Off the Pitch

Steve Schafer, DRA

A pet peeve of mine is stretching. Most referees never stretch. Even I don’t stretch enough. Always make sure you warm up your muscles before stretching. A few minutes warm up followed by some basic stretching before a match will help you avoid muscle injuries. A session of post match stretching will help with recovery and prepare you for your next match. If your legs feel tight and you can’t seem to fully extend your legs in a sprint, you might need to do some extra stretching to work out tight muscles. Right after or during a hot shower is a good time to do extra stretching.

I recommend you develop a basic stretching routine that you memorize. Muscle groups to cover in your stretching include hamstrings, quadriceps, hip, calf, groin and back. Google ‘stretching’ and you will see many options for stretching routine images and books. Click here for an example of one stretching routine.

I can show you the stretching routine I use. If you have bad knees, ankles or hips, I recommend you talk to a physical therapist or doctor about what stretches you can do and what to avoid.
See you out at the complex.

-Steve

Fitness Resource

Does it seem like a lot of information has been provided on fitness? Well, you are correct! This is because fitness is an important part of being a good referee. Not only are you more likely to be in the right place to get the call correct, you'll also be thinking less about how much you hurt and more about "was that a red card?" Being in proper shape before the season starts can reduce the chance of an injury, as well.

Mark Merritt was nice enough to pass along one of the best fitness training guides geared for referees I've ever seen. Take some time to go through the various workouts and you'll see how valuable a resource this is.

Weekly Training Plans

Its never a bad time to start focusing on your fitness. Just remember to build a "base" before going full-out into a new workout regime. If you would like some company on your run email Orion Stradford, as I'm sure some of these workouts will find their way into the running group.

Thanks again for finding this Mark!

Running Group to Continue!!

The NMSRA Running Group is scheduled to continue in Mid-March, so watch your e-mail for updates! We will be running on Wednesday evenings during the season. If you'd like to be added to the list, please contact me at ostrad625@comcast.net

NMSRA Group Run

We'll be meeting for a run this Saturday at 10:00 AM on the dam that is on Juan Tabo, between Montgomery and Spain.


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All ability levels are welcome! Tournaments start up next weekend, so time is running out to make sure your fit and ready to go. Email Orion Stradford if you have questions.

See you there!

ODP Championships 2010

A select group of eight NM Referees started their season a little early this year. Once again we had a great group of referees attend the Region IV ODP Championships. The tournament was again held in Phoenix, AZ, at the beautiful Reach 11 Complex.

We drove down as a group on Friday morning, taking our time and even stopping for a nice lunch in Gallup. Once we were checked in at the nice hotel, we had dinner and talked about what to expect at the tournament. The next few days would go by quickly; early mornings and long hours at the field finished with evening meetings will do that to you. We had instruction from National Referees, National Instructors and even a FIFA AR.

After some rain on Monday we finished finals on Tuesday with only partly cloudy skies and fairly dry fields. Overall, the tournament was a success and we learned a lot.

Referees in Attendance:

Orion Stradford
Wilfido Mendez
Oscar Toquinto
Clayton Merritt
Mark Merritt
Amanda Forletta
Bob Croft
Kris Grano

Far West Regional Championships 2010

By now everyone should know that New Mexico is hosting the Regional Championships this June. All parties involved are very excited for this great opportunity! Planning has been going on for months now and there is still a lot to be done. We'll need all the help we can get to make sure NM is well represented at this event.

The tournament will be held June 21-27 at the State Farm Soccer Complex. For information on the tournament you can click here to check out the Region IV website. We are looking for "soccer buffs" to help out with the field marshal volunteering; if interested please email Jeff Eschenburg and let him know you'd like to help out. If you are interested in representing NM as a referee, read on for the details...

2010 FWR Referee Requirements

As the host state for FWR we will have the unique opportunity to provide extra, or "standby", referees for the tournament. These referees will be in addition to the normal group that is selected to go to FWR so it gives us more slots and more opportunity for you to get the experience of a Regional-level event! Although you will not be guaranteed game assignments as a standby, you will be held to the same requirements as any referee selected for FWR. This means a dedication of time and effort leading up to the tournament. Please do not apply if you are unable to meet the requirements.

There will likely be 10-15 standby and 10 normal referee slots available. If you are unsure about the process by which referees are selected to go to FWR you can read the earlier blog about how it works here. Some new things this year:

• All referees who would like to be considered need to email me (Kris Grano) by April 1st.
• After I have verified you meet the basic requirements you will receive an email with an application to complete and return.
  
• Final selection as standby or normal referee slots will be dependent on experience, grade level, performance and attendance of meetings/training sessions. I will not hold it against you if you are not able to attend meetings because you are not in the metro area.
• All referees within the metro area will be required to attend a combination of at least six of the following meetings: Game of the Week, NMSRA Running Group, FWR Referee Meeting or other training sessions made available for this purpose.
  
• Referees selected to attend FWR will be required to be available throughout the tournament. This means you can't apply and only want to do morning games, etc.
  
• Referees out of the Albuquerque area will be provided a hotel room free of charge.

Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions about this process. I would ask that you review this document fully before emailing me questions as the document should cover most of the frequently asked questions.

Off the Pitch

Steve Schafer, DRA - East

With soccer season taking a winter break, your challenge is to maintain your referee fitness. Waiting until the spring soccer season to workout is a recipe for disaster. What to do with snow on the ground?

Several referees I know downhill ski (or snowboard). While it’s not quite the same cardiovascular wise as refereeing, downhill skiing is still a good workout. Just walking in those boots from the parking lot should count for something. Along with the ski areas, several stores in ABQ rent ski equipment. You should probably take a lesson if you have never skied before. Also, realize downhill skiing is not cheap. Along with the equipment, ski area lift tickets typically cost >$40 for the day.

I do a lot of cross country skiing. While it’s not as fast as downhill skiing, it is less expensive (no lift ticket) and can be more of a workout. A more advanced form of cross country skiing, skate skiing, is a huge cardiovascular workout. Going up the road to Sandia Crest (536), you can ski on the trails starting at 10k, Ellis, or the Crest parking lot. Note, there is a $3 parking fee. REI has information on trails, rental equipment and lessons.

I also do a lot of snowshoeing. I use the same trails as for cross country skiing. Snow shoes today are made of modern materials (aluminum and Kevlar), are reasonably priced (~$100) and are much smaller than traditional (wood and gut) snowshoes. Snowshoeing requires little skill or coordination (that’s why I can do it). You don’t need lessons to snowshoe. Just walk or jog with a wider stance to avoid tripping yourself (okay, some coordination is needed). REI has rental snowshoes available.

Tell me your workout ideas. What do you do off the pitch (besides 12oz. curls) to stay in shape?

You can email Steve Schafer with workout ideas or questions about this article.