By Valerie Edwards/reporter
The Sports Officiating class offered on South and SE campuses gives an opportunity for students to earn money after successfully completing the course.
Michael Daniels, South health and physical education department chair and intramural director, said interested students could get their start to become a referee for local sports.
“The Sports Officiating class is good for the students to learn the basics of all the different sports,” he said. “The class can prepare them for the test to actually become certified elsewhere where the tests are offered.”
Jason Brown, SE Sports Officiating instructor, said the class could count toward a student’s degree too.
“The class will be designed as a credit course for those who might need an elective or as a PHED elective for students who might transfer to a four-year school to pursue a degree in kinesiology or physical education,” he said.
Besides the course credits, learning to become a referee benefits students off the court as well.
“Every student enrolled will be taught a marketable skill that they can use to work in recreation and sport,” he said. “Being a referee shows leadership, maturity, accountability and customer service skills that can transfer to other professions outside of physical education and sport.”
To make sure the class is teaching current rules and regulations, the instructors are doing their homework too.
“The class will hopefully be instructed with input from area YMCAs, city rec[reation] programs and school officials to make sure that the knowledge level of the student successfully completing the class would prepare them to sit for a certification exam to become an official,” Brown said.
The class will use a wide array of learning tools including lectures, discussions, videos and live officiating opportunities, Brown said. Students will learn with hands-on officiating of intramurals sports on campus and/or during the basketball fundamentals class taught by Daniels. In addition to the real-life practice, the officiating would count toward required lab hours.
After completing the course, students could take a test to become certified through local associations.
“The course will be taught in a manner so as to prepare enrolled students to work as an official for local recreation or UIL programs,” Brown said.
Once they are certified, students could look for openings to start officiating local sporting events. Besides the exercise that officiating provides, it could also make students some extra cash.
“Refereeing games is a good source of income [for the students] once they are certified,” Daniels said.
The Sports Officiating class is offered on South and SE campuses in the spring, and course schedules are listed in WebAdvisor. Interested students may contact Daniels at 817-515-4542 for more information.
