Corey Rockwell, NISOA Senior Director of Education and GISOA alumnus, will be leading a NISOA Summit at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA on Saturday July 27th. Corey is the longest running FIFA AR in the history of US Soccer and has been a MLS AR since 2005.
On-field training sessions will include three separate modules on Offside, Video Review and Wall Management with Spray. These sessions will provide a unique opportunity to develop your acumen around these three critical topics through direct participation and practical application, versus traditional “lecture-style” instruction.
For any who haven’t met Corey and might wonder whether he is qualified to provide such high-level instruction, here are just a few highlights from his truly amazing career:
Joining Corey will be three other highly accomplished referee instructors:
Carmen Serbio, NISOA’s Director of Financial Management & Director of Assignors, and ACC Coordinator of Officials
Dan Lukash, NISOA’s Sr. Director of Programs
Rich Grady, NCAA Secretary Rules Editor
FROM COREY: 7/20/2024
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Thanks to the collaboration of the GISOA Board and Chris Heintzman's new member identification committee, the following new members were announced to the GISOA chapter at the 2024 Clinic.
Congratulations to:
Benjamin Abrams
Scoot Allen
Florian Bethune
TJ Clay
Blake Cwieka
Sarah Fraser
Yavor Gavanarov
Alex Hill
Kieran Holton
Ethan Lynde
Sean Merfeld
Raphael Mospanyuk
Dustin Musik
Marvin Osorio
Mike Wise
President Wes Williams welcomes the new 2024 GISOA members.
August 5, 2023
Current MLS Referee, Guido Gonzales, Jr., was the featured clinician for the 2023 GISOA Clinic. As many GISOA members know, Guido was a former member of our organization and received our "Referee of the Year" award in 2013. Guido was the USL Referee of the Year in 2019 and made his MLS debut in 2018. He has over 57 MLS games under his belt as a center referee and far more as 4th and VAR. Last week he was the center for a Leagues Cup (MLS vs. Liga MX) match.
Guido's presentation was extremely interactive and focused on continually improving and evaluating every performance. He shared video clips of the positive and negative aspects of his positioning, decision making, and communication. Guido asked the attendees for their personal perspectives and candidly answered all questions. He stressed the importance of putting in your time refereeing as many games as possible, at all levels (youth, HS, college, adult, professional), and maintaining your focus on performing at your best. Self-evaluation and learning from assessors and colleagues are a vital component in advancing to the next level.
Guido expressed the value in completing the small work/grinding that is necessary throughout the contest. Working on positioning, movement, sprinting, anticipation, AR interaction, and reading the game. He emphasized that good referees are close to play, help the AR's in challenging situations, are good communicators and take responsibility.
Guido's message of learning from experiences, improving each game, being receptive to criticism, be willing to change and remaining cool, calm and collective in emotional situations, was a great lesson to the attendees.
The GISOA chapter and attendees were extremely blessed to have an MLS Referee return to his GISOA home to share his experiences and expertise. Thanks Guido, you are a great friend and resource to multiple GISOA members!
FORMER GISOA MEMBER
August 5, 2023
Former GISOA President, Griff Sims, was recognized for his 11 years of leadership by President Wes Williams. Wes stressed the positive growth and development of the chapter and the exceptional training throughout Griff's tenure. He recognized Griff's dedication, passion and the countless hours he spent working towards bettering each and every member of GISOA. Griff will continue working with the Board as the Past President. He remains an active Referee, AR, and 4th official in the SEC, Sun Belt, Peach Belt and other conferences in the southeast. The 2023 season will be Griff's 39th year as a GISOA member!
August 5, 2023
Former GISOA President, Griff Sims, recognized Brent Heidorn as the recipient of the 2022 Ernest Johnson Memorial GISOA "Referee of the Year." Griff highlighted Brent's dedication, professionalism, work ethic, Christian values and exceptional fitness to the membership. Brent, a former member of the South Carolina Chapter, he has been a GISOA member for the past 15 years. Dr. Brent Heidorn is currently serving as the Interim Department Chair of Sport Management, Wellness, and Physical Education at the University of West Georgia. He is a tenured Professor and the Associate Dean for Research and Assessment in the College of Education (COE). In addition to his role in the department, he leads the COE through the assessment and approval process for all academic programs, in addition to other administrative responsibilities. His educational degrees include a B.S. in Health and Physical Education from Bob Jones University, M.A. in Health and Exercise Science from Furman University, and a Ph.D. in Physical Education Pedagogy from the University of South Carolina.
The following new members were announced to the GISOA chapter at the 2023 Clinic.
Congratulations to:
Luis Aburto
Cameron Allen
Robert Benge
Ryan Clepper
Rosa Garcia
Danilo Hernandez
Deny Kulasinac
Robert Landry
Azai Martinez
Paul Thornton
John Zhang
President Wes Williams welcomes the new 2023 GISOA members.
August 5, 2023
Thanks to Assignor Stuart Dunn, the GISOA Chapter has found a way to re-purpose their old referee uniforms. Stuart informed President Wes Williams about a foundation named The Dantes House Project located in Conyers, GA. Prior to the 2023 GISOA Clinic, members were asked to bring referee uniforms and other items to the Clinic to donate to the foundation. A total of 78 referee uniforms were collected, along with 31 pairs of socks, 23 miscellaneous shirts, 9 pairs of shorts, 6 sweat bands and 2 pairs of sweatpants. GISOA encourages other NISOA chapters to find similar avenues to donate their old referee uniforms and ref gear.
The Dantes House Project
The charity driven program that collects used uniforms (mainly soccer) and distributes them to children in Gambia who are less fortunate. The Dantes House Project is designed to give children a sense of inclusion and team, which is otherwise met by "shirts vs topless" or "white shirts vs-colored shirts". The Dantes House Project's goal is to create an inspiring environment for the youth of Gambia through their love of soccer. Sharing makes the world go around.
The Dantes House Project originated from Telmo Dantes; a child born in Banjul, a Gambian who experienced the transformative power of soccer. His love for soccer took him to Greenville, Tennessee where he earned a soccer scholarship to Tusculum University and helped his team advance to NCAA Division II Elite 8. Since then, he spends his time dedicated to coaching soccer to youth as the boys Director of Coaching East Atlanta Dutch Lions FC in Conyers, GA. His desire to give back to his home community has led Telmo to collect donations of used soccer gear and to hold days of soccer camps for youth in Gambia.
GISOA President Wes Williams proudly displays the donated referee uniforms.
Vice-President Larry Pachon reviews the fitness results.
Featured Clinician Guido Gonzales, Jr.
Brian Grozdanoff presents the results of his trip with VP Pachon to the 2023 United Soccer Coaches annual convention in Philadelphia.
L to R: Featured Clinician Gonzales, Vice President Pachon and President Williams.
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