An inside look at the 2023 WCC Referee Seminar

Dec 22

-Written by Kaitlyn Trowbridge

Hey everyone!

My name is Kaitlyn Trowbridge and I am a NISOA national referee candidate in the Greater Chicago Chapter (GCC). I was fortunate enough to attend the NISOA Women’s Summit this year in Raleigh, North Carolina, and as a returner, this year was quite special.

The event kicked off with a game of bingo as we watched the NCAA D1 women’s Semifinals. As we looked for examples of good teamwork, speedy transitions, and stellar penalty area movement, we also picked up on jokes among the NISOA board and staff. For new and returning NISOA attendees, this watch party was a great opportunity to network and get to know other NISOA members in the community while also discussing events that occurred in the semifinal game and sharing their own refereeing stories. No matter how far you traveled or how long you have been officiating, there was a story to tell and a referee to relate to reminding us all about why we do what we do.

The next day consisted of inspiring storytelling, education break-out sessions, and panel discussions with the officials from the NCAA semifinal games as well as a couple NCAA conference assigners. Tori Penso, Brooke Mayo, and Mimi Rensch gave us an inside look into their experience at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and even shared some behind the scenes footage of preparation and VAR technology. It was interesting to see the extensive training that went behind game preparation and listen to the trio’s mindset going into each appointment. You felt like you were back in Australia with them!

Breakout sessions consisted of a deep dive into challenges officials face, analysis of player management of the NCAA semifinal matches played the night before, and education surrounding the considerations of handball. Learning about Mimi’s story was incredible as the challenges and barriers she faced throughout her career were extremely hard to overcome, and it also gave the group a glimpse of her resilience. In Corey Rockwell ’s session about player management, the feedback given was informative as Corey’s extensive experience as a FIFA AR and NCAA official was very insightful. We also had the chance to hear from Nicholas Balcer sharing his preparation for the semifinal game and some of the dialogue that occurred on the pitch. Lastly, Brooke Mayo’s handball bootcamp left the room on the same page about handball considerations and prepared officials with the terminology to support their point of view.

While each presentation had its own highlights, the panel discussions were my personal favorite as the conversation was both amusing and constructive. Not only did we have the chance to hear from the semifinal crews, most panel questions extended beyond the semifinal game itself, and we had the chance to learn more about their careers and lives (congratulations Jonathan Weiner for becoming a dad)! The second panelists consisted of our own John Collins and NCAA assignors Brian Miller and Chris Penso who answered questions about moving up in collegiate officiating, assigning pet peeves, and struggles of being an assigner.

Sunday was our last day at the summit, and yet the NISOA board made the most out of our remaining time together. Our first session in the morning consisted of an inside look at clips from the FIFA Women’s World Cup games along with commentary from the trio about best practices that they encourage us to implement in our game. We then shifted to the field for our last session running through warmups, strength and training exercises, group offside drills, and practicing signals and movement around the penalty area. These took clips that we reviewed to the next level and gave officials the chance to practice what was discussed.

Overall, this event did not disappoint. If you are seeking more ways to learn from the best and get involved in the NISOA community, I highly recommend attending next year. I hope to see you there!