Oct 17, 2018 | CYO Development | 28307 views
CYO Referees
The CYO is a league that was born out of a love for the game. We strive to develop all our players through on and off-ice activities, skills and drills, game play, and teamwork. But the CYO is about more than just developing players - we also develop referees.
Some of the young referees who are on the ice for our CYO house league games are CYO Bantam and Midget players with a high love of the game who want to take their development and training to a whole other level, helping the younger players learn the game, and mediating the play on the ice.
It is often the first thought of every parent, player, or bench staff when a call is made against them or their team by the referee that the call is wrong, the ref made a mistake, the ref wasn't watching, the ref didn't see X, Y, or Z. And then the insults start flying, from both the benches and the stands--insults that are not politely worded, screamed by adults, at children, who are out there trying to do their best to learn just as much as the players are.
Our young referees have completed and passed a multi-week OHMA certification course and through the CYO are now gathering game experience during the season officiating the lower aged games to help them expand and develop their skillset, just as we do with our players. While almost all young referees are paired with more seasoned veterans for each game, that may not always be the case due to a shortage of available ice officials--a sad state that affects leagues across the country.
Our house league players clearly hear the insults and bullying targeted at the officials, why would they want to be one?
It is extremely important for all CYO players, bench staff, volunteers, and spectators to remember that our young referees are part of our CYO family, too. They are the older siblings of the players on your bench. The son or daughter of the person sitting in the stands beside you. Your child's schoolmate. A member of your church. They are students. And they are learning, too.
Please help us keep the CYO as the best league in the region by showing our support and respect to all our members.
Even the ones in the stripped shirts.