The untimely passing of Rogerio Barbara

Soccer Friends,

We have just learned of the passing of one of our colleagues, Rogerio Barbara, after a brief struggle with throat cancer.  Rogerio was 59.  

Rogerio had been a referee since 1984 and hung up his cleats in 2010 after 25 years.  He was a State Assessor and had been assessing for over twenty years.

Funeral services will be on Wednesday morning in Taunton, MA.  Details can be found here:  http://www.currentobituary.com/Memory.aspx?Memory_ObitdID=127302

I personally have had the opportunity to work with Rogerio as a referee, assessor, and peer and found him to be a gentle soul always with a kind word ready.

I will miss him, as will The Game.

Now THAT'S Pressure

So I spent part of the day yesterday at the New England Over The Hill Soccer League championships in Lexington MA.

It was a spectacular day for soccer and the atmosphere showed it. There were people everywhere as the whole park was full, and you could hear goal scoring celebrations erupt at various times all afternoon.

In addition to the soccer, there was a very interesting exercise going on with some of the registered assessors. For many of them (myself included) it was a time to meet some of the requirements of the badge, and assess a match ... the same match.

Now this will provide an excellent measurement opportunity for the Mass Ref staff as it will provide a side by side analysis of the very same match. It also gives the Mass Ref staff and excellent opportunity for mentoring its assessors ... as it was designed.

Speaking as an assessor, this is a tremendous opportunity to be able to get some feedback on how I'm doing and how another saw the match. If we go really crazy, we can take the scores, and do a full analysis like mean, median, and standard deviation. This will actually paint a nice picture of just how "differently" we see The Game.

Even beyond that, and in reference to the title, it can be hard enough on a referee knowing there is an assessor out there, never mind a small army of them.

It was actually a funny sight, assessors lining and circling the field like we were in an Official Sports aquarium. You had to see it.

I personally give the referee great credit as it was clear, he saw us circling around during the match and responded well to it.

It is something to consider as an assessor in how a referee is going to react to different stresses we provide them, intentionally or not. Also, for referees, that flows downhill to players. What stress do referees put on players, intentionally or not.

Is there something we can, or should do to lower these tensions?

A Constant Struggle

I admit myself in conflict when I write this. Not just that simple, should I have the vanilla, or the chocolate conflict. This is a real gut busting, head twisting conflict. You see, I was told recently that I was going to be the recipient of the Stephen A. Kokolski Assessor of the Year award.

I was mixed right from the onset. Elated to be considered for such an award, yet it had me looking back over the last year and ask the question, "What had I really done?"

I almost immediately pulled up some older posts from Kicking Back that I though would have been useful to folks, and read, and re-read them. From there I thumbed through almost all my assessments from the last year making sure they were on point and pithy as to catch the referees attention and impart a point. Further still I read some Emails from earlier in the year from referees that I interacted with to dissect my meaning and message.

Then it hit me.

I was assessing myself as an assessor.

I expected some type of temporal anomaly, divide by zero, space-time rip to occur. Clearly it did not.

It was however a reminder that everyone needs an assessor. Panning my mind further into the concept, I thought about my last employment review that I received, or, that I gave. I wandered around the last time I spoke to the soccer team I coach about their performance both as a whole, and as individuals. More personally, the last time I "assessed" my kids.

I could go on but I hope the point is clear. Assessment is a critical tool both introspective, extrospective, and from others. With these evaluation tools, we learn from ourselves, and those around us. Not just about soccer, but real life lessons. Truly important stuff, not where to stand on a corner kick.

So what did I learn as I assessed my assessments in light of my recent events you ask?

I have a long way to go, but am happy to put in the work to get better.

Don't forget to have fun

2011 Massachusetts ODP Referees and Assessors
Photo courtesy of Elie

Welcome Ed Rae and Erich Simmons

Just as it is a desire to referee at the highest level, there are those of us (myself included) who desire to assess at the highest level as well.

In the US, these folks are termed "Referee Inspectors" and a description of their role is here from US Soccer, and below:

REFEREE INSPECTORS
U.S. Soccer will appoint certain National Assessors as Referee Inspectors. This designation is at the discretion of U.S. Soccer and is reviewable at any time. Referee Inspectors will be empowered to assess all games but specifically at the Pro-Level and international level. In addition, all National Referees and National Candidates must have at least one of their annual assessments as a referee conducted by a Referee Inspector.

It gives me great pleasure to announce both Ed Rae and Erich Simmons as two of the newest US Soccer referee inspectors for 2011.

Please join me in congratulating them on this significant accomplishment!

A time to celebrate

August has been a bit of a whirlwind for me personally for a variety of reasons. None the least of which is the work many have done surrounding my father's name that has occurred. Here is a very brief synopsis.

Stephen A. Kokolski Assessor of the Year.
This was a truly humbling experience. When first told about this honor of the renaming the MSRC Assessor of the Year Award to the Stephen A. Kokolski Assessor of the Year Award, I was shocked speechless (a rare occurrence unto itself). Even more humbling was the privilege to say a few words and present the award in the honor of the individual who received it. Mr. Pete Robinson truly embodies the values of this award for everything he does both for the program, and the referees and assessors it services. An honor well earned, and one I truly enjoyed delivering.

Photo courtesy MSRC

Stephen A. Kokolski Scholarship Awards.

August was also the month that the recipients of the 2010 Stephen A. Kokolski scholarships were awarded. A hearty congratulations to Mr. Christopher Fitzgibbon and Mr. Peter Reis, each a 2010 SAK scholarship award recipient.

Mr. Fitzgibbon came to us with not only solid refereeing credentials as he begins his career, but also a clear affinity for the sciences. Well rounded is probably the best way to describe Chris, as he seems to be equally comfortable in his role at MIT, as well as his ever expanding exposure to the finer details of music.

Mr. Reis also comes with some serious credentials as well. An honors student of chemical engineering at Northeastern University, in his off time is working at P&G and a recognized ability in the refereeing world as he attended at Region I President's Cup, and was an alternate for the National President's Cup in Nashville, TN.

Congratulations to both Chris and Peter!

We are in the process now of creating a web site for this ongoing foundation. It can be viewed here. Work is progressing and changes are coming.

A busy month so far indeed ... and one that will be topped off on the 28th by working with the instructional staff at the Development Night at the Revolution, where your humble author has been transformed from reporter, to quasi-instructor. Don't miss it ... it promises to be outstanding.

Kicking Back Exclusive: Referee Development Night with the Revolution

Once in a great while an opportunity to "get inside the head" of the folks who are about to referee and assess a professional match comes around. Such an opportunity is here.

On Saturday August 28th, prior to the Revs v. Philly match, The Massachusetts State Referee Committee in cooperation with the New England Revolution will provide such an opportunity to the Massachusetts refereeing community at large.

This session will include clubhouse access prior to the match and involve a discussion what the referee team and assessor will prepare, and be on the lookout for during the match. Guest speakers will include various staff members of the MSRC along with and anticipated visit from an MLS referee and the In Stadium Observer (ISO) for the match.

Note that this interactive session will also qualify to meet the referee re-certification requirements of 2011 and on the lighter side will also feature the Rev Girls and some giveaways.

During the match, participants will sit in the stands and be invited to perform an analysis that will be submitted to MSRC. Kicking Back is in discussion with the MSRC to see if there is a way to anonymously post appropriate results here from the "group assessment" for educational purposes.

Full details are below, and more are forthcoming in the days ahead via E-Mail blasts from the MSRC and at massref.net.

For those who can not make it, Kicking Back will do a pre-match analysis here on the 27th, and also be reporting on the evenings events. However, seeing is believing.

To pre-enroll for this event, go to: www.massref.net

For tickets, call 1-877-GET-REVS and reference "Referee Development Night" to access discount.

Be the duck

Have you ever watched a duck cross a pond? Looks pretty effortless, just seemingly calmly gliding across the water without a care in the world. We look across and sigh in satisfaction that all is at peace with the world. Calm, serene, relaxed. Look under the water however and it is a different story. Cranking, churning, hard working webbed feet are pounding away at the water getting away from that raccoon that just tried to eat it. Not so serene.

So what is the difference here?

One answer is fairly simple in that it is a matter of perception. If we see the calm, gliding duck we have a very relaxed feeling, the viewer feels relaxed by watching the duck glide by. If we turn the duck upside down (or look under the water), it is a whole different story. Frantic thrashing, splashing, chaos, and general discontent.

Think about refereeing, and how people (players, assessors, coaches, fans) will react when they watch you referee. Are you one who brings a feeling of serenity and calmness to a situation, or match. Are you one who raises the tempo or stirs things up? Trust me, as an assessor, I am looking at that.

Don't get me wrong, there is no one right answer, and the best do both, and other variations of temperament in between. There is a time for frenetic conduct, anger, comedy, sarcasm, and the host of other emotions that comprise the human experience. All I'm saying is to learn when to bring those out, and how to wrap the match in a sense of calm confidence is a very successful way to approach and conduct a match. Look at some of the best referees today (I'll let you pick), their calm, measured approach goes a long, long way. Particularly in the more difficult situations.

My thought ... be the duck.

Day 3: Be ready for THAT question ...

So (Mr. or Ms. referee or AR), what did YOU think about the match?

Be ready with an answer to that one after each and every match. It can help jump start an assessment, and can be used as a tool to lead an assessor down a path that you as referee want to go down. Now, it may be short lived as if there is a topic an assessor wants to cover, they are going to cover it, but you can start things off on the right foot for your team by helping the discussion down the right path.

Here are some answers I would avoid, however each is free to use them at their own peril:

I was AWESOME today!!

I really stunk today, just fail me now.

Well aren't YOU supposed to tell me how I did today?

From a previous post I offered some thoughts about how to handle what might be a tense situation with an assessor. Taking a look back, here are the basic points:

1. Be calm. Assessors (believe it or not) are there to help, not to berate you. Engage in a dialog to understand where the assessor is coming from, and where you as referee, are coming from.

2. Be honest. If you blew it, say you blew it. If you did't, say you didn't. If you don't know, say you don't know. Nothing will get you into hotter water faster than saying something that is obviously not true to an assessor. Some may buy the BS ... the best will know better.

3. Ask - What would you have done? You might just get a blank look indicating they have no idea. Other braver assessors may say they don't know. The best will have a thought for you to ponder, as a single correct solution rarely presents itself in this game.

4. Say - Thank you. Assessors, as I said before are there to help, not just hang around. You can disagree with the assessment, think they got it all wrong in all aspects, and that they were a blind, clueless, ex-referee trying to relive their career through you. That might be true, every word ... but they took the time to try and help. Appreciate that fact if nothing else.

5. Think about it. There are times when a point in an assessment will not make sense until much later in life. Review those older assessment and rethink about that situation and how you would solve it the next time. It may just happen again.

6. Be your worst assessor. I became an assessor at a young age to try to think like an assessor and understand what they were after. I would perform my own self-assessment and try to come up with the questions they would ask. Sometimes I got it right, sometimes I got it wrong, but in all cases I was thinking about the match, and how I could make my performance better next time.


Getting an assessment after a whole day on the pitch can be no fun. I know this, been there, done that. Just be ready to answer THAT question, and consider the above points, and you'll be just fine.

Day 1: As of now, the clock is ticking

To keep on the Top Gun theme for just a minute, Commander Heatherly, call sign "Jester" (played by Michael Ironside) stated, "The clock is ticking, and as of now we are keeping score", the first time everyone was together at Top Gun.

This is as true in tournaments as it is in the movies. Stated another way, as soon as you leave your house for the tournament, you need to be "on", until you return to your home.

Seems like a lot of pressure and provides for very little down time eh. Well, that's the deal.

Even when you are back at your room resting for the next day, you could get a knock at your door from the assignment staff looking for help (it happened).

You could get a knock at your door from an assessor to discuss a point on your assessment (it happened).

You are being sized up by players, fans, assessors, referees and staff most if not all of the time. It happens.

When you travel, how are you dressed? I am going in my dress blues, right down to the federation tie. When you are in a group of folks traveling together, which do you think looks better, a bunch of folks in mis-matched "street clothes", or a group of folks in matching uniforms?

Same thing when you have down time between games. Are you walking around with that old, mustard stained, sleeveless, off color slogan T-Shirt, or do you have a crisp state logo polo shirt on?

You get the point I'm sure. Just keep it mind what Jester said. As of THIS moment, the clock is ticking, and everyone is keeping score.

See everyone on the plane. I'll be the guy in the pressed US Soccer jacket, grey slacks, crisp white shirt, federation tie, and polished dress shoes.

"You two are going to Top Gun ..."

"On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School. The flyers call it: TOP GUN."


Does anyone remember this, or am I really showing my age? Wait a second, please don't answer that ...


So here we are on the cusp of the 2010 Regional I tournament beginning. I found that in my experience as a referee, the tournament took on a heightened flavor when the World Cup was being played. This is based in my experience of 1994 when I was at regionals and watched the USA v. BRA match (match report) with a group of referees that had just worked really hard all week long ... anyone remember the bicycle kick that just missed the post from Balboa? Here we are again, a World Cup, a Regional Tournament, and I am going ... this time as an assessor.


It got me thinking about being selected for such a tournament and the emotions that went into it for me. It is very stirring, exciting and scary all at the same time. Maybe like Maverick and Goose going to Top Gun. Well, maybe like Goose going to Top Gun ...

Now you may have been thinking I was speaking purely about this from a refereeing perspective. I was not. I feel that way today as an assessor. Like referees, assessors are chosen for a variety of reasons, but among them, I would opine, is ability as an assessor to help guide referees.

This is a pretty awesome responsibility when I sit down and think about it. There are a great many lessons learned from the pitch as a referee. Many that I personally carry forward to this day off of my life. To offer such guidance to these developing referees takes some careful thought.

Over the next (6) days we will have a bit of a mini-series in things I learned from tournament play as well as some reporting on the goings on of the tournament itself. These posts are not "do as I do", but to provoke thought about what may make sense in a multi-day tournament context. Each reader is on their own to figure out how to use the information, and I offer it in that vein.

So sit back, relax, and come with me on a 6 day voyage to one of the premier youth soccer tournaments in the United States today, and all it has to offer.

Sir ... drop the sandwich

So there I was minding my own business the other day at a match when I hear, "Sir, you can't eat here. Drop the sandwich."

I actually thought it was a joke at first. After a second though it was clear that the sandwich police were in no laughing mood as I was told again in an increasingly irritated and increasing in volume tone that I can't eat on the "synthetics" (i.e. the turf fields).

Resisting my generally smart remark self, understanding I was there in an official capacity, I complied, despite the really rude and remedial tone the field marshal took with me as he further lectured me to toss my chips and 7-Up as well. There is no justice, is there.

During the course of the match I proceeded to the other side of the "synthetic" field and behold, what did I see but kids doing what kids do in the hot sun ... eating ice cream!! It was great, they were having a blast watching the match and eating their treat ... and getting it all over the field. Ah, sweet sticky justice was mine.

Honestly I had to laugh out loud as here was a great example of one part of the field where something was enforced, and another where anything goes. Now for anyone who shares the view of the sandwich police, I understand why there is no eating on the fields, and I am familar with the principle of Ignorantia juris non excusat so I am not condoning my sandwich offence, or the marshals churlish behavior, just using it to make a point about refereeing.

That point being a referee has to be consistent across the whole field, throughout the whole match. If certain offences are not called in a particular part of the field, the players will (a) take advantage of that until it happens, and (b) lose respect for the referee as they are allowing things for some and not for others.

Have you ever seen a referee call a hand ball? Sure, lots of times right?

Now take that same situation and move it inside the defenders penalty area. Have you seen the referee make THAT call? Yes ... but less frequently I would opine.

WHY?

Do the laws of physics change in that 792 square yard space? Why are fouls harder to come by?

I'm not really sure. Maybe a referee does not want to change the outcome of a match by making a call in there understanding what the consequences might be. I can appreciate that. As I stated before, it can take courage to make a match altering decision, like send a player off, or give a PK.

You have to do it though. You will lose the respect from the players if you don't give that foul, or move it outside the box if it was close. Let me give you a hint here, if its on the line of the penalty area, it is a PK. Take a look at Law 1, page 6, for the answer.

To fail to apply the law consistently across the whole field, will lead to issues with players as they will get frustrated and show it in actions or words. They are the ones who need to believe in your decisions as they are the ones who will decide how the match is going to go that day.

Make the tough call if you need to, regardless of where they are on the field. While it may go the wrong way for some players, if it is the right decision, the players will respect you for it.

Time to pack his bags?

With the results of the USA v. SVN behind us, there is a burning question in my head. Are we going to see Coulibaly controlling a match again in this World Cup?

I'm not going to answer it though, or even hint at an opinion. Some of you may cry "FOUL" to this, but as I said before, I am not there, have never been in that particular spot, and did not see what he saw, or did not see. I can not in good conscious second guess a referee that was meters from the play.

Lets let history be our guide. Does anyone know a guy names Esse Baharmast? Does anyone recall what occurred in the 1998 World Cup match he presided over? Well since a picture is worth a thousand words, here is one that some may recall.

You see, a referee can go from villain to hero in a short time. For those interested, the full story is here.

So just to reiterate, I am emphatically not sharing an opinion about the decision in the 86' which pulled a USA goal out of the net. I am however going to talk about how at times assessments can be uncomfortable things. I will opine that this assessment will be uncomfortable for the entire refereeing team.

So there you are, had a big match of some type, and you are being assessed. During the match there was some type of controversy that maybe only you saw, or maybe everyone EXCEPT you saw. The match ends and you and your assistants go to the locker room among shouting fans and players.

You know an assessor is coming ... it was a tough match ... you don't want to get criticized about it. What do you do?

1. Be calm. Assessors (believe it or not) are there to help, not to berate you. Engage in a dialog to understand where the assessor is coming from, and where you as referee, are coming from.

2. Be honest. If you blew it, say you blew it. If you did't, say you didn't. If you don't know, say you don't know. Nothing will get you into hotter water faster than saying something that is obviously not true to an assessor. Some may buy the BS ... the best will know better.

3. Ask - What would you have done? You might just get a blank look indicating they have no idea. Other braver assessors may say they don't know. The best will have a thought for you to ponder, as a single correct solution rarely presents itself in this game.

4. Say - Thank you. Assessors, as I said before are there to help, not just hang around. You can disagree with the assessment, think they got it all wrong in all aspects, and that they were a blind, clueless, ex-referee trying to relive their career through you. That might be true, every word ... but they took the time to try and help. Appreciate that fact if nothing else.

5. Think about it. There are times when a point in an assessment will not make sense until much later in life. Review those older assessment and rethink about that situation and how you would solve it the next time. It may just happen again.

6. Be your worst assessor. I became an assessor at a young age to try to think like an assessor and understand what they were after. I would perform my own self-assessment and try to come up with the questions they would ask. Sometimes I got it right, sometimes I got it wrong, but in all cases I was thinking about the match, and how I could make my performance better next time.

Remember, learning about this game is an evolution, not a destination. Nothing impresses this assessor more than honest introspection and a desire to get better next time out regardless of the previous result. I suspect this is the same for most assessors out there today.

West Virginia ... or Bust

Well ... it's that time again.

Where players are finishing up their spring seasons and getting ready to compete in State Cup tournament action to see if they will be representing their states, and maybe their regions.

Referees are tuning up from the winter off, or optimally, from a winter indoor season and themselves are getting ready to compete for the same coveted spots as the teams.

Referee assessors, if they are worth their salt, are indeed doing the same. Readying their understanding of the particular tournaments and refreshing themselves about the laws of the game all in the knowledge that they will have the opportunity to mold some (probably) younger referees in the short days ahead.

This series of posts will deal with the lead up to, and details of, the 2010 US Youth Soccer Region I Championships. (Look here for the official website and here for Region I tournament information.)

My goal is to get more behind the scenes that would be typical, in a way that will protect the anonymity of the folks that I will be interacting with ... if they so choose, and give some insight along the way that some may find helpful. Others I anticipate will not, and that is okay too as sometimes learning what *not* to do from others is a valuable lesson.

So hang on, and lets see what develops.