Hammer...I remember having to pass a fitness test for the USSF Grade 6 and I could've sworn that I had to pass a fitness test for HS back then. I may be wrong as it has been about 30 years since I officiated my first HS game.“Do they still require a fitness test”
OHSAA Has never required a fitness test for any sport.
As for the referee ratings process, the system is flawed and needs to be fixed. Here are some changes that need to happen immediately: 1. Force all HS Coaches to rate the referees and hold the ones that don't accountable. The Athletic Directors should not be the ones evaluating the referees without the soccer coach signing off on it. 2. Before a referee can be added to the tournament pool, they have to be assessed at least 2 times officiating high level regular season games. The process would need to repeat in order to officiate district finals and regional games and then again to officiate final four games. 3. Differentiate between the CR and the ARs on myOHSAA. Unless the coach asks ahead of time or asks their AD, there's nothing on the website to differentiate between the three referees. 4. Add more criteria to the referee rating system instead of the general 1-5 scale: Rating criteria is: 1-Unsatisfactory, 2-Below Average, 3-Average, 4-Above Average, 5-Excellent. Add criteria such as: Fitness/Ability to keep up with the run of play, Ability to control the game and keep the players safe, Called the game fair and even handed, etc. Here's an example of what I would like to see: College Referee Rating System FYI: Here's a link to how OHSAA chooses referees for tournament games: OHSAA Referee Selection Process In comparison, here's how USSF chooses referees for higher and lower level games in the Dayton area: Dayton USSF Referee Assignments & Ratings I know that in order for me to get the Grade 6, I had to officiate a minimum number of centers at a high level (U-15 and above) and I had to do ARs on college games. Also, I remember having Juergen Mudrow and other assessors come out to evaluate me as both a CR and as an AR. It was through their feedback that I really grew as a referee. The HS system is too convoluted and parts of it look like a good old boy's club to me. It needs to be simplified and there needs to be a greater emphasis on experience (# of high level games completed where coaches gave the referees a score of 4/5 or 80% and above), coach ratings, and assessor ratings. This would definitely narrow the pool of referees for regionals and state and would help to ensure they were the most experienced and highest rated.
Last edited: