Learning to be official

The Surf Official Level 1 course will mean more Mount Maunganui surf lifesaving members are trained in officiating.

Mount Maunganui surf lifesaving members will be chucked in the deep end at the Surf Official Level 1 course next month.

The six-hour course, which is held three times a year in the eastern region, is for any surf lifesaving club member who would like to learn officiating at a beginner's level.

Surf Lifesaving New Zealand eastern region sports manager Mark Inglis says a lot of ex-athletes and parents take part in the course.

'We get a lot of parents come down and do the official's course so they can get closer to watch their kids do surf lifesaving sports.

'A lot of parents come and watch their children, but they don't realise a lot of the rules and regulations, so this course allows them to understand more of the rules around surf sport and how the rulings are made.”

The topics covered by the course are officiating, effective communication with athletes and others, law and risk management, and competition rules.

Mark says the course will be run by top officials in the region, Greg Rieger and Ross Merrett, and will include a mix of theory-based and practical work.

'Half of it is around the rules of surf lifesaving and then the other half is on the beach. They learn how to set up for the event and how to officiate on the beach.”

Mark says if first-level members decide they enjoy the sports and want to go even further in this field, they can go on to Level 2 and 3 courses, which focus more on national and international level competitions.

Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service general manager Glenn Bradley says it's good to have these courses available 'because we always need more officials to run the carnival for our younger athletes, our nippers, right through to senior athletes as well.”

He says they have worked really hard to increase the amount of officials by supplying the members with a range of courses throughout the year.

The Surf Official Level 1 course aims to provide the basic knowledge and skills needed to officiate at club and regional levels.

The costs for the course is covered by SLSNZ however, if the participant has registered and doesn't attend, the fee for the course will be $92.

Each participant must be a club member and will need to bring a pen, lunch, snacks, a water bottle and wet gear for the day. All other material will be provided.

The course will be held at the Mount Maunganui Surf Club on Sunday, August 20 from 9am-3pm.

Registrations for the course closes on Friday, August 11. To register, contact the surf club on 07 575 5595 or via Facebook/SLSNZ Surf Official.

You may also like....