Dear Fellow Shore Board 194 Members,
Greetings and welcome to the 2022-23 Basketball Season. I hope that each of you are looking forward to the upcoming basketball season as much as I am. I believe we have plenty to look forward to this year.
First off, thanks to all of you for your perseverance over the past two years. They were challenging to all of us. As we move forward into the 2022-23 season, we strive to be back to normal. The Executive Board and I are looking forward to finally having in-person meetings again. The Zoom meetings we held were necessary to keep all of us safe and keep the Board moving forward. However, there is nothing like being able to meet in person. In-person meetings can be more productive, interactive, and there is nothing better than seeing each other face-to-face.
Secondly, I would like to speak about the number one challenge facing officiating organizations in all sports and all areas of the country: growing membership and retaining members. A big thank you goes out to our Membership Committee, Cadet Coordinators, and Mechanics Committee for their efforts in the off-season. We have met multiple times this year to discuss ways to grow our membership and be more flexible in how we train our current and future members. As a result of these discussions, we have been able to offer a cadet course in the spring and the fall. We also offer a hybrid program, where cadets can learn basketball rules online through IAABO University and attend mechanics sessions in person. We will continue our discussions and are always open to new ideas that will help grow our membership.
A request to all of you. As you go through this season and beyond, be on the lookout for individuals who would be interested in becoming a basketball official with Shore Board 194. If we could get just 10% of our members to recommend or encourage someone to become an official, we could have approximately 30 new cadets each year.
In closing, it is an honor to serve as President to this great organization, Shore Board 194. I look forward to seeing each of you at the upcoming meetings and on the court throughout the season. Please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or any Executive Board member with any questions or concerns that you may have.
On behalf of our Executive Board, I wish all of our officials a healthy and safe season. I look forward to working with you as your President. I ask that you visit our website periodically to keep abreast of any new information that may assist you. Please contact me via email (rjohnston3184@gmail.com) with any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding our Association. Please direct any questions regarding rules and their interpretation to Jason Stallworth (jstall4@verizon.net). All other Board business should be sent to our secretary/treasurer.
My best to you,
Rich Johnston