Officials – PARADIGM Sports

Posted November 4, 2021January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Officials, Organization Executive, Parents

One of the 5 takeaways I share in every talk, workshop or clinic is the importance for coaches to make the environment for their players safe, as the hockey world has recently coming to terms with the Kyle Beech tragedy and the dominoes that are falling, it is just another painful and emotional reminder why we need to make it safe from all forms of harassment that I wrote on in 2017.

The other area that I have been advocating for years is the importance for coaches to make it safe to fail, unlike the coaches and parents that are highlighted time and time again in social media for their outbursts towards kids as players, officials, I have always been a believe thanks to the coaches that I had growing up to encourage to make mistakes in practices and even in games and have fun when they do so.

WHAT ?

Recommend they make mistakes, the uglier the better … what if they coughed up the puck that lead to a goal, fumbled the ball that lead to a touchdown by opposing teams, missed that free throw or field goal that could have won the game and son on.

Hmmm … there have been just a few players that were pretty good that made a ton of mistakes, but had they not done so, never would have achieved their milestones and become some of the best ever to play their respective sports.

Reggie Jackson/Babe Ruth

Reggie Jackson holds the record to this day of the most strikeouts of any player in MLB history (2597) but was touted year over year in his Hall of Fame Career as Mr. October where his bat would hit many out of the park, much like Babe Ruth who did the same decades back.

Another recent example is Mason Crosby missing 3 field goals in regulation but made the 4th to win the game in overtime for the Cheeseheads (Green Bay Packers) against the Cincinatti Bengals (whose kicker also missed 2 field goal attempts in the same game)

This was a complete surprise for all those that watched as Mason had only missed 2 field goals in the last 2 seasons combined !

Why was he to make the 4th field goal? Because he had the support of their teammates, coaches, managers who recognized that mistakes would happen and once they did, were history, was time to move on to the next play. This is in a league that is focused on winning, the top sport in the world in terms of revenue with millions of dollars in player salaries, billions of dollars in TV and merchandising revenue NOT community youth sports.

Sadly in today’s era of youth sports where it has become adultified, where adults are competing with other adults thru their kids, gone are the days where kids play without fear of failure which was prevalent in free play (i.e. pond hockey, pickup basketball, sandlot baseball) where there were no adults present (no coaches, parents or officials), it has lead to increasing attrition rates as a result.

In lieu of focusing on the results, wins/losses, goals/assists, focus on the process of development, ensure that kids are having fun and winning will be the byproduct vs. the focus.

Growth Mindset

One of my top recommendations for books for coaches, parents and youth sports leaders I the book Mindset by Carol Dweck who shares the differences between the fixed and growth mindset.

Those with a fixed mindset believe that their skills are fixed due to DNA, they don’t believe in working to improve, and fear failure so would focus on simpler tasks. Those with the growth mindset however, believe they are not that good YET, and will put in the effort to improve and recognize making mistakes is part of the process.

A perfect example of a coach that has incorporated the growth mindset with their team is Karch Karaly, voted best men’s volleyball player in sand and courts of all time, in 2012 he became the head coach of the US Women’s Volleyball team soon after he read Carol’s book and as I have shared in past their team white board encourages the players to make UGLY mistakes so they develop.

He has lead the team to their first gold medal at an international event in 2013, and medaled at the three Olympic games under his watch, including Gold at this years summer games in Korea.

In order for us to reverse the negative trends we have seen in youth sports for over a decade, we need to create an environment for not only for our players where it is safe for them to fail, but also for the young officials.

Sadly, we lose 50% of young officials in many sports (especially what I refer to as the money sports, Hockey, Baseball, Football, Basketball and Soccer) in their FIRST YEAR.

Why?

The #1 reason is due to the abuse they are taking from the adults in the stands or along the sidelines.

We subsequently lose 30% on average every year so we are literally are constantly recruiting and not allowing time to mentor and train these young officials so they can hone their craft which just creates this vicious circle.

To give you some numbers, in Canada, we have approximately 30,000 officials registered across Canada to ref minor hockey games, and every year we lose over 10,000!!!

This is not a recent trend, this has been the case since I started running Hockey Clinics over a decade ago.

It is the reason why Hockey Canada and USA Hockey came up with the campaign “Relax it’s just a game” in 2007 … 14 years ago

The focus was more on parents who are coaching or critiquing their kids, but I have also seen my share of coaches do the same towards players and officials.

Ironically, during a recent clinic that I was running, at the lunch break just before we all shut down out audio/video a coach shared with me and those that were still in the room (we have shifted to online virtual clinics in part due to COVID, in part due to efficiencies) and he shared that two parents were fighting in the stands at a U11 minor hockey game and the Police had been called in.

This was not a the zone or academy level where parental expectations are even higher (due largely due to the costs financially and time).

Time after time each time I run a clinic coaches share similar analogies how other coaches are running short benches to win games, parents are screaming from the stands or in parking lots, the ride home (or to) games/practices.

The saddest analogy and driving reason for me to continue running clinics to shift the needle is when a coach stood up to introduce himself in a in person clinic and said the reason he started to coach is his 8 year old daughter shared with him why she wanted to quit Hockey at the end of the season.

He said, with emotion in voice and tears in his eyes which made the rest of us in the room do the same (including yours truly)….

“My daughter told me that she was going to quit because she was scared of making mistakes.”

Until we make youth sports safe to fail again like it was in prior generations, we will continue to experience high rates of attrition, so if you are an adult involved in youth sports (parent, coach, administrator) please provide the players under your watch that opportunity to do so.

How BC is returning to Sport – Phase III

Posted September 2, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, COVID-19, Officials, Organization Executive, Parents

Since we entered the COVID-19 Era, I have had a number of conversations with various youth sports groups regarding the confusion regarding all of the return to play protocols as various provinces go thru their various stages of returning to play.

Our home province, British Columbia, has recently announced that we are now in Phase III thanks to the amazing work that our PHO and Dr. Bonnie Henry have done since COVID-19 lead to shutting down Sports and numerous other sectors.

Although I am excited that we will see sports ramping up this fall, based on recent conversations since I have had with a few user groups I felt best to share what the phase means in terms of returning back to Sport as some are inferring that it literally is GAME ON, meaning, we are good to return back to pre-COVID era and we are still a ways from that being the case.

Below is a summary of all phases of the proposed return to sport plan as a summary for user groups to reference;

What has not changed from prior phases is;

Personal Hygiene – washing hands regularly and using disinfectant
Social Distancing required in common areas like benches, dugouts, dressing rooms, lobbies and entrances (masks in those areas is also recommended)
Maximum gatherings of 50 to include spectators
Symptom Screening before every activity
Contact/Participant tracking

What has been eased up in terms of restrictions;

Cohort groups identified by risk of sports can be anywhere from 10-100
Contact within those cohort groups is now permitted
Competition or games can now be played (adhering to revised protocols)
High Performance training with limited travel

In terms of the actual sizes of cohort groups, as this will vary across a myriad of over 70 sports in BC alone, confirm with your PSO and refer to updated return to play quidelines, a recent example included Basketball BC’s HERE

Lowest risk of Contact – i.e. Archery, Tennis, skiing, golf – Up to 100
Higher risk of contact – Baseball, Cricket, Soccer – Up to 50
Frequent/Sustained Contact Sports – Football, Rugby, Hockey – Up to 50
Combative Sports – Martial Arts, Boxing – Max 10 per cohort

NOTE: Cohort groups includes spectators which are immediate family members only to be considered part of the cohort. Coaches and officials can be counted outside the total cohort number IF they are able to maintain physical distancing at all times.

To determine where your sport falls in terms of the size of cohort groups permitted, reach out to your PSO/RSO for confirmation as it is not a one size fits all approach, each sport will have different guidelines based on their evolving return to play plan and facilities being used.

A couple of examples that I can share with you how user groups implemented to limit COVID-19 exposure and reduce risk to participants (players, coaches and others)

My niece recently flew to Montreal for her first year to play for McGill’s Women’s Varsity Hockey Team. She will be staying in dorm rooms in a converted hotel that McGill purchased and renovated for dorm housing with her own bathroom and common areas for kitchen for cohorts to use only. Similar to the NHL bubble, they will not interact with others out of their cohorts

Her season will start with skills development sessions only, and will find out this week as Quebec enters into their next phase and she shared the original plan for competitive games is for McGill to play Concordia and Ottawa’s USports teams to be within a short travel distance but no travel will be permitted to USA or other provinces until a later date.

Although she will be able to be part of the team for various activities, all of her courses, like all the other students will be done online until further notice, like most other universities at least for this fall.

The second would be easing of instructions for minor hockey associations, the first of which that re-opened its doors with strict COVID-19 protocols was Burnaby Winter Club BWC) in May which we shared Returning Back to Play – Phase II where they took the biggest risk as the first out of the gate but to date no positive COVID-19 cases have been reported months later.

Now all other minor hockey associations in the lower mainland are slowly but surely returning back to the ice with various camps, skills sessions with limited number of skaters and coaches on the ice and aspire to return back to 5 on 5 hockey this coming season.

Ironically in July I had a coach who attended many of the workshops that I ran last year for one of those associations reached out to me if I felt it would be safe for him and his son to return to play and I shared all the work that was being done to ensure that it would be safe, but it would be different at least in the immediate short term.

When ViaSport and our provincial health authority announced that we would be entering phase III, I was excited but at the same time a little weary due to the fact that I have also connected with colleagues in the US, Europe and Australia who have shared how far out they are from returning to sport.

One recent example was a conversation that I had with one of our speakers for our Summer Summit, Rosemary Morris, the first female official of men’s elite basketball in Australia and she stated that they were in full lock-down due to the explosion of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

This included;

Curfew where all residents had to be in their homes from 8PM to 7AM the following day
Only 1 hour of outside time for physical activity, exercises
No retail shopping except essential services (grocery, pharmacy and of course alcohol)
Full cancellation of all sports programming until further notice
Police and Militia enforcement to ensure people follow the lock-down requirements

This right around the time when the Big 10, Pac12, CFL and various other professional, collegiate, school and youth sports cancelled all fall sports programming in Canada, US and abroad to curve the spread of COVID-19.

This is not to say that I am beyond excited that kids in BC, in particular the Vancouver area where I reside, will have the opportunity to return back to playing the sports they love, being with the coaches, team mates and working up a sweat with huge smiles on their faces while they do so.

I just want to make sure that we don’t go to the other extreme as we have seen in many US states who recognized the importance of kids playing youth sports but did not do so in phases adhering to various return to play protocols.

Recently the CDC, like ViaSport has identified various groupings of sport based on risk assessments per the image below

Phase III does permit cohort groups of competition within teams in your area but does not permit tournament play requiring travel to other areas.

Masks, sanitizer, and ultimately participating outdoors are the main recommendations to flatten the curve of COVID-19

Sadly COVID-19 has forced our hand to go down the path of implementing cohorts or bubble environments to limit the interaction and potentially the spread of COVID-19 but as the NHL has shown, if bubble is maintained, it does permit sports to be played.

According to ViaSport, the term cohort is “a group of participants who primarily interact with each other within the sport environment over an extended period of time.”

Similar to the Bubble concept that has been implemented by professional sports like the NHL, NBA once kids are identified for their cohorts they are not permitted to interact with ones that are in other cohort groups and same holds true for coaches, officials if they become members of a cohort (exception being if they can maintain physical distancing then could coach other sports with other cohorts)

However, as the MLB who has not implemented a bubble model like the NHL/NBA/MLS have has shown, the chances of transmission of COVID-19 is much higher even though baseball is one of the sports identified by youth sports groups as being lower risk as by its natures participants are much farther apart then other team sports.

It also does not help when they had a couple of pitchers on one team that went partying in Chicago increasing their exposure, their team mates and potentially others teams they are playing against … but I digress.

The end result is for the foreseeable future, the cohort and or bubble model is necessary for us until such time that there is a vaccine or other treatment protocols for COVID-19 but by doing so, it will permit kids to play what they love, coaches do what they love to do and all other stakeholders return back to the fields, courts, fields and other playing surfaces so we can “Play for the love of the game”

In addition to the new Phase III guidelines, please ensure that you continue to follow health authority, organization and league safety protocols until such time that we do enter phase IV when large gatherings can take place as they had pre-Covid.

Staying the Course

Posted July 4, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, COVID-19, Officials, Organization Executive, Parents

As we slowly see youth sports returning back to the fields, courts, rinks and other playing surfaces and the big smiles on the kids faces for the opportunity to do so, the key thing that keeps coming up with conversations I am having from various stakeholders is the lack of clear direction they are getting from various sources.

As this pandemic we have have all had to face since it started to spread across the globe earlier this year leading to complete shut down of all sports, as it is the first of its kind (hopefully the last), we are all in essence learning how to improvise, adapt and overcome.

Some of the recent discussions I have had with people that I have interviewed for our upcoming Youth Sports Virtual Summit as well as others I have connected with is the biggest challenge is the dissemination of the information to those with their boots on the ground so to speak, the coaches, the players, the officials, board members and other youth sports stakeholders.

A couple of the most recent examples include;

CALIFORNIA

Probably the most extreme example of the breakdown in communication is what happened in California recently from this article shared July 1st.

State recants on Team Sports activities

According to the reporter, many counties were giving the go ahead for drills with no team contact earlier in June, then a few weeks later issued this statement

They subsequently shared there would share further guidance but until such time they did, any youth sports teams that return to play may be guilty of a misdeamour?

All of the youth sports leaders I have connected with the last couple of months have shared their pain points not only in coming up with their return to play guidelines to ensure they meet health authority protocols for physical distancing, sanitization, cohort groups and so forth, but the other big issue has pertained to ensure they have insurance and will not be held liable in the event a stakeholder is tested positive.

Now the State of California is compounded that liability where a volunteer youth sports coach, official, board member will potentially be charged with a criminal offence even though they gave the green light to return provided they adhered to the state guidelines?

CONNECTICUT

Another example was shared to me by my good friend Steve Boyle, founder of 241 sports, whom we partnered with to host the first Canadian 241 Sport Sampling Camp in New Westminster the last week of July.

He shared that the state of Connecticut where he was hosting his first US camp changed the cohort restriction from 10 to 14 and he then shared it with all his parents at the camp would be shifting to larger cohort groups for the remainder of the week as a result.

Soonafter he sent the notice to all of the parents the campers he received an email from a parent saying NO, I signed up my kids to participate in this camp based on all the safety guidelines that you assured us would enforce to mitigate as much risk as possible.

In lieu of emailing her back, he called her and shifted back to maintain the original plan stating I learned “don’t change the rules in the middle of the game”

As Project Plays recent survey shared, over 50 % of parents are leary that their kids may get sick when return back to play as well as similar number shared they were leary they would get sick due to their kids coming out of the safe havens of their homes.

Although the risk for children below the age of 13 is very, very low to contract the virus, in lieu of health authorities or governments/national government bodies changing the rules on the fly, they should be implementing firm plans of action to ensure that they not only flatten the spread of COVID-19 but prevent a further outbreak this fall.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Below is the quote that Dr. Bonnie Henry has now become infamous for as she has ended each of her COVID-19 updates for all residents of British Columbia, the first time she did so was on St. Patricks Day Mar 17, 2020, 2 days after she and provincial government that we had entered into a state of emergency and staying at home would be necessary so we could flatten the curve. She has now done her regular update for 156 consecutive days since … now a local hero and even they young ones say “Bonnie is keeping us safe”

Thanks to Bonnie staying the course since she recently was highlighted in the New York Times as the Doctor that aced the Coronavirus test for the amazing work she and her team have done to flatten the curve.

This is why I was dumbfounded that Gary Bettman and the rest of the NHL executive team opted to choose another host city to host half of the teams for their upcoming “bubble” stanley cup tournament. In lieu of going to THE city that has done the best to curb the spread of COVID-19 and compromise in terms of requirements issued to comply to keep 5 Million residents of BC safe, the NHL opted to go to two alternate cities, one being Toronto that is in one of Canada’s largest provinces with 15X the outbreak of COVID-19 than BC.

Personally, if I was a NHL player, coach, manager I would want to go to a city that would rather err on the side of caution to ensure the safety of all those that will be entering the bubble.

That said, I know many people I have talked to about the upcoming playoffs and as a result of not seen hockey or any others sports on tv for months, many say they actually are unsure if they will be glued to their TV’s for hours a day when the playoffs for the NHL, NBA as well as start of MLB.

There are various youth sports examples I can share as well, but at the end of the day what I believe, as do many I have talked to all the way up to national governing bodies in Canada, US and abroad is the youth sports landscape will be different at least for the fall, perhaps going into 2021 until a vaccine or treatment is available.

Until then, whatever hat you wear in the youth sports landscape, please stay the course and follow all of your health authority and governing bodies guidelines so we can flatten the curve and get out from under this pandemic.

The last thing any of need is another outbreak this fall if we don’t stay on track, be patient and per Bonnie

Be Kind – Be Calm – Be Safe

It would be great to see if this become PSA’s at various youth sports facilities when we do return to games again don’t you think?

Imagine if everyone in youth sports were kind to each other (vs. pre covid when adults were screaming at players, officials, other adults)

Imagine everyone was calm even when a kid made a mistake, or an official missed a call

Imagine if youth sports becomes safe to fail again like it should be, not what it had become.

Let’s all work together to bring the game back to the kids …. one day at a time, as safely as we can.

Why do Officials “Officiate” (2020)

Posted June 16, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in COVID-19, Officials

Why Officials Officiate – (2020)

A few years back I shared data in original post Why do Officials “Officiate” from what was the largest survey at the time of officials, one done by the national association of sports officials (NASA) where they received responses from 17,487 officials across the USA.

Fast forward to May 2020, I connected with Brenda Hilton, the founder of Officially Human whom I interviewed for our upcoming Youth Sports Virtual Summit along with several others and she shared with me that they had done a followup survey in partnership with IUPUI Sports Information Institute, School of Health and Human Sciences in Illinois.

The survey was done in the Fall of 2019 and just shy of 19,000 officials responded from 15 states in the USA and they prepared an infographic in PDF format that you can download HERE.

Below are highlights from the survey where I have compared results below each image from the one done in 2017

One of the issues in recent years that was identified by the NASO survey and also in recent SII survey is that officials involved in sports are getting older and as a result of COVID-19 there may be a real as youth sports start to ramp up again where many may be leery of returning due to safety concerns, in lieu of verbal abuse, however, from exposure to COVID-19 virus until a vaccine is developed in 2021

The #1 reason they become officials is the same, For The Love of The Game, as is the number 1 reason for quitting, verbal abuse, and almost 60% don’t feel respected by parents and fans.

The sports that have the largest % of shortages are Soccer, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, and Baseball.

Officials also do so to stay in shape and make money (the majority of which is a small honorarium but some do make a living as officials at the higher levels)

The Second reason that officials quit is the verbal abuse from coaches, it is not just the parents and fans in the stands and sidelines that can be abusive, I have seen more than my fair share of coaches screaming at refs because they felt they missed or made a bad call which is something I remind all of during workshops and clinics.

Almost all of those that responded (96%) felt that they should see an increase in pay of at least 10%!

58% of the officials stated they are getting to work the games they want to find the process of how they are assigned to games unclear, and 1/3 stated the reason they don’t get assigned the games they want is they have to attend camps to do so but are not worth the financial outlay to attend.

Key takeaways for organizations that are looking at attracting, retaining, and growing their number of officials as youth sports slowly return back to play post-COVID-19:

#1 – Parent and Coach Education reinforcing the importance of respecting the officials including codes of conduct for appropriate behavior and positive messaging in all common areas

#2 – Reduce costs for camps/clinics so officials see the value to them

In the 2017 NASO study, much of what officials earn in their seasons is taken up in terms their out of pocket costs for necessary equipment, potentially travel expenses, meals while at tournaments, attending clinics, camps etc.

#3 – Develop Rules Education programs for coaches, parents and fans so they are aware of the respective playing “rules of the game”.

#4 – Raise their pay by 10% (or more)

Minimum wage continues to increase year over year, in my home province has increased 25% the last 3 years so youth sport organizations need to recognize that their staff including paid officials should be compensated relative to costs of living

#5 – Implement mentoring programs for youth officials to be paired with tenured officials before they age out. As the stats showed over half of the officials are over 55 years of age and the level of experience of 45% of officials is less than 6 years!!

This is largely due to the fact that rates of attrition that many sports groups face is as high as 50% of their first year officials and 30% each year thereafter

#6 – Make if Fun for ALL stakeholders, much like players, coaches, officials will only return each year if they enjoy the experience and will quit when it no longer is.

#7 – Implement policies to address poor fan or coach behavior during games so that they are removed from the facilities vs. putting the onus on the officials to say “you’re outta here” only. Many will be reluctant, as well as unqualified to do so, in their first few years to tell parents to leave so they will need support from other adults

I worked for BC Place Stadium in Security for years, and when fans became unruly, it was really simple .. we escorted them out of the facility. Why we have condoned inappropriate behavior in youth sports for years now makes no sense, kids quit, officials quit, coaches quit as a result.

#8 – Reward positive behavior by fans, coaches who demonstrate good sportsmanship in the stands towards officials, the game, players etc.

It could be as simple as coaches sharing with other coaches that their parent groups were awesome, please share our thanks to them for making this such a great experience and game to play.

As the cliche goes, you get much farther with honey than vinegar

#9 – Those that are in sports with shortages, start recruiting, training, mentorships programs NOW before games and tournaments are permitted in phase III/IV Post COVID-19.

#10 – Appreciate that the #1 reason why officials officiate is For The Love of The Game and focus on making the game GREAT for all stakeholders. This not only will help retain officials but players, coaches, board members, and all others in your organizations so you can GROW your memberships … something that is going to be a challenge as sports return back to play.

What Parents Expect When Youth Sports Return Post COVID-19

Posted June 6, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Coach, COVID-19, Early Sport Specialization, Officials, Organization Executive, Parents

I recently connected with a new officials organization in Illinois called Officially Human and the founder, Brenda Hilton, shared with me a recent survey was done that was circulated to 40 organizations across the US and received over 10,000 responses representing 13 different sports, 91% of those were parents who wore various hats in youth sports as coaches, administrators, officials, facility operators etc.

The survey was conducted by the Sports Innovation Institute based out of the University of Indiana and there were several interesting results that I believe sports organizations in Canada would find of interest as they continue to plan for or start rolling out their return to play guidelines in Phase II.

Below is the table outlining when youth sports can start practicing and play games

86% of the 50 states will be permitting youth sports to start practicing as of May/June
60% have confirmed that youth sports organizations will be able to start playing games

Compare this to Canadian Youth Sports that we have shared guidelines of returning to play today, many sports will be permitted to start returning to play for skills development sessions only and no confirmed dates when competitive games/tournaments will be permitted

The specific survey focused on the top 12 most common concerns identified from looking at various documents from governing bodies, trade associations and media articles

Arrival and Departure Times: Changing arrival and departure times to limit time at the venue (I.e. waiting in the car before practice/game begins, coming to the facility fully dresses, leaving immediately once the game is over)

No Spectators: Limiting youth sports competitions to players, coaches, and game officials.

Spectators under 65 with No CDC-Indicated Underlying Medical Conditions: Limiting spectators at youth sports competitions to immediate family or maximum of two people who are under the age of 65 and have no pre-existing CDC identified conditions

Health Screening: Answering a questionnaire that asks for contact information, travel itinerary, lodging, and health (status) i.e. fevers, COVID-19 symptoms to gain venue admission

Social Distancing: Sitting or standing at least 6’ (2M) apart from others in spectating areas (i.e. blocking access to bleachers, sitting every third seat or row, standing in designated locations)

Social Distancing with Respect: Treating even staff with respect if they approach you to strictly enforce social distancing guidelines

Facemasks: Being required to wear a facemask while spectating

Increased Sanitization: Facilities increasing the efforts before, during, and after events (i.e. frequent and visible cleaning, hand sanitizer available throughout the venue especially in high touch areas)

Playing Areas and Equipment: Playing areas and equipment being sanitized after each competition

Amenities: Amenities being closed at sports venues (i.e. concessions, drinking fountains, lobbies, playgrounds, entertainment centres)

Bench and Dugouts: Minimizing the capacity of bench and dugout areas for athletes

Personal Contact: Limiting personal contact between players (i.e. handshakes, high fives, hugs)

Below is the list of organizations who provided responses from private/local sports orgs all the way to NGB’s

The survey results utilized the Kano Model, below is the legend to interpret