 dollars. 5 dollars should be the minimum, and it would encourage assistant and snitch refs to take their jobs more seriously, and eventually improve gameplay overall.145"Training materials for referees that explain what is and is not disrespect to a referee so this penalty can be more standardized and therefore more regularly enforced to improve respect of referees."

The number one reason I no longer head ref or even assistant/snitch ref for certain teams is due to the disrespect I've received while reffing. No amount of money is worth being yelled at for 30 to 40 minutes.

"Provide referee training events at fantasy tournaments."

Fantasy tournaments are a different environment. I think field testing should only take place during official games.
4555555Funding changes
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10/17/2014 9:45:16(Unknown; submitted before name required.)Head Referee Field TestAssistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestWest21511431315441154555243314545Funding changesOrganization changes, Other changes
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10/17/2014 9:58:59Kym CouchHead Referee Written TestHead Referee Written TestNorthwest55253Highest priority in this section is travel stipend for non-player referees.5435Highest priority for this section is training materials on respect of referees in order to change the culture of disrespect to referees.54553Highest priority for this section is standardized rubric so you know why you're being failed in more concrete terms and cannot be as easily argued.355Highest priority for this section is required number of referees from each team per tournament.5555Highest priority for this section is requiring all referees of any level to be on a public list of referees by team or region.3455Highest priority for this section is required referee reviews for captains.45554Highest priority for this section is release the rulebook by the 15th so the season can really start on July 1st.Testing changesTraining changes, Organization changesRelease the rulebook earlier, STRONGLY require respect to referees.
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10/17/2014 14:09:12Toby MarchHead Referee Field TestNoneNortheast524445544344444423535444145545Training changes
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10/17/2014 10:49:01Brandon GillespieAssistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestNoneMidwest414535344445544444555355445451Testing changesTraining changes, Organization changes
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10/17/2014 11:51:14David HoopsNoneNoneMidwest435535453535552533554355243455Organization changesFunding changes, Training changes
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10/17/2014 12:14:22Martin PyneHead Referee Field TestHead Referee Written TestWest51432As far as I know there's basically zero way for a TD or HR to know if an AR is certified. (I still go off reputation when I need to find ARs, honestly.)5332Any mandatory webinars need to either be viewable on recording or offered in multiple timeslots. There is no one timeslot that will work for everybody, and historically IQA/USQ likes scheduling webinars in the middle of the day Pacific time.

Having training field tests are GREAT from a referee development perspective but only work if there are enough game slots where this is actually feasible. Additionally, from a gameplay perspective, I'd like to try to put more inexperienced referee candidates on unofficial games if possible, since it's not really fair to teams to have an official game ruined by training. (This is pretty much how I learned -- Kevin and Dan put me on a lot of unofficial games at a couple California tournaments and then I took my actual field test at the end of the second tournament.)
34554I like the idea of certification by video but so much video in this sport is terrible that I worry about effectiveness. You need to be able to see and hear the referee at all times, including stoppages, for this to really work. (And being able to follow up with the referee candidate afterwards is super helpful too.)134I think the referee written requirements need to die because they don't do anything. Even for ARs. Maybe if there was a mandatory question on the AR written test about positioning and anybody that thinks they should just stand on the midfield line the entire game automatically fails.

Before changing team or official game requirements, we also have to be super careful to not penalize teams for not being totally ready to go at the beginning of the season. I don't expect a brand new team to be able to provide useful volunteers, and we don't want to kill the growth of the sport by expecting new teams to be as prepared as perhaps a veteran team should. My rule of thumb here tends to be that we shouldn't be imposing requirements that will simply encourage tournaments to become unofficial.
5555The quidditch culture of secrecy needs to be guillotined.3442I actually think the current review forms (with like, one/two questions and an open ended response) are fine. Requiring people to answer several questions discourages responses, especially if you want to submit a brief review along the lines of "this referee did not know how to whistle play dead" (like, I don't remember their positioning).

Requiring reviews is great in theory but in practice I think we get flooded with really useless reviews. I'd rather see something (like IRDP has) that makes it easy to submit reviews right after the game. (This is probably best done electronically. I could run off a scorecard that says "please review your referee on the back of the scorecard" but then you need to trust that the TD will actually scans these and send them in. And that the captains' handwriting is legible.)

Also having to muck around with scores after they've been submitted is basically directly requiring more virtual paperwork for me, which you'll understand if I don't love.
31555I don't really like the idea of TD's saying "HEY YOU REF COME HERE" because that's a good way to make things personally awkward. I do like the idea of TD's being able to broadcast the need for referees in some systematized way that referees will be able to see. Especially if there is enough lead time for people to be able to request off / book flights / etc. (Saying you need more referees a week out is not really helpful if you want referees that don't live nearby.)

You want scorecards? You got scorecards. http://www.quidditch-reference.com/newscorecard.pdf
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10/17/2014 13:10:11Derek MapleSnitch Referee Written TestNoneMidwest11324The field tester should be compensated for his time. Not just $10 for the first, but every time someone wants a field test.5515We shouldn't require more than what is needed to become a referee. Everything else helps the RAC to identify who is stepping up and who wants to be better. Some people just simply don't have the time to commit more than a weekend here or there, and we shouldn't look down at them for that.23555While it is noble to want referees all certified, at the beginning of the season this is extremely hard to do because of the required testing. We need a way to get referees on the pitch so that official games can be played on day one.153Many sports tournaments that I have been to require each team to provide volunteers in some form. Since each team must have someone pass the ar and sr tests, why can we not require they bring at least an ar and sr?
pushing up deadlines for ref certification won't do much. Requiring each team to provide an hr for each game would be more appropriate, but hard to do.
5445These are all fine. Allows tds to find the referees they need. Should not be required to pay extra, but tds can use incentives to get refs who may be a fair distance away.3551Don't force a coach to write a review when they don't want to. It will result in lower quality reponses. Assume a non-response as neutral.
Referees should know why they passed or did not pass.
44524Getting the rulebook out earlier is good, but getting all the ref certification at this time would be even better.
having a standardized scoresheet is good. Refs can use what they want on the field, but this scoresheet must be filled out at the end.
Not sure what you mean by submitting the refs to the usq website. I think just the head ref if anyone should go to the website to submit scores.
For coach's training, not the importance of referees, more how coaches can and cannot interact with the refs.
Testing changesFunding changes, Training changesWe need refs on day one, not after the first tournament.
we need a better way to train and test the refs.
We need people to step up and help the organization, not be armchair refs. We need to want people to become referees, not search for the bravest volunteers. We need change, and I am only one person.
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10/17/2014 13:46:06Sean PagoadaHead Referee Written TestNoneSouth522114543544453444344355533Team requirement changesTraining changes
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10/17/2014 16:02:37Sam NielsenHead Referee Written TestNoneNortheast32543I really like the idea of paying Snitch Refs and ARs, but I think that taking the money out of the HR's stipend removes too much incentive from registering as an HR. As opposed to the scheme given of 13,3,2, I would more support giving HRs 15, Snitch Refs 5, and Assistant Refs 5 in they are certified as an HR, and 2 if just as an Assistant. Yes this is between $4 and $10 more per game, but I think it would make for more, and also better reffing. ARs in Soccer are effectively required to be certified as an HR as well, and have a significantly simpler job than a quidditch AR. The more ARs that are certified as Head Refs the better, and this makes that more likely. Also, soccer ARs get paid 1/3 of the HR, which this has. While not everything from a different sport's reffing process can carry over well into Quidditch, this is something that I think does.

On a different note, I think that having ARs be largely non-players is not a feasible idea for this stage in our reffing development, and that player ARs are a great resource. ARing takes much less out of you than HRing, and so in much more reasonable for players to do.
5424Any training at Fantasy tournaments would be great. It's a nice early season meeting of many of the people who are more serious about the sport, and an amazing opportunity.23434I think that after the field test, the tester should have a conversation with the testee in which they can ask them questions about why they made certain calls in certain places. Often when refereeing soccer games with more experience officials we do this after a game, and it is both very instructive for the less experiences refs, and can help the more experienced person understand why the referee made a call that they thought was incorrect, but that they might not have the entire context for with their different view of the game.3344545A list of certified Referees is a crucial part of any organized refereeing program, and should be visible by anyone in charge of coordinating referees for a tournament.445434555Knowing who the referees are for a game is very important.Organization changesFunding changes, Other changesARs getting paid

Complete list of certified referees

Knowing who refereed what games officially
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10/17/2014 21:05:16Christopher RockNoneHead Referee Written TestOceania (we need to break into New Zealand, seriously)If we pay ARs, we have to pay them properly. A $3 payment would make me think I was being taken less seriously than no payment.

How about a $10 payment for five games?
4331In Sydney, we don't have much of a disrespect problem, but you might in other places. I think in-person meetings will work better than a webinar - how about a small number of in-person training events each year, per city? Make a mini-tournament out of the second day. 43313A standardised rubric would be very hard to make general but useful. For example I take too long to restart play at stoppages. It used to be really serious, and it would have justified not certifying me, so it has to be an option for the field tester to say that. On the other hand, I wouldn't want the field tester to have to read through a list of possible faults that was long enough to include it, nor would I expect that any rubric could contain every fault like that. So then there'd have to be a free-text section such as 'Game control' for the field tester to include it in. But 'Game control' would be meaningless, and there would have to be a list of what each free-text section was worth, which would be arbitrary. That would mean the only appropriate thing to have would be a 'Specific ideosyncracies' section, with a list of rows of score and comments boxes, and then we're back where we started.224Make sure that the requirements are low enough that around half the games can have whichever refs they want, so the 'less important' teams don't always get stuck with lower-quality mandatory refs, but if you do that, this could be a really good way to bring up reffing quality. We don't mind new refs some of the time. Also, allow a grace period for people to train, and up the number of points needed one at a time. 434We already do these over here on an ad hoc basis, except the public list thing. It does help, I think.14The review report seems like bureaucracy for the sake of taking work off the refs and putting it centrally. I haven't received many reports, but I don't expect them to be hard to understand. If anything, maybe include a reviewdiscussion@refdevelopment.com service or a booking system, where people can organise a time for a Skype meeting with a qualified ref to review their work. 4Team requirement changesRequire certified assistant refs to be present at games
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10/17/2014 23:19:32NoneAssistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestOceania333444325124332213114244455445Other changesOther changes
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10/18/2014 23:12:10Patrick CallananHead Referee Written TestNoneNortheast5341151155511115555155551Training changesTraining changes
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10/19/2014 1:06:32Amy KimmelAssistant Referee Written TestNoneSouthwest4222AR, if paid, should receive more than SR. 431Multiple field tests at tournaments, 1 training and 1 actual, would be terrible for not only tournament planning but also for attending tournaments as this would delay tournaments and games.34535434444A requirement shouldn't have an opt out option.334344334Team requirement changesFunding changes, Training changes
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10/19/2014 11:56:45Evan WaltersNoneNoneNortheast52131Travel stipends are the most important to me. I recently had a certified ref offer to travel to my tournament to help out with reffing so we could get official games in. I so badly wanted to help pay for his travel costs, but our team doesn't have the money. Getting help for that sort of thing from the USQ would be amazing.

I'm not sure about paying ARs and SRs. Though it may raise incentive to become certified, it may not raise incentive to actually be a GOOD AR or SR.
5555EVERYTHING IN THIS SECTION IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. All of these things should be organized as soon as possible. I am in full belief that these actions would greatly improve the quality of reffing currently, and help new refs improve very quickly.35554At this point in the survey, I'm pretty much agreeing with all of these ideas, and I'm not sure why they're not already implemented. I'm full well ready to help organize some of these materials or coordinate some of these ideas if manpower is just the issue. I'm not a certified ref, but I was in the past two years. I have fantastic organizational skills and resources, and if y'all want more people, please, by all means, contact me: ewalters2016@gmail.com.455Specifically about the requiring certified referees for each tournament. I think each team should be required to supply a full set of certified volunteers at each tournament. So that would be 1 HR, 2 ARs, and an SR. I know the HR requirement is difficult, but suggesting it to teams might light a fire under their asses to show them how important the lack of refs actually is.3335About the last point: please please please make that list longer! We need more field tests, and having that list really only is useful if it actually provides valid options for teams. I know for my team, the first field tests anywhere near us are at the beginning of November. From an organizational standpoint, that is disgustingly late in the season. The USQ should make an attempt to hold field tests in every section of every region as soon as possible, even if it means reaching out to teams and asking if they want field testing at their tournaments. Maybe more manpower for running field tests would help.1445Requiring ref reviews from each coach/captain for each team for an official game would allow for more balanced reviews, both positive and negative. It would create a more overall view of a ref's performance, not just every time a team is upset.35555Not a lot of comments on this section, I don't have much experience with these.Organization changesTraining changes, Team requirement changesNot sure what this question is really asking.Encourage teams to make taking the AR or SR test a requirement for official members. I've heard of some schools doing that. It would make players more aware of the rules, and could help reduce fouls in games. That makes reffing easier in general. Plus, then their is a larger abundance of ARs and SRs, which can sometimes be harder than getting HRs based on the current Regionals requirements for teams.
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10/19/2014 16:08:20Allie NelsonHead Referee Field TestNoneMid-Atlantic535115533I feel that the referee development program within our sport should be just that, a development program. I think it's important to raise standards and I certainly commend RAC for doing so. However, I think RAC should be functioning as a resource, rather than as gatekeepers. This program should exist to train and develop referees that do not meet standards, rather than weed them out. It's no secret that the league is desperately lacking in head referees this season. We simply cannot afford to turn people away like this. I have a high desire to improve myself as a referee so I can meet current standards and continue serving the region, but I fear that I can't do that if RAC doesn't at least try to meet me halfway. After failing a review back in September, I was told that I would be welcome to field test again to attempt to reclaim certification. However, I have been given no opportunities since then to do so. I will not have that opportunity before marc, and I worry that I will not even have that opportunity before world cup. I feel very upset and frustrated that RAC seems to be more willing to let me fall off the map than to work with me and help me improve. I find RAC significantly more intimidating and unapproachable than the former RDT/current IRDP. I don't feel that I can openly discuss my weaknesses with RAC because I fear being perceived as weak and further hurting my chances of getting recertified. I worry that I will not improve unless I do. I feel that head reffing is emotionally taxing enough without having to feel like your own governing body is against you. I feel like I'm out of options, but simultaneously frustrated that I've come too far and worked too hard to retire like this. I'm angry-and I've pointed a lot of fingers at RAC and said some very harsh things out of that anger. I've probably shot myself in the foot by saying these things and I suspect they'll come back to haunt me significantly if and when I attempt re certification again. I have no idea where I stand or where I go from here. I suppose whether or not I ever HR in US Quidditch is a mystery at best.34553I can barely grasp what's going on in the game when I watch a video of a quidditch game (if I'm not physically present, I might as well not bother) so I worry that gauging a head ref's ability through use of video will be difficult, but not impossible5545555355155335Training changesTesting changes, Organization changes
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10/19/2014 16:44:04Jordan BaileyHead Referee Written TestNoneNortheast41445I think that if you are going to alter payments for non-player and player ARs you create a weird situation if you don't make similar differences for HRs and SRs. I think paying certified ARs regardless of player status for at least a season prior to altering payment based in playing status could be something worth investigating. Still, that doesn't really influence AR quality, just quantity.4545I think fantasy event workshops could be helpful, but they shouldn't be an excuse not to do more as many members of the community cannot make these events due to work, location, or finances. I think distributing maretials regarding respect of referees to both refs and players could do a lot to encourage the desired "attitude" of refs throughout the leagues.35554I think combining reviews and video for provisionally certified refs as a way to exempt re field testing and staying eligible to ref Regionals and Cup would be the most effective way of incorporating video into ref testing. 4444555554443545I think May 15 is very early for a new rulebook when nationals aren't until early April. June 1 would be more reasonable and still provide the summer benefits.Testing changesTeam requirement changes, Review changesStandardized rubric
Membership payments ($30/$10 for field test)
Requiring teams to bring a minimum number of refs to tournaments
33
10/19/2014 16:46:47Jackie RossNoneNoneMid-Atlantic42231I don't think people should have to pay for a ref test if they are paying for a ref membership. It seems to defeat the purpose because the USQ is bringing in quite a bit of money already. Seems like a 'fine print' way to get more money out of participants. As for paying ARs. This seems to not be realistic right now. Right now a priority is on HRs. Non playing refs who are traveling should not have to abide by Stay and Play in my opinion. 5555Yes to all the things. 44554More consistency means less people can complain about things! 353Having a lot of problems about people not being ready to take the ref tests. Current members/"past" members should be given a lot of chances to get familiar for quicker testing in the fall. Summer doesn't mean we take time off. That is silly. But for new recruits it should be super easily available to get teams to encourage them to become certified. There isn't a lot of ways to prep for the test other then throwing them a rule book and saying good luck.
Tiddly method seems like another thing TD's have to fiddle with and thus take up more time.
455There are too few chances to certify and it isn't made very publicly known which tournaments are even going to do it. 4541Teams shouldn't be required to submit evals. That is not fair. It should be optional. 55555Yes to all the things.Training changesTesting changes, Review changesProviding more testing resources is the most important.
Then giving refs actual evaluations/standardized results for their field testing/reviews
nope! See Kym surveys are cool!
34
10/20/2014 6:22:43Andrew CopelandNoneNoneMidwest42111I was kinda surprized that you chose to talk about payment first when there are more pressing issues. Saving the important things for last maybe? 5455Weekly and monthly webinars would be a wonderful supplimentary resource, but should not be required material.32212423.....Tiddly method.....54354555As a head ref last season, I never saw any of my reviews. 45435Training changesTeam requirement changes, Review changes
35
10/20/2014 12:08:21Nicolas KubickiHead Referee Written TestNoneSouth53115Assistant Referee testing needs to be refined before we can really consider paying them. I know this is not very helpful, but as all referees know, shoddy assistant refs are both the fault of the tests AND the lackadaisical attitude with which people approach assistant refereeing. They are no longer simply "bludger refs" and people should cease training them as only this.5555I definitely agree with having the multiple tests. Some referees have a terrible testing game, especially if it's their first time. Perhaps only referees new to the field testing have this option? 55555If the previous RDT could use videos to have potential members "evaluate referees" to see if they could do the job, then the real field testers should be able to actually evaluate referees using this method.5555555All referees who have passed any test should be publicly available, but I think this just happened?5555Having coaches/captains fill out a review no matter what is very helpful, since I've been at the giving and receiving end of a scathing review because a team didn't like the way the game turned out. Hot headed teams give referees bad reviews, that's all there is to it. Having other reviews to flesh out this would probably be helpful.53555A standardized scoresheet would improve every game ever since people wouldn't have to learn a new sheet every time.Testing changesTraining changes, Review changesThere needs to be real training on blue cards already. People won't read the rulebook to learn them and give them for things that aren't blue card worthy.
36
10/20/2014 14:02:06David BrownmanHead Referee Field TestHead Referee Field TestWest42341In order:

* Travel stipend is a good idea. Ideally, there would be refs everywhere, but since that's not happening, this is probably a good short term solution.

* Not crazy about this. We don't want to discourage willing volunteers who haven't had the chance to test. We need all the able bodies we can get at this point.

* Paying everyone is fine, but I'm a little worried about overjustification (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overjustification_effect). Sure, it's nice to have extra cash, but that $2 (or whatever small amount) isn't going to tip the scales when someone is thinking about being an AR. I think there's more traction with gifts like coins or meals like have been done at previous WC. Even just a tent with ref-only snacks at a regional will motivate without being condescending.

* same as last answer

* This would require so much extra coordination on the part of usq membership that it's not even worth it. Also, everyone has different regionals dates and it would be a nightmare (for them) to track and hound people who haven't paid. By putting all of the cost upfront, people are motivated to actually certify and ref some games to recoup that cost.
5435* This is great. Fantasy tournaments should be fun and experimental. Weird rules, alternative ref setups, training, socials, etc. This is game-like training without having to impact actual rankings, which is the best we could ever hope for.

* I like the webinar idea, though I think we do a pretty good job of addressing stuff in R&R and IQA HR's that I don't know how necessary/useful these would be. IRDP has done this a bit when the new rulebook came out and people seemed to enjoy it though.

* Eh. You run into the issue of untested refs affecting actual games/rankings (which now matter a fair amount). Also, with the shortage, there's usually not a ton of spare refs (field test watcher, field test do-er for each game). don't hate it, don't love it.

* This is an important issue and USQ had better do something about this.
34552* Video is hard to take and it's very easy for the ref to be seeing different things than the video was capturing. Unless it's like, ref go-pro, that could be neat.

* Extra training is always good

* IRDP does this already, USQ should follow suit.

* Again, IDRP has this.. Also, we wrote the USQ one, so unless they threw it out, they've definitely got it available. Standardizing refereeing should be a priority (to eliminate "that's a card? in our region, our refs always say that's ok!", among other things).

* Reviews are good, but I think they're too easy to fake to be worth any actual value. They should be used for prioritizing refs for games (better refs, harder games) and seeing who might need certification revoked, but that's about it.
555* By Oct. 15th, it's not unreasonable that each team should have had someone attempt the HR test, especially if it's easy to access and they don't have to wait on links or anything.

* It's baffling that USQ "requires" (this is rarely actually enforced) teams to certify refs but never mandates that those people show up to any tournaments. Sure, scheduling is hard, but if your refs can't come to tourneys, then certify more refs (and/or less busy people).

* At Michigan, we always brought multiple non-player support staff to help us with stuff, but also volunteer at the tournament. This isn't hard for universities, there are oodles of people who want to be involved but don't want to put in the time to play. It also spreads responsibility.
4554refdevelopment.com/search/ALL

* Not to beat a dead horse, but IRDP has a list of everyone who has achieved any level of certification. We're working on closing the gaps between scheduling, requesting, etc. but it's hard without the number of teams/people USQ has.

* yep

* same

* I like to think that all tournaments of a minimum size are eligible for field testing. When we started the original RDT, members were distributed regionally so that we could travel anywhere without too much effort. This is less true now for both USQ and IRDP because of lack of people, but USQ has ca$h and could definitely be flying clay, dan, etc around. That being said, I think HR candidates should mark which tournaments they'll definitely be at and then RDT can travel based on need. fwiw, IRDP is currently working on a large scale solution for this problem.
5544* IRDP does this. Could be better, but we've got a pretty good first draft going.

* IRDP does this too. Besides keeping the review anonymous (we've discussed this at length and still aren't sure this is the best way to do it, but it's what we're doing for now) and vetting for unconstructive content, we show refs the full review.

* I like the idea, but assuming we're getting as many reviews as we want, I'm not sure how this would scale. Cool idea though.

* I like this. We fiddled at West Fantasy and found that coaches/captains (especially the losing ones) didn't want to review right after the game. I think two week is too long, but by the end of the day is reasonable. Part of our scheduling system will include slots for reviews of all of the refs (even if it's just a bad/avg/good/great rating). Ideally, there'd be a laptop or tablet available in the HQ tent where you could go and see who reffed your day's games and review them all.
55322* this is also part of our big IRDP project

* Reffing west fantasy on a 8 day old rulebook was fun, but it would have been nicer to have it a little earlier. They just need to start whatever their process is a month earlier and aim to have it ready the week after WC so they can be late and hit a reasonable time.

* I like the idea, but schedules change so fast ("hey, john isn't here to AR, can you?") and people run off right after the game ends ("hey, who was that AR?") that there would have to be some procedural changes before this was effective.

* I don't love this resting on the TD, I'd rather it be required earlier in the process so that the TD doesn't get home and have to text everyone. That is, if it's required to be confirmed an hour after the game, by end of day, everything will be right (instead of validating when the TD puts scores in later).

* It's probably nice, but I don't know much about coach training or how closely people actually read. Not saying it's a bad idea, but it's not a priority for me.

Team requirement changesOrganization changes, Review changesDidn't I just answer this? I really hope USQ reads these and takes them to heart. They're all fixable problems, but it requires active attention and action, not just realizing there are issues and never talking to the community about them (because of PR implications?). It's important for us, and for quidditch.
37
10/20/2014 16:25:57Will HackNoneNoneMid-Atlantic53211Assistant refs should be paid ideally, but it is more important to adequately compensate HRs. $20 is a good amount for that right now.4335More written training materials should be a major priority.23415I disagree heavily that ref evaluations should be based on a rigid rubric. Such a rubric, even if well-constructed, can do a poor job of capturing how a referee performed. What we do need are better- and uniformly-trained certifiers. 242We need the refs, but forcing people to do something they don't want to is not a great solution.1225I don't know why there is excitement over a list of referees. I believe the major result of this will be harassment of referees by TDs. I do have some small hope that maybe someone will see how short the list is, and sign up to be a referee.4422Reviews should remain largely confidential. Rather, the RDT or whatever they're called now should prepare a review of the referee themselves based on reviews they receive.33115Training changesTesting changes, Organization changesWritten materials
Feedback to referees based on reviews
Carrots, not sticks
Thanks for the hard work, Kym! =)
38
10/20/2014 16:31:32Alvin ArnoldNoneNoneMid-Atlantic311155555545553444445555355431Training changesFunding changes
39
10/20/2014 16:33:31Hanna BoumaNoneNoneEurope223243433232233132224Training changesTesting changes
40
10/20/2014 16:34:13Alex DroseNoneNoneMid-Atlantic542335554Referee training at fantasy events is brilliant. The games don't have such high stakes which makes it less controversial if the head ref who is testing turns out to be absolutely horrible. Adding time for workshops would also be beneficial because it's hard to learn how to ref without feedback.33555Standardization is key as well as quick results! Yes, we're all busy, but there are tons of tournaments where referees are needed. The sooner the feedback, the sooner you'll have more refs (hopefully). Also, I have no idea what you're asking in question #1. Read it out loud and see if it still makes sense. Maybe it's because I'm tired but I honestly don't know what you're asking.255Until there are significant numbers of non-playing referees each team is going to have to provide volunteers. It's not always easy when you have a small team but it's the only viable solution for now. Pushing up the deadline might not help because some teams just don't have it together at the beginning of the season. Different schools start at different times and this might hurt teams.5555Define public. I think having a list of referees is beneficial, especially if they are offered compensation for travel to go to tournaments that need extra help. I think the list should only be viewed by IQA members or tournament directors, not the entire public, especially if emails are involved. 5555We definitely need referee feedback so I think requiring the coach/captain to fill these out is a great idea. It might be annoying but it's a small price to pay to help these referees. 55534A standardized score sheet would be lovely! Rulebook changes earlier would also be quite nice. I don't understand the question about the TD submitting referees and scores...Training changesOrganization changes, Review changes
41
10/20/2014 16:41:08Sandi WestoverHead Referee Written TestNoneNortheast435434344534433334335344445433Testing changesFunding changes
42
10/20/2014 17:21:25Bridget FoleyNoneAssistant Referee Written TestNortheast43134I think $20 a game for Head Refs and $15 a game for snitches is adequate payment for their time and skill.5555I'd never heard of these ideas before and think they're absolutely fantastic and would help immensly455543553555555155555Training changesFunding changes, Testing changesProviding better training for refs, better paying refs, and having better communication via USQ regarding tournament reffing and release of the rulebook
43
10/20/2014 18:06:30Pete HannerNoneNoneMid-Atlantic2233444555454Standardized application of rules between matches is wildly unacceptable.43444455454Last point seems a bit extreme, but I like the idea of having a captain requirement to assure quality. 34435Training changesTesting changes, Review changes
44
10/20/2014 18:11:52Daniel Howland NoneNoneWest53445445444434421444554454445Training changesTesting changes, Organization changes
45
10/20/2014 18:23:07Alexander PowersHead Referee Field TestNoneMidwest51111I don't think payment for assistant/snitch refs needs to be a thing. I think teams should be required to have enough members to handle it when assigned with some sort of penalty for not being able to fulfill the responsibility. 4431I feel like more resources for people becoming officials is a great idea! Even after reading the rulebook 5+ times, I did not feel ready when I started reffing. I think Q&A sessions via skype or something would be useful for prospective referees. Also, I think having multiple levels of ref (based on skill and experience) or appointing a head ref in charge of each tournament. This would give new/prospective refs someone to ask any questions they have.15431I think having an actual field test is very important. The focus should be on having more qualified field testers. Also, I really don't understand the final question in this section.455I don't like the Tiddly method, but I think requiring refs is a good idea. 15351. I don't think we should list people who have not passed the field test yet listed. Listing endorses their skills, and until those skills have been verified we shouldn't say they are quality officials.
2. I think listing all head referees is a very good idea.
3. I think ensuring that each team has a minimum certified is important. I don't think it's necessary to make that information public. I think each team should be required to have 2 assistant refs and 1 snitch ref that aren't head ref certified. Listing the teams that meet this requirement (and can thus provide a full game worth of refs (minus hr and snitch runner) would be a good idea. (I don't think we should include head refs in this list because they may have to head ref games while their team provides the rest of the refs)
4. I think increasing the number of field test opportunities could very easily help increase the number of officials.
1454I don't think reviews from the team playing are important. I believe any reviews should be from the team providing the assistants or some other neutral team. I don't believe getting reviews from the captains that may be biased by the games outcome should really matter. If reviews are done, the full information (except for team/captain name) should be made available to the ref in question. The RDT summarizing is also a good idea because he'll be able to more accurately determine what the ref in question needs to work on.54454Training changesFunding changes, Team requirement changesTraining for refs
Requiring a team to field a certain number of assistant refs
Money for head refs whose teams aren't playing to travel to tournaments
46
10/20/2014 18:49:13Jeff ShermanHead Referee Field TestHead Referee Field TestNortheast442155535As far as training materials are concerned, IRDP does have them already, so I feel like this is something that could be gained from working with them. Same with the webinars, this is something that is currently in the works.55555These are all things done with IRDP currently, so the infrastructure is available to USQ if they so choose.555It makes no point for a referee requirement if you do not require those referees to actually perform. It also should prevent shittier referees as teams would have assigned people getting more and more practice as referees before bigger events.5555These are all things currently done by IRDP, again it is awaiting the USQ to deal with them to utilize the infrastructure that's already been bug tested and implemented.5554I think making it a forfeit is a bit extreme, but otherwise all of these things should be done, and in fact are again, already done by IRDP.55555Again all either currently available through IRDP or soon to be.Team requirement changesTraining changes, Organization changesRequiring referees to actually ref.
Making sure that ref reviews are easy to fill out and available to teams.
A clear set of feedback for people pass or fail their field tests.
A lot of this would be taken care of if USQ used IRDP, including a larger pool of people to certify referees and who care passionately about ensuring that the highest quality of refs are out there.
47
10/20/2014 18:50:51Natalie CliftAssistant Referee Written TestNoneNortheast54553The most important thing in this section is the traveling to tournaments because I would love to see more teams play and travel to ref5455Definitely what is and what isn't disrespect for a referee. As a coach I would also like this option in the coach training33554Nothing really because I am not intending on being a head ref
2445555345355445Team requirement changesFunding changes
48
10/20/2014 19:40:52Brittany SchrueferSnitch Referee Written TestNoneMidwest43543Paying all Refs will encourage more people to take the tests. 455354555I think field testing is really hard to have done depending on location. For example, if your team is not attending a tournament and you need to be field certified by a certain time then you end up taking a trip alone just for that one sole purpose. 2255445355545355Testing changesTeam requirement changes
49
10/20/2014 20:21:42Adam KNoneNoneNortheast442314335334431333444344443333Testing changesTraining changes, Organization changes
50
10/20/2014 20:46:01Ryan SebadeHead Referee Written TestAssistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestNortheast422215454545544544335454454334Training changesTesting changes, Team requirement changes
51
10/20/2014 20:53:08Ozan AkpinarAssistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestNoneNortheast545455455455554233345555544545Training changesTesting changes, Organization changes
52
10/21/2014 6:38:01Kristian ReynertsonHead Referee Field TestNoneMidwest42223I think helping alleviate the travel costs for referees who are not playing would help significantly and help with actually wanting to go to a tournament. Paying the SR and ARs might help with the quality of those refs, but I am unsure about that.5545I really agree with all of these. I would really like to have a monthly webinar that would be required because I feel like this would help with standards and also increase the understanding and knowledge of referees.345423435555455355545Training changesOrganization changes, Review changesThe training section is the most important and from that section I would say the continued training or the webinar of head refs after being certified. I think this would create a great community of referees that would continue to get better as the season progresses.
53
10/21/2014 12:40:15Kevin PetersonNoneNoneSouthwest44221Make the field test refundable and shift some of the general membership dues over to the ref program. The ref program doesn't need to be entirely funded by refs since they are a required element for everyone that plays officially.4444Publish all clarifications in a rulebook supplement document and put it on the website next to the rulebook.54554Have a head ref "gold" rating that doesn't require a field test every year (like every other year or something). They still have to pass the written test but if they have demonstrated excellent field control that isn't going to change in one year. Just make sure they are up to date on the new rules for each year.533Require all teams to meet the ref requirements by the first regional. Half the regions shouldn't be waiting for the season to be mostly over before having refs.2434545Make sure the reviews are annonomous before giving to the ref. Most refs are going to be regional and Reffing teams repeatedly so we want to avoid grudges developing.45425On the website - put drop down menus in for adding team names for the scores. We already know the attending teams from the attendance so use a drop down menu. Can also apply to refs if they request attendance and such.Pay snitches. There is a critical shortage and they are just as important as a head ref at this point in time.
54
10/21/2014 13:08:35Courtney MarkinHead Referee Written TestNoneNorthwest11113I don't think money is the largest obstacle we are facing right now5444It is currently quite difficult to get the required practice for the field test which makes taking the field test stressful and discourages people from trying it55551The biggest importance for me is to have a way to field test if you are far away from a field tester. Also getting feedback and knowing what they are looking for.344454Testing changesTraining changesHaving testing more accessible and more standardized
55
10/21/2014 13:10:10Eric AndresNoneNoneNorthwest444244442Confusing respect and disrespect is not a problem. This puts the blame on referees for not wanting to referee because of backlash. It's like victim blaming.4455533444442532Referees should have access to the entire content of their reviews. Having to go my regional rep to get an overview was stupid.

I think ref reviews should be required at higher competition, but not at lower competition.
55435Testing changesTraining changes, Organization changes
56
10/21/2014 13:16:48Benji B'ShalomNoneNoneNorthwest534235454455452335545444455455Training changesTesting changes, Organization changes
57
10/21/2014 21:32:22Prefer to be AnonymousNoneNoneSouth53452HRs deserve about $15. Would give ARs and SRs $753535345424435254144Referees should not be able to see reviews. This could violate the anonymity of the team submitting review and possibly subject them to some bias (positive or negative) later in the season. Only give general summaries after a sample of reviews from different teams has been collected.24324Training changesFunding changes, Testing changes
58
10/22/2014 0:18:35Michael MalakoffNoneNoneSouth521535455535553545415455255534Testing changesFunding changes
59
10/22/2014 9:45:47Landon SmithNoneNoneSouth4154152141444545555143Organization changesFunding changes
60
10/23/2014 10:19:25Colin RichardsHead Referee Written TestNoneMidwest535555545545545553435444345555Training changesFunding changes, Team requirement changes
61
10/23/2014 10:23:47Cameron CutlerSnitch Referee Written TestNoneNorthwest442245324542444344554443354434Testing changesFunding changes, Training changes
62
10/23/2014 10:31:17Andrew AxtellAssistant Referee Written TestNoneMidwest12222Just pay the people who put in the effort. AKA certified head refs.412222442I don't think the biggest issue is quality of referee right now. I think the problem is quantity. A decent ref is way better than no ref.142Requirements are hard.444522511Everything but earlier rulebook is dumb. Why make everything so hard? We want more refs.Funding changesMORE REFS! Just work with IRDP already (speaking to USQ, obviously). Heck, just outsource reffing to them entirely. Save some money. Or spend that ridiculous sum (~$150,000) of money you're (again, at USQ) sitting on to acutally help the damn game. You mean you can't buy plane tickets for your ref certifying people so they can go to most major tournaments in each region? It's like $500 / trip. Spend some of that cash. We pay enough.
63
10/23/2014 10:32:37Andrew CantoNoneHead Referee Field TestNortheast535434444445445552555545351445Organization changesTraining changes
64
10/23/2014 10:45:32Matthew NiederbergerHead Referee Written TestNoneNortheast33434245344433454555444144534Training changesFunding changes, Testing changes
65
10/23/2014 11:32:24Gabe UnickSnitch Referee Written TestNoneMidwest42333These are a lot of interesting ideas, and many of them I have not considered or seen/heard before. But I'm not sure that paying referees is an issue, aside from paying out of region/non-player head referees to attend tournaments. I feel like THAT is an excellent idea. But honestly, I feel like making $3 or $2 to assistant ref isn't going to help much.5533One of the big problems with referees is lack of consistency and bad calls. I feel like the suggestions listed here are exactly what we need.15445455This will greatly increase the number of certified head refs. I believe this should also be applied to snitches.4555355555554Training changesTeam requirement changesAdditional training and standardization of training to increase consistency in officiating.
66
10/23/2014 11:51:12Ricky NelsonHead Referee Field TestNoneMid-Atlantic53251the final suggestion makes no sense452314511provisional certification is until the person has an opportunity so the last suggestion doesnt make sense5554535112545555Training changesFunding changes, Team requirement changes
67
10/23/2014 12:26:30Erin McDonaldAssistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestNoneSouthwest42544I really think referee's who are non- player should have a stipend to help them get to a tournament. It would encourage more non-player refs to attend a tournament and give teams an easier time as they wouldn't have to worry about supplying players to ref.

I think if you are a player ref you should get paid but like < half of what a non-player ref.
5435All of these are very important. I'd especially like having referee training at fantasy tournaments. It would take a lot of pressure off of the ref because there would be no official matches occurring.

I am slightly hesitant about the multiple field testings at an official tournament however. I have noticed referees act different while field testing, and that referee testing during games can alter the seeding of a tournament.
55555All are very important.255All great, except the pushing up deadline for referee certification, but that's just based off of my team's experience.4455455345455Please, just PLEASE get the new rulebook out by May 15th.Training changesFunding changes, Organization changesTesting changes, Training Changes, Organization changes.
68
10/24/2014 3:54:21David luce NoneNoneWest51533I've coached or played in basketball leagues for years. Many of the refs do this quasi full time or for extra cash. They typically have a rating system where they are evaluated during games for the next season. If they perform well they get higher ratings. Higher ratings equal higher pay. Most games have a higher rated ref with a lower rated ref. The higher ref helps develop the lower ref on the job. Often pairs of refs stay together from week to week. Big tournaments have only the higher rated refs. This rating system will become critical to creating a way to retain talented refs and weed out poor performers. 5555535353333555Testing changesRating is most important
Why would a team have to worry about refs?
That's a league responsibility.
69
10/24/2014 9:44:33Casey SchmidtAssistant Referee Written TestNoneMid-Atlantic4411245553455354423543235422Training changesTesting changes, Team requirement changesI would like to see an emphasis on safe play and what constitutes excessive force.
70
10/28/2014 18:51:09Evan BellNoneNoneWest5111343135252345455454541A game should not be nullified just because one coach forgets to fill it out; that hurts the other team who did it.55325Team requirement changesFunding changes, Testing changes
71
10/28/2014 19:17:00Amanda TracyNoneHead Referee Written TestSouthwest41442Nonplaying refs shouldn't get more than playing refs. We work just as hard and have fewer breaks during the day.5454This entire section is pretty important for me. I like the ideas here.444434333115334442244Training changesTesting changes
72
10/28/2014 20:01:47Nathan KingstonNoneNoneNortheast15445544332424255555344155221Funding changesTeam requirement changes, Organization changes
73
10/28/2014 20:03:00Kyle CampbellAssistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestSnitch Referee Written TestWest31444most important to me is a system that pays all assistant and snitch refs. 5444Most important to me in this section is providing hands on training through work shops. 45444I think the most helpful to me in ref training would be seeing videos of appropriate and not appropriate call of official quidditch matches. With detailed instructions on why the call is good or no good.34433453453I think there should be a rating score based on the reviews of refs (like rate my professor but for refs) that tournament directors could access to help determine their ref scheduling. 45544Training changesOrganization changes, Review changesTraining changes! Refereeing in quidditch is extremely difficult, probably more difficult that any other sports since there are three different games going on in one (Quaffle, bludger and snitch games). In order for quidditch to refereed in a fair and appropriate manner ref training needs to be much more rigorous, refs need to be compensated more (all refs, not just head refs) and refs need to be held more accountable (insightful reviewing, ref rating system)
74
10/28/2014 21:21:34Megan SeidelAssistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestNoneMid-Atlantic35453244335543444554424354224Funding changesTeam requirement changes
75
10/28/2014 22:05:50Taylor HahnNoneNoneMidwest21535I think the paying system is a good idea but should put emphasis on playing on non playing HR as well. Especially if they are traveling, too.5355I think that the training materials is a good idea. Giving referees a good idea about what is disrespectful from a player is important. I see too many people arguing with ref's decisions and I think that this should stop.455555551344555355353Training changesFunding changes, Organization changes
76
10/29/2014 8:09:09Josh HintzSnitch Referee Written TestNoneNortheast423414444544443424225444344444Testing changesOrganization changesHaving more opportunity for field testing
77
10/29/2014 10:48:04Mark MxQuageHead Referee Written TestNoneSouthwest334434455434434553445342134222Testing changesTraining changesAssistant refs that lack knowledge/experience can be incredibly frustrating and they should be trained more. All assistant refs should be required to pass a written test and head refs need to be responsible for the other refs and make sure they're all on the same page, especially when it comes to things like the immunity rule and guarding bludgers.
78
10/29/2014 12:07:25Cooper DavisNoneNoneWest51111I don't believe the referee crisis is a result of money for the player referees. 5445524532345555It is not the list of tournaments that have field testing that matters, but the shear lack of opportunities there are to be field tested. 554155533Organization changesTraining changes1. Organization
2. Training changes
3. EVERYTHING NEEDS TO CHANGE
There is really no forum to voice this opinion so I suppose I will do it here. USQ and the sport of quidditch need to entirely rethink how refereeing is approached. The largest issue with the current system is that referees are so deeply involved in the quidditch culture whether through allegiances to teams or friends it is almost impossible to find a truly impartial referee that does not allow games to be filled with back talking from players and drawn out rules discussions during gameplay. Like any other sport from t-ball to pro football, USQ needs to bring into the fold professional and unaffiliated adult referees to control the sport. If the league were to reach out to communities, teach them the sport, and hire refs the legitimacy of the sport would grow exponentially. I understand quidditch has always been a sport by players for players, but either that needs to stop in regards to reffing or USQ needs to put in serious funding and effort into preparing its player/referees to navigate that very tricky terrain. Furthermore the current rulebook sets referees up to fail, it has grown too specific and includes difficult to understand and often contradictory language.With the book itself as the only real source of information and the expectation that players remember every minute line of text in it there is no wonder that there is no consistency and referees call the game as they see fit and not as it is written. The system is set up in a way that failure is inevitable and no amount of standardized testing or certifications will fix it unless actual effort is put in to meet potential referees as individuals and give them the tools and knowledge to be effective on the field. If you want an example of how education models built on route memorization and teaching to a test work just look at the state of utter disarray that is the American education system. Sorry for the rant. -Cooper
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10/29/2014 13:46:33Harrison BaucomHead Referee Written TestNoneNorthwest533235345544533444455444355445Training changesFunding changes
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10/31/2014 16:47:18Brick ObmommaHead Referee Field TestHead Referee Field TestSouthwest53324I don't know if paying assistants (especially a small amount) will encourage them to come out of the woodworks. I think the number of qualified individuals make it to HR. There are not o many qualified HRs that there are too many for the demand present. I think the priority should stay on HRs and creating solid referee procedures before expanding to ARs.5552Definite training at non-official games (not necessarily fantasy) but NO FIELD TESTING. Just training where they can't screw anything official up. I definitely agree to required webinars maybe once a month. I also agree to multiple field tests to pass because one game is never a good representation of that referee because of the game they are on or their comfort level. I do not think training to what is disrespect is necessary. If the referee feels it is disrespectful then they should feel free to act accordingly. As long as the game is under control this should not be a problem45552Footage for review is always good, but not to pass the field test. I think having a medium for new HRs to send in unofficial tapes for review would be great. I'm not sure about reviews from random people allowing provisional certification. I don't trust random reviewers, and most of them should be negative as well. There should be a different way to maintain provisional status.555I think the burden for HRs right now is too unbalanced which could make the games unfair because the HRs run around all day and get tired and are less effective for their games. I think each team should have to provide a referee or pay into an extra bank to bring in a non-playing referee.1555Testers who have not yet field tested should not be considered on the list. They should only be on an internal list for the TD and RDT. While I do think all referees should be on a public list I do NOT think their contact info should be public unless its an @iqaquidditch email that can act as a buffer.4145Reviews need to be required more is always better. Reviews should not be available to everyone in the full extent as they are mostly negative and unproductive and if seen in their entirety would not maintain the confidentiality that reviewers need to be honest. RDT should be required to compile reports for their referees but not from every review I'd say once a month.55553A system to request referees is great if it isnt abused. There should be an auto alert for the referee if an event in the region is being planned. Earlier rulebook means earlier testing and easier times at the beginnings of seasons. Standardized everything is good. All referees should be submitted to every game because it will be necessary at some point and we should start now before not including them has too many repercussions. I don't so much care for the coach training part. I feel this will not affect the coach's behavior. Organization changesTraining changes
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10/31/2014 16:49:16Austin ArchieSnitch Referee Written TestNoneSouth4155123233355511143343444Training changesTesting changes, Team requirement changes
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10/31/2014 16:50:37Caylen McDonaldAssistant Referee Written TestNoneWest31451452I think HRs need to be required to participate in ongoing ref training throughout the season to try and keep reffing as consistent as possible and continue to improve.12445Refs should be able to be held responsible throughout the season and be forced to re field test if their reffing is in question143Every team should have to volunteer in some capacity at every tournament.2114534122531Review changesTraining changesReviews need to be taken seriously. Too often have there been serious issues without anyone taking any action. Just because they are a paid official, doesnt mean they should be safe from honest reviews.
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10/31/2014 16:54:01George RogersNoneNoneMid-Atlantic35533jsut give us the good ubterbatuibak d refs soo we can get them usq ready!3333333333333333333333Funding changesTeam requirement changes, Review changesno idea
quid-ditch is awesome!
more fntayss at dc/va area!
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10/31/2014 18:02:55McLaren CundiffHead Referee Written TestAssistant Referee Written Test, Snitch Referee Written TestWest51453452453554255455525554514Getting a list of everyone who was an official on a match is often very difficult because the AR/SRs come from various places and may be gotten on a moment's notice. Team requirement changesFunding changes, Organization changes
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10/31/2014 18:13:43Patrick FullerHead Referee Written TestNoneNorthwest343535215325552245324444335334Testing changesTraining changes, Review changes
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10/31/2014 21:14:27Chris SetoHead Referee Written TestNoneWest515535352244444455555235344443Team requirement changesFunding changes, Training changes