Second Annual WCC Referee Seminar a Huge Success
WCC Referee Seminar Attendees & Staff
My name is Kiah Haslett and I am a NISOA national referee with the Middle Tennessee ISOA.
I was one of the lucky referees selected to attend the 2022 NISOA Women’s College Soccer Seminar. The event was held Dec. 2-4 in Raleigh, North Carolina, coinciding with the NCAA’s Division 1 women’s semifinal, and I was asked to write a quick reflection about my experience.
I could describe the agenda: The seminar was short, quick: An evening watching matches, a day in a classroom and a morning debrief. We engaged in goal setting, we gleaned life lessons from Canadian FIFA referee Carol Anne Chenard’s incredible career, we talked about the difference in the men and women’s game. We tried to understand and correctly apply the handball update. We talked about the semifinal matches with the officials on the games and gave them our feedback. But that wouldn’t tell really you what it was like, after several seasons of mostly virtual instruction, to learn in community.
Group Discussions
An integral part of the WCC Referee Seminar experience
There is a gap when I sit at my laptop, watching yet another virtual presentation, separated by screens and miles from the top referees in North America who are sharing their time and wisdom with me. It’s staid, stilted, a little disconnected. Sure, it was convenient to sign onto the evening bimonthly NISOA webinars this fall, but it was lonely too. It’s not the way I learn best, and it’s definitely why I love being a collegiate referee. The Women’s College Soccer Seminar lacked that gap; it closed the vacuum that I experience in my virtual learning.
Sr. Director of Education, Corey Rockwell, was the center referee for one of the WCC Semifinal matches
So instead of a rundown of the agenda, let me give you a sense of the environment. Let me describe the vibe. The setting was intimate, small. The group was mostly, but not entirely, female officials; there was a range of ages, geographies, ethnicities and experiences. Strangers and acquaintances became friends; the group had a number of inside jokes by the end of the seminar.
Keynote Speaker Carol Anne Chenard presented on the Psychology of Refereeing
We cheered Corey Rockwell during his Friday night semifinal anytime he did a looping run in front of our corner of WakeMed Soccer Park until he flashed his signature 1,000-watt smile. We were collectively quiet when we listened to Carol Anne describe how breast cancer derailed her World Cup participation, how she refashioned her goals to find a way to stay close to the game as a video match official, and we together gave her a standing ovation at the conclusion of her chat. We talked about managing female players, how the game is changing and how we as officials can meet the challenge. We reflected on our SMART goals, the things we’re good at and the things we could do better — and we shared them with each other. We affirmed and honored the work we want to do to be the best referee we can. We had a really fantastic dinner.
The 2022 Women’s College Cup Seminar came at the end of a long college season; it was another weekend away from home. Everyone in that room — and everyone reading this post and everyone who wears a NISOA badge — worked hard this season and did something we are all proud of. I was honored to learn alongside, and from, those men and women. If you ask me, the Women’s College Soccer Seminar was a celebration of collegiate refereeing.
Do you wish you had been there? I wish you been had too.
-Kiah Haslett
Kiah Haslett
National Referee
Middle TN ISOA
Presentation Recordings:
My Journey by Carol Anne - CLICK HERE
Psychology of Refereeing by Carol Anne - Available on Member Portal
Gender Variations in Officiating by Tori & Amanda - Available on Member Portal
Handball by Carol Anne - Available on Member Portal
