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All Southeastern Hockey Officials Association (SHOA) officials are registered USA Hockey referees. USA Hockey is the national governing body for amateur hockey in the United States and the only source of training for hockey officials at the grassroots level. Certification as a USA Hockey referee qualifies you to work all levels of amateur hockey including the Olympics and is a first step to becoming a professional referee. SHOA members include an active NHL linesman, a former NHL referee and several minor league pro officials. To become registered with USA Hockey as an official you must complete a three-step process. |
Attend a USA
Hockey Officiating Seminar. The one day seminars are usually held at various
rinks in the Baltimore-Washington area. Seminars are scheduled on weekends
beginning in mid-August, running through early November. The seminar schedule
is posted here for your convenience. There are four
levels of seminar. New officials are required to attend a Level 1 seminar. At
the seminar you will have six hours of classroom training and two hours of
on-ice drills. Make sure you sign the seminar attendance form so you get credit
for being there! To be notified of the future seminars, we recommend that you
visit the Southeastern District Website.
When you get there, click on "How To Become A Referee". This will
automatically enter you into the district's database and will ensure that you
are notified of upcoming seminars.
At the seminar you will
receive instruction in the basics of officiating. Classroom topics that will be
covered include the rulebook, signals, positioning, equipment, and penalty
calling procedures. On the ice you will learn some power skating techniques,
how to conduct a face-off, and proper positioning. Continued study will be
necessary and you will receive a Basic Officiating Manual to read at home.
All officials are
required to register online at www.usahockey.com.
Find the “Officials” icon and follow the prompts. You will need to know your
social security number and medical insurance provider and policy number to
complete the registration form. Minors will require the consent of a parent or
guardian.
Once your registration information and fee are received by USA Hockey, you will be sent a rulebook. The last step is to successfully complete an open book exam, which is available online at the USA Hockey website New officials are required to answer the first fifty (50) questions on the 100 question test. The questions are designed to familiarize the new official with the rulebook. When you complete the open book test, USA Hockey will grade the test and inform you of the results immediately. USA Hockey will then mail you your crest.
Not quite. You have met the USA Hockey requirements, you are covered by USA Hockey insurance, and ready to officiate games. But, in order to work games under the SHOA jurisdiction and to get paid for it, you must become a member in good standing of SHOA. Three things are required of officials who are new to SHOA (this includes brand new officials as well as seasoned officials who arrive to the SHOA area from another part of the country). The first step is attendance at a SHOA New Member Meeting.
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What is a New Member meeting? Im glad you
asked. A New Member Meeting is an orientation session for referees new to
SHOA, not just new referees. At a New Member Meeting, you will learn
how SHOA works, how to get scheduled and paid, and have an opportunity to ask
questions. SHOA is under contract to provide qualified officials to the
majority of the youth leagues and many adult leagues in Maryland, D.C. and
Northern Virginia.. You will also learn about the disciplinary procedures if
you accept a game assignment and don't show up. You will also learn about how
to write and submit game reports if you assess a game suspending penalty.
SHOA and the leagues we support take sportsmanship very seriously. Players
who engage in unsportsmanlike behavior may be suspended and sometimes banned
from organized hockey. |
We understand that it can be difficult to
attend a New Member Meeting since there are only a few of these meetings per
year and everybody's schedule is very busy. As an alternative to attending a
New Member Meeting, you can now complete a short open book questionnaire, at
your leisure, when it is convenient for you. This test is simply a list a
questions that are designed to make you understand what SHOA is and how we
operate.
Two other very important steps need to be
completed. You need to fill out a W-9 form (for the
IRS) and you need to sign the Independent
Contractor Agreement (ICA) and return it to SHOA Secretary. (The ICA is a
very important legal document for all SHOA members and it is mandatory that a
new ICA be signed each year.)
After you have completed all of the above you may begin to officiate games for SHOA, and their respective clients. And don't worry, your first assignments will be non-body checking games with the younger age groups. We will assign you with senior partners who will help you learn the ropes. As you progress, you will be assigned to higher level games and be eligible to attend advanced referee training camps.
$10.00 Mandatory Affiliate Fee - Please bring a check made payable to Southeastern District Officiating Program Assessment or SEDOPA. This covers the cost of the seminar. This fee is waived for all new (i.e. not previously registered) officials.
What is the Affiliate
Fee for?
The Affiliate
fee is to cover some of the expenses that are associated with the production of
USA Hockey Seminars throughout the Southeastern District.
$25.00 SHOA Annual dues, taken from first
payroll check, (nothing out of pocket, roughly one game fee). This fee covers
the administrative costs of SHOA operations. Officials under the age of sixteen are exempt from
annual dues.
How Old Do I Have To Be?
There is no minimum age limit, however you may only officiate games below your current age group. For example, if you are a Peewee you may only officiate games at the Squirt and Mite level. Generally, twelve is a good age to start. However, there have been younger officials who have been very successful. There is no maximum age. There are active USA Hockey officials 70 and older.
What Level Seminar Do I
Go To?
You can attend any seminar that states it will have training in the Level 1 category.
How many Levels Are
There?
There are four. Level 1 or Basic through Level 4 or Advanced. Everyone starts at ground zero, with the basics.
Do I Have To Join SHOA?
If you plan on officiating games in Northern Virginia, Maryland or the District of Columbia then the answer is yes. SHOA provides officials for many leagues and games played in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area. Included in these games are the Atlantic Youth Hockey League, the Capital Beltway Hockey League, the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League and the Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League, many of the youth house leagues, and the majority of adult recreational hockey programs in the metropolitan area.
Check this page
often. The seminar season runs typically from August to November and seminars
are posted as soon as the information is available.
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SHOA Webmaster |
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Didier Devynck |
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