REFEREE COMMITTEE POOLS IDEAS

REFEREE COMMITTEE POOLS IDEAS

The 2001 Billiard Congress of America (BCA) Referee Committee met in Colorado Springs, CO fourth quarter 2001 to discuss this past year’s progress, as well as tournament plans for 2002.

New ideas discussed and approved were details for the design and use of a referee handbook. The handbook will include procedures to follow while refereeing tournaments as well as a code of conduct. The handbook is still in its conception phase and will be released in the months to come.

Also discussed at the committee meeting were procedures for the 2002 BCA National 8-Ball Championships. The committee decided on the number of referees that will be on staff for next year’s tournament, a total of 46 referees. At the 2002 tournament, the BCA will be able to rotate referees throughout the tournament, due to an increased interest in the referee program.

Stephen Ducoff, executive director of the BCA states that, "The BCA referee system is strong and getting even stronger under the leadership of Mr. Messer and the guidance of the Referee Committee. A credible referee program is vital to the continued health of our tournament system and these folks know the rules and how to interpret them."

Current members of the BCA Referee Committee consist of: Director of Referees and Committee Chairman Cecil Messer of Portage, IN; BCA National Head Referees Bill Butler of Sun Valley, ID and Alan Barnes of Mesquite, TX; BCA National Senior Referee Kelly Reynolds of Bend, OR; BCA National Referees Shannon Lynde of Las Cruces, NM, Mark Avlon of Lynnwood, WA, and Dave Merrill of Pueblo, CO. BCA Board of Directors member Randy Goettlicher of Dallas, TX is the Board liaison to the Referee Committee. Betty Harris of Colorado Springs, CO is the BCA League and Program Coordinator, Referee Program Administrator and staff liaison to the Referee Committee.

The BCA referee program is a four-tier system. "Referee" is the first tier, which offers progression to the second of "National Referee". The third tier is "National Senior Referee", with "National Head Referee" as the fourth tier. The Director of Referees is nominated from the existing pool of National Head Referees by the National Head Referees. The BCA Board of Directors must approve this nomination. This tiered system allows each participant to progress in experience through re-certification every two to three years, depending on level of service. A formal certificate of recognition, official BCA Referee patch and identification card are issued to each person passing the exam.

Each referee-in-training must go through a national training course and once the course is completed, an open-book written examination must be taken. To become a billiards referee, candidates must achieve a passing grade of 90% or higher on the final exam. Test information comes from the current edition of Billiards: The Official Rules and Records Book, published annually by the BCA. To become a BCA referee, please contact Betty Harris at refs@bca-pool.com or 719.264.8300.

The Billiard Congress of America is a national nonprofit organization, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, whose “mission is to provide exceptional value to our Members by promoting and growing cue sports worldwide.”