NASO NewsWatch

NASO Staff Off to Portland

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 12:16:16 GMT

The NASO Summit is upon us! NASO staff members are on their way to Portland, Ore. for the 2012 NASO summit. Officiate Oregon day will take place on Saturday, July 28. The NASO program kicks off with the opening at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 29. Speakers such as Fox analyst Mike Pereira; NFL director of officiating David Coleman; NBA referee Monty McCutchen; NHL director of officials Terry Gregson; and many more will take to the stage for panel sessions over the next couple days. The program will conclude with the "Celebrate Officiating Gala" on Tuesday, July 31, starting at 6:30 where Gregson will receive the Gold Whistle Award. If you were unable to attend this year, it's not too late to start planning for next year in Grand Rapids, Mich.! Next year's Summit will begin on July 28, 2013.

Portland Marks Site of 30th Summit

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:37:22 GMT

Officials and officiating leaders have attended Sports Officiating Summits (previously called conventions) for three decades. The 30th Summit will be held this year in Portland, Ore., July 29-31. The NASO Summit is the premier event in officiating. The annual event brings officials, officiating leaders, assigners, state association leaders and more together to talk about officiating and the issues that affect officials.

“The Summit has become the ‘Industry Event of the Year’ for those of us in officiating. It has been hugely gratifying to witness the growth in attendance, sponsorship and impact of the Summit,” said NASO President Barry Mano. “Yes, it started with NASO being the champion of such an event but today there are more than 70 organizations and companies that are Summit champions.”

The first Convention was held in Chicago in June 1981, and NASO has held a national event every year since with the exception of 1996 and 1999.

How many of the 30 Sports Officiating Summits have you attended? What is your favorite Summit experience? Share your Summit story at editor@naso.org. Select responses will be published in an upcoming issue of It’s Official.

Crawford Will Give Keynote Address

Thu, 31 May 2012 09:31:06 GMT

NBA referee Joey Crawford will be the keynote speaker at the opening for the 2012 Summit in Portland, Ore. He has officiated nearly 2,500 NBA games including regular season, playoff games and NBA Finals. He officiated the 1986, 1992 and 2000 NBA All-Star Games as well as the 1993 McDonald’s Championship in Munich, Germany.

The theme ‘Taking Caring of Business: Reliability and Results in Officiating” will be reiterated through Crawford’s own experiences with officiating and the National Association of Sports Officials.

“Joey has long been a staunch supporter of NASO as well as a member. He is one of the most respected professional officials on the planet, in any sport. He is a thoughtful guy, one who fully understands the touch points between officiating and life. Those things make him a slam-dunk opening speaker for the 2012 Summit,” said NASO president Barry Mano.

Javie Will Lead Workshop

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:02:17 GMT

Being a crew chief is no easy task. It is an acquired skill that requires various traits to achieve. Those same traits are invaluable and can then be carried over into your daily life. How do you become a crew chief in life? Former NBA referee Steve Javie along with fellow NBA referees will break down what it takes to be a crew chief not only in sports but in your daily life. The session will take place over the lunch hour on July 31 at the 2012 Summit in Portland, Ore.

Powell Featured in Summit Welcome

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:46:44 GMT

March 29, 2012 — Retired four-star Gen. Colin Powell is the featured speaker in a very special video welcome as part of the 30th annual NASO Summit’s grand opening this year in Portland, Ore.

In the welcome, Powell acknowledges that officiating is a “tough job” with many challenges, especially with ever-scrutinizing technology. But the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993) clearly has great admiration for sports officials.

NASO President Barry Mano said, “We are thrilled to have Gen. Powell connect to our members and our industry. We provided with our request a packet of materials, including a written summary of NASO and what it does; some potential talking points and a DVD of the video welcomes used to open recent NASO Summits. Those video welcomes were given by: Roger Goodell, Bob Costas, Supreme Court Justice, Samuel Alito, Jr. and most recently, Bill Marriott, Jr. Gen. Powell told me he read and watched all the materials sent to him. He came to the shooting fully prepared. Ready.”

In the video, which was completed in one take with Mano and Ron Johnson, NBA senior vice president, referee operations, in attendance, Powell offers his perspective on officiating and offers encouragement for sports officials at all levels.