With more than 2,5000 games happening at the three rinks in the Las Vegas Valley each year, Leavitt wants to see more officials added to the circulation of referees for a few reasons. By adding more referees, there is increased likelihood that enough people will be available to work games and it will give already registered officials an easier work schedule.
"With the current numbers, it is difficult to have the correct number of officials for every game," Leavitt said. "Hockey is going to continue to grow in Las Vegas and increasing the number of officials is critical to keeping our officials healthy and mentally prepared for each and every game."
The seminar is broken up into a classroom session and an on-ice sessions. The basics of being a hockey referee, including positioning, signals, communication and game management, will be taught during the classroom portion. The on-ice session will follow and put what's taught off the ice to use. Once certification is completed, new referees will be assigned to games with experienced officials to get them comfortable on the ice.
"We have a lot of new programs and ideas that we are very excited about, which we are working on as an officials association, to increase the completion rate as well as increase our retention rate," Leavitt said. "Officiating is also a great opportunity for current players to be on the ice, improve their skating, and give back to the game while earning money and still participating in the game they love."
