New uniforms required for 2023

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Hope everyone’s year is off to a good start.  Many of us are currently officiating matches for US Soccer, High School, and other leagues but as you know, this is the start of the assigning cycle for the college season.  That means two things:

1. Please consider your Fall plans and work/personal schedules, and make sure your availability is as current as possible in all assigning platforms.  This is not a singular exercise and must be repeated regularly.
2. Make use of available educational/developmental opportunities for professional improvement and to ensure you are ready for your first college match.

Regarding the latter, you should all be receiving regular communication from NISOA on free Preseason Webinars.  The most recent (March 15) provided valuable insight on team tactics from ACC Coordinator of Soccer Officials, Carmen Serbio and Florida State Women's Head Coach & 2022 ACC tournament Champion, Brian Penskey.  If you aren’t receiving these invitations, please reach out to NISOA at communications@nisoa.com ,

Additionally, the NCAA will host two upcoming officiating seminars that will provide free educational opportunities for officials:
 

Saturday, May 6, 2023
Boston, MA – Boston University
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Saturday June 3, 2023
Dallas, TX – University of Texas at Dallas
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

While these are in-person clinics, they would likely be a very valuable experience for those who can make the commitment.  Registration is available here: https://forms.microsoft.com/r/4yhrhgVHsc .

Lastly, the Board has set the date for the Fall Clinic as Saturday, August 5, 2023 – schedule and location TBD.  With a 4+ month notice on this singular, mandatory event, we’re looking for maximum participation and respectfully ask that each member make every effort to attend.  Recognizing that some conflicts are unavoidable, we also ask that you notify us in writing as soon as you are aware of a conflict so we can make alternative arrangements for you to complete the fitness and instructional requirements of the 2023 season.

Good luck this Spring and stay tuned for additional educational opportunities and detail on the Fall Clinic.

Regards,

________________________________

Wes Williams

President

GISOA

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

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

https://proreferees.com/roster/referees/guido-gonzales-jr/

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. 

 Brent Heidorn | UWG (westga.edu) 

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.