As part of our
joint celebration of "Officials Appreciation Week," the SCIAC and its coordinators of officials are pleased to share some thoughts on the pathway to becoming an official. Our second feature covering water polo is courtesy of Andrew Gates.
SCIAC Officiating Hub
"For someone wishing to become a water polo official, the path to getting started is relatively easy. You can start with club water polo, organized by USA Water Polo, or you can start with high school organized by the SCAF water polo Board of Directors.
An interested referee would be given classroom and on-deck training to get them up to speed. After a year or so of learning how to call the game, you can move up to higher-level club and/or high school games.
From there, after certain requirements have been met, a referee can petition to move up to the college level of officiating. Most refs first officiate at the Junior or Community College level, followed by the Division III level and work their way up the ranks to DII and hopefully the DI level!!
You can reach out to USA Water Polo (Club) and SCAF (high school and Community College) at the following websites:
USAWP:
usawaterpolo.org
SCAF:
scafwp.org
We look forward to seeing new officials on the deck soon!"
Interested in Becoming a Water Polo Official?
Start your new career or side hustle, or just give a little back to a sport you love today! Click the above link.
SCIAC officials in the postseason and moving up levels
Mike Stewart, Tony Karaman, Andrew Gates, Victoria Mezack, and
German Lopez all officiated the USA Water Polo DIII National Championships in the last year.
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