OFFICIATING APPLICATIONS NEWS
OFFICIALS' CERTIFICATION
We currently have a great crew of certified officials in Colorado; a breakout is shown below Colorado Certified Officials as of January 1, 2020
Nationally, there are about 5,000 certified officials; 27% are Apprentice; 28% are Associate; 23% are National; and 22% are Master level. 70% men and 30% women
Certification Overview
The benefits of USATF officials' certification include: certification recognized nation-wide; training; opportunities to work regional and national championship meets; a USATF rule book; official's ID card and pin; and more. Training and certification of officials is central to USATF's goal of ensuring fair and safe competitive opportunities for athletes. USATF recognizes an official's skill development through four progressive levels of certification: Apprentice, Association, National, and Master; plus an Emeritus category. Officials are certified on an overall basis, and also for specific disciplines. Certification Requirements See full details at the USATF Officials’ Certification page at this page.
Send your items to Rich Schornstein or bring them to a clinic.
Here are the checklists: Throws Horizontal Jumps Vertical Jumps Clerk Umpire Use this form to request an upgrade of your certification level. Certification Upgrade Criteria
(From the National Officials Committee Certification Regulation)
One of the requirements for certification is attendance at certification and recertification clinics. The Colorado Association conducts officials' training clinics in December and January of each year to help develop and improve the skills of its members, and to satisfy training requirements for certification. We provide both classroom instruction & discussion, as well as practical demonstrations on the track.
See information about the clinics in the "News" section above. New Officials' Certification Clinics - If you believe you can gather 7 or more individuals interested in becoming a certified official, we'll be gald to travel to a location and put on a clinic. Contact Rich or Marty to schedule one. Officials' Best Practices
The USATF National Officials Committee has created a library of more than 100 "Best Practices" documents, developed by experienced officials around the country on almost all events and officiating positions. They go beyond the rulebooks to cover individual event planning and control; venue preparation; briefings to athletes and officials' crews; evaluation of officials' performance; and much more. Most are one page documents that can be laminated to keep on a clipboard, or to use as training materials.
Visit the Best Practices site occasionally to view new and updated materials -- each has a version date on it, and more than 10 new or updated documents have been posted in the last six months. Use them as is, or modify them to suit your needs; and help spread the word to other officials about the existence of these valuable materials.
Officiating Opportunities We encourage you to keep your skills current and to help with conducting competitions for athletes by working as many meets as you can. Just get in touch with the officials' coordinator or contact person for the competition and offer your help.
Becoming an Official We're seeking men and women to serve as competition officials. Officials work on a volunteer basis at youth, high school, masters, college, and open track and field as well as cross country meets; road racing; and race walking events in Colorado. No previous experience is necessary; training is provided in classrooms and on the job. If you're already assisting with competition, our certification process can help improve your skills and lead to work at larger meets such as regional and national championships throughout the country. What's the first step? Please take a look at the "Certification", "Training", and "Officiating Opportunities" pages here on our site. Then make contact with one of the following individuals who can answer your questions and make arrangements to get you started as an Apprentice official. We'll be glad to have you join us!
> Boulder area and University of Colorado: Dan Pierce > Fort Collins area and Colorado State University: Rich Ricketts > US Air Force Academy: Jim Murphy > Colorado Springs & State-wide: Marty Johnson USATF National Officials Committee The National Officials Committee has a comprehensive website with many valuable resources. Click here to visit this site and be sure to navigate through the various screens on the menu on the left hand side of the page. The National Officials Committee publishes a useful periodic electonic newsletter - click here to subscribe
Track & Field Rules To access the various rulebooks for track and field, you have two options:
Note: Colorado officials receive a complimentary current year USATF rulebook in the first year in which they are certified or recertified for the current Olympiad.. Uniforms & Equipment Officials are expected to dress appropriately and maintain a professional appearance at all times. Bring appropriate gear for all types of weather. Meet management may specify a uniform for specific meets. If not otherwise specified, the National uniform is always acceptable; it consists of:
The USATF Uniforms/Equipment/Merchandise page offers uniform items including the National polo shirt, hats, raingear, duffle bags, and other equipment, with sources for ordering items. To order a blue Certified Official polo shirt ($55.00 plus shipping), go to this link (you will need a code that can be obtained from Rich Schornstein). For a list of suggested equipment for various events and disciplines, visit the Best Practices library, specifically the "Event Preparations" sheet for your event. MEETING MINUTES & NEWSLETTERS Officials' Committee Documents Committee Reports 2018: January April July September 2017: 2016: January April July September November 2015: January April July September November 2014: January April July September November "Colorado Officials' Notes" Electronic Newsletters: 2018: 2018-1 2018-2 2018-3 2017: 2017-1 2017-2 2017-3 2016: 2016-1 2016-2 2016-3 2016-4 2016-5 2015: 2015-1 2015-2 2015-3 2015-4 2015-5 2015-6 2014: 2014-1 2014-2 2014-3 2014-4 2014-5 2013: 2013-1 2013-2 2031-3 2013-4 2013-5 2013-6 2013-7 2013-8