[Document Version: 2008-01]

1 Mission Statement

The Capital District Ice Hockey Officials Association, hereafter referred to as CDIHOA, shall exist as a local organization comprised of registered USA Hockey officials, whose main purpose is to provide high-quality officiating services to ice hockey organizations in and around the Capital District. CDIHOA shall achieve this goal by offering its members training through both USA Hockey officiating seminars and periodic local clinics, by providing performance feedback through evaluation and/or mentoring programs, by defining a clear set of policies to encourage professionalism and fairness, by offering its members an adequate level of compensation for their services, and by maintaining open communication with the organizations which we serve in order to address their questions and concerns.

CDIHOA is governed by an Executive Board, and its programs are implemented by an Administrative Staff. More information on CDIHOA personnel can be found in section 8.

2 Registration

An ice hockey official must be completely registered with both USA Hockey and with CDIHOA in order to be scheduled to officiate any games sanctioned by USA Hockey in the local area. Officials who were completely registered last year are eligible to officiate games until November 30, 2010, at which time their 2009-2010 registration shall expire.

2.1 Registering with USA Hockey

There are several requirements which must be met in order to become registered as a USA Hockey official:

• Sending a referee application and registration fee to USA Hockey. USA Hockey offers secure online registration via their website. For people who cannot register online, a registration form can be obtained from USA Hockey, completed, and mailed back with the appropriate registration fee. The registration fee is used mainly to cover the insurance for each official, plus subscriptions to both ``American Hockey'' and ``Stripes'' magazines.
• Attending a USA Hockey officiating seminar, consisting of both a classroom session and an on-ice session. Several seminars will be offered in our area this season for new and returning officials. Level 4 seminars are offered in a few areas throughout the state. The dates and times for all seminars can be found on the CDIHOA Web page (see section 7).
• Passing the annual USA Hockey open book rules examination. Each official will receive a current rulebook in the mail. The rulebook can and should be consulted when taking the open book rules exam, which is available online at the USA Hockey website. Alternatively, the exam can be mailed to an official who requests it. In addition to the open book exam, Level 2, 3 and 4 officials will be required to pass a closed book exam, to be taken at their respective seminars.
• Receiving the officiating crest and certification card from USA Hockey, indicating that the applicant has completed all the requirements to become a registered USA Hockey official.

2.2 Registering with CDIHOA

There are several requirements which must be met in order to become registered as a member of CDIHOA:

• Completing the CDIHOA application form. The information from this form is used to compile the master list of officials, which the Scheduler then uses when assigning officials to work games.
• Submitting the proper CDIHOA membership fee to the Treasurer. The current fee is fifteen dollars ($15.00) per official ($5.00 for new members and guest members), and is non-refundable. This fee is used to cover copy costs, mailings to officials, website maintenance, support of members wishing to attend advanced officiating camps, and other administrative needs.
• Submitting the proper seminar fee, if applicable, to the Local Supervisor. The standard fee is five dollars ($5.00) per official. This fee is used to cover the cost of renting ice and classroom space for the local seminars. When ice time and classroom locations are donated to CDIHOA (which is usually the case), this fee is waived.
• Abiding by the guidelines and policies set forth by CDIHOA. Officials are expected to follow the policies outlined in section 3 to their best ability.

2.3 Guest Membership

Some officials might choose to join CDIHOA as guest members, rather than as full members. This is helpful for officials who attend college out of the area, but wish to work games when they are visiting home, or for officials who live outside of the Capital District but wish to travel to our area in order to work games occasionally.

Guest members will appear on the Roster of Officials, as well as on any electronic mailing lists that CDIHOA maintains. They shall be subject to the same policies and procedures (outlined in this document) as full members. However, a guest member shall have no voting rights within the organization, and no access to any special programs run by CDIHOA, such as the Mentoring Program.

In order to qualify for guest membership status, an official must meet all of the requirements outlined above, and must submit a request for guest membership status to the Executive Board, indicating the circumstances under which they are making the request. In addition, a guest member must meet one of the following two requirements:

1. The official must have been a prior member of CDIHOA in good standing, and must have graduated from the Mentoring Program, or
2. The official must have maintained a level three or level four classification for at least the last two seasons.

3 Policies

In order to achieve the goals set forth by CDIHOA in an effective manner, a set of policies has been established which allows us to provide the best possible service to the local ice hockey organizations, while retaining fairness and clarity for CDIHOA members. Please note that when disciplinary action is mentioned in any policy below, this action may include anything from a warning to a full loss of membership in CDIHOA.

3.1 Determination of Eligibility

As outlined in the sections that follow, CDIHOA will utilize only eligible officials for games under its jurisdiction. In order to be considered ``eligible'' to work a game, an official must meet all of the following criteria:

• The official must be properly registered with both USA Hockey and CDIHOA, as described in section 2, and must have no outstanding fees or fines.
• The official must be currently certified at a USA Hockey referee classification greater than or equal to the level required to officiate the game. CDIHOA follows the guidelines set forth by USA Hockey (contained in ``Stripes'' magazine) when determining the minimum referee classification necessary to officiate a particular level of hockey.
• The official must be in a higher age group than the age group of the players in the game (senior hockey excluded). However, the Executive Board has the right to waive this requirement for talented young officials who have the potential to work higher level games, provided a minimum of three evaluations are conducted, each by a different member of the Evaluation Committee (see section 5), and the results of such evaluations are made available to the Executive Board.
• The official must be approved by CDIHOA to work at the level of the game. This approval results from a vote of the Executive Board, and is typically based on information obtained from an evaluation, the Mentoring Program, or some other type of performance feedback. Therefore, an official may not be eligible to work at all levels allowed by his/her referee classification. This ``approval policy'' is described in greater detail below. Note that it is the responsibility of the Eligibility Coordinator (or another board member selected by the President) to inform an official of any change in his/her approval status, typically following a vote by the Executive Board.

3.1.1 CDIHOA Approval Policy

An unfortunate circumstance resulting from the ease with which an official can become certified with USA Hockey is that an official may reach a referee classification level greater than his/her current abilities could demonstrate. The CDIHOA approval policy addresses this concern by providing a more active and rigorous analysis of its officials. This avoids putting any CDIHOA official in the frustrating and potentially dangerous position of working a game that is beyond their capability, and ensures that the association as a whole is maintaining the high standards that are expected by the local ice hockey organizations.

This policy shall be implemented as follows: A CDIHOA official shall automatically be given approval to work all levels that are allowed by his/her referee classification (``full approval''), with the exception that first-year officials are restricted to a subset of their allowable levels while participating in the Mentoring Program (see section 6), to be determined by the Mentoring Coordinator. Whenever a CDIHOA official receives any type of performance appraisal (mentoring review, USA Hockey evaluation, coach's questionnaire, feedback from a local organization), the results may be examined by the Executive Board, which may then conduct further evaluations of the official and/or vote to limit the levels of hockey which the official is approved to work. If this process culminates in a vote, and the motion to limit the levels which the official may work is passed, then all Schedulers will be immediately notified, and they will not schedule that official for any game above the level which was agreed upon during the vote. This is known as ``restricted approval at level X'', where ``X'' is a particular USA Hockey age classification.

Whenever a CDIHOA official has been limited in the levels of hockey which s/he can work, this limitation remains in effect, irrespective of any promotion in level that the official might receive from USA Hockey (ie. moving up a level in the following hockey season), until the Board votes to remove the restriction. However, officials graduating from the Mentoring Program are automatically eligible to officiate all levels allowed by their USA Hockey referee classification without any vote by the Board, and any restriction on the levels that a student may officiate is automatically removed.

3.1.2 Requesting Full Approval

Any CDIHOA official who has been limited in the levels that s/he may officiate (restricted approval) may request a re-evaluation in order to remove the restriction. This request may be made once per season. When a request for full approval is received by the CDIHOA Board, the official will then be assigned to a set of games at the highest level s/he is currently approved to work, and/or the highest level his/her USA Hockey referee classification allows (above the highest level that s/he is currently restricted to working). The first such game will be evaluated by two or more USA Hockey Evaluators, and possibly videotaped as well. Unannounced evaluations (see section 5) will be conducted for one or more of the subsequent games.

The evaluations, and optionally, the videotaped results, will be sent from the Evaluation Coordinator to the Board, along with the recommendations made by the Evaluation Committee. The Board will then vote, following the same procedures described in the previous subsection. The official may receive full approval or restricted approval. If restricted approval is still in effect, the restriction level may be modified, allowing an official to move up, but not necessarily to the point where s/he receives full approval. In all circumstances that a change in approval status occurs, the official shall be notified by either the Eligibility Coordinator or another board member selected by the President.

3.2 Receiving Game Assignments

In general, CDIHOA utilizes a two-referee officiating system. Accordingly, each CDIHOA Scheduler will always assign a minimum of two eligible officials to work each game, and it is important that all assigned officials show up, on time, and prepared to perform their duties.

The Scheduler shall use electronic mail, or e-mail for short, as the primary means of communication with officials. CDIHOA members are expected to have a personal e-mail account and access to the Internet. The Scheduler may also utilize the telephone as a secondary means of communication, if necessary. Please refer to the following subsections for details on CDIHOA scheduling procedures.

Officials may only receive games from a CDIHOA Scheduler, either directly, or indirectly as a result of an official ``giving up'' a game to another official (following the procedures outlined in section 3.3). Under no circumstance should officials receive games from the local ice hockey organizations. Officials who are found to be working games which were not assigned by a Scheduler may face disciplinary action from the Executive Board. This policy is in place to ensure that only eligible officials are assigned to each game, and that the onus of ensuring this remains with the CDIHOA Schedulers.

Games are typically scheduled on a weekly basis. A CDIHOA Scheduler shall make the weekly schedule available to all CDIHOA members by posting it in a timely manner to the CDIHOA website. In the event that a Scheduler is unable to post a schedule to the website, it shall be sent to all members via e-mail.

3.2.1 E-mail Procedure Overview

The CDIHOA Schedulers assign officials to games using electronic mail and the CDIHOA website. Accordingly, each CDIHOA member is expected to provide a valid e-mail address when completing the CDIHOA registration form, and any change to this address must be reported to the CDIHOA Database Coordinator. The procedure for receiving game assignments is a four-phase process which involves the following four types of e-mails:

1. Availability e-mail, from official to Scheduler
2. Assignment e-mail, from Scheduler to official
3. Confirmation e-mail, from official to Scheduler
4. Check-in e-mail, from official to his/her partner(s)

Details for each of the four phases are provided below. Note that the procedures described below apply to the Youth schedule specifically. When ``Scheduler'' is mentioned, the Youth Scheduler is implied. Similar procedures shall apply to the Adult schedule, the Junior schedule, and any other classifications for which CDIHOA provides officiating services.

3.2.2 Availability E-mail

At the beginning of each week, every CDIHOA member who is available to officiate games during the upcoming weekend shall send an availability e-mail to the Scheduler. This e-mail must be sent to the Scheduler no later than 5:00pm on the Tuesday prior to the upcoming weekend. In the e-mail, the official must clearly state his/her name and availability for the upcoming weekend. It is recommended that officials send this e-mail on Sunday or Monday, increasing their chances of obtaining assignments, since the Scheduler will begin assigning games early in the week.

An availability e-mail should include the name of the official, and a list of dates that s/he is available. For each date, if the official is not available for the entire day, then a list of hours should be included for that day. The hourly component(s) must be based on game start and end times, not on total time available. For example, if an official states that s/he is available from 9:00am until 1:00pm, then that official can be assigned to a game starting as early as 9:00am, or as late as 11:30am (assuming a 1.5 hour ice slot). The Scheduler will not take into account driving times or game arrival/dressing times (see section 3.5) when scheduling games. It is suggested that each official actually be available for one hour prior to their submitted start time, and for one hour after their submitted end time, to allow for driving time and the half-hour arrival time prior to the start of any game.

If an official does not send an availability e-mail to the Scheduler by the deadline stated above, the official is assumed to be unavailable for the upcoming weekend, and will not be assigned any games. The Scheduler can also accept availability e-mails for periods longer than a week. Therefore, if an official knows his/her availability a month in advance, a monthly e-mail, rather than a weekly e-mail, may be sent to the Scheduler.

Note that most Youth games occur during weekends. However, there are also games that are played during the week. If a CDIHOA official is available to work games during the week, this should be noted in the availability e-mail.

3.2.3 Assignment E-mail

Once the Scheduler completes the game assignments for a given weekend of ice hockey, he will post the completed schedule to the CDIHOA website, accessible at the URL http://cdihoa.org/schedules.php. The Scheduler will then send an e-mail to all registered members of CDIHOA, indicating that the schedule has been posted, usually with a clickable link to the schedule. This e-mail will be sent out no later than the Thursday prior to the upcoming weekend of games. It is therefore important for every CDIHOA member to check their e-mail (or to go directly to the Schedules page on the CDIHOA website) on every Thursday night, or Friday morning at the latest.

The posted schedule will contain the date, time, location, level, league, and names of assigned officials for each game that has been scheduled. In addition, every game on the schedule will have a unique identifier known as the game number. The game number should be used when confirming games (subsection 3.2.4) and checking in (subsection 3.2.5).

It is the responsibility of every CDIHOA member to carefully search the posted schedule for their own name in order to retrieve their assignments. This is most easily accomplished using the ``Find'' feature that is available in every web browser.

In the event that changes are made to the schedule after the initial posting, a revised schedule will be posted and another e-mail will be sent out to all CDIHOA members. The Scheduler shall make every attempt to post the schedule, or a revision thereof, to the website a minimum of twenty-four hours prior to the start of the first game.

3.2.4 Confirmation E-mail

Each official who receives one or more game assignments, after following the procedures outlined in subsection 3.2.3, is required to confirm those assignments with the Scheduler. This shall be accomplished by sending a confirmation e-mail to the Scheduler. The confirmation e-mail must include the name of the official, followed by a list of the games being confirmed. Each confirmed game should be referenced by game number, as indicated on the posted schedule.

If the confirmation e-mail is not received by the Scheduler by 4:00pm on the Friday before the weekend of games, all games to which that official was assigned will be re-assigned to one or more other officials. In addition to this re-assignment of games, for the first failure to confirm games in a season, the official shall receive no assignments on the next posted schedule. A second failure to confirm games in the same season will result in a loss of assignments for two weeks. A third offense shall result in the suspension of the official from CDIHOA indefinitely.

An official who, by failure to confirm his/her games, has had his/her games re-assigned, and who still shows up to work one or more of the games originally assigned to him/her is not eligible to work those games, and is not due any compensation.

3.2.5 Check-In E-mail

An official who has received his/her game assignment(s) is required to check in with his/her partner(s). It is very important to follow the check-in procedure described here, since checking in helps to prevent officials from missing games, or arriving to a game at the wrong location or time.

A CDIHOA official who has received at least one game assignment on a schedule is required to send an e-mail to every partner s/he will be working games with, and each e-mail message must be sent at least twelve (12) hours in advance of the first game that they are assigned to. The e-mail message must contain the name of the official sending the message, and a list of all games that the partners are working together. For each game in the list, the game number, date, time, location, and level must be included. It acceptable to cut-and-paste the game assignments directly from the posted schedule into each check-in e-mail. Note that this procedure implies that one e-mail message should be sent per partner, not per game.

Upon receiving a check-in e-mail, a CDIHOA official must reply in a timely manner, acknowledging receipt of the e-mail, and noting any discrepancies or issues. If there are unresolvable issues, the Scheduler should be contacted. An official who does not reply to a check-in e-mail may be subject to disciplinary action by the CDIHOA Executive Board.

If, after sending a check-in e-mail to an officiating partner, no response is received within eight (8) hours, the Scheduler should be contacted.

There is no policy to determine which official on a game assignment must initiate the check-in e-mail. For each partner that a CDIHOA official will be working games with, that official will either initiate the check-in e-mail, or will receive a check-in e-mail from his/her partner, depending on whoever was the quickest to receive their assignments, send a confirmation e-mail, and then send a check-in e-mail. In the event that an official initiates a check-in, but also receives an initiated check-in from a partner, it is still suggested that each official reply to their partner's initiated check-in.

E-mail is the preferred medium for implementing the check-in procedure, as it provides a trail that can be later followed if necessary. It is also acceptable to check in with a partner by establishing verbal contact (note that leaving an answering machine or voice mail message is not verbal contact). In this case, it is important for both partners to verbally acknowledge the game number, date, time, location, and level of all games they will be working together.

Checking in with officiating partners is a simple, yet effective mechanism to ensure that all assigned officials are present at their respective games, allowing CDIHOA to fulfill our obligations to the local hockey organizations. Any CDIHOA official who does not follow the check-in procedure described above shall be subject to disciplinary action by the Executive Board.

3.3 Relinquishing an Assigned Game

Once an official accepts a game assignment from the Scheduler, the game becomes his/her responsibility. If an official cannot work an assigned game, s/he must either turn the game back to the Scheduler, or find a replacement official who is eligible to work that game, depending on the level of the game.

3.3.1 Turning Back a Game

An official assigned to a College Club, Adult, or Junior game, and who must relinquish that game, is required to turn the game back to the Scheduler who assigned it. The Scheduler should be contacted immediately in order to give him adequate time to find a replacement for the game. In this case, the telephone is the most immediate method for contacting the Scheduler, and is preferred over e-mail.

Turning a game back to the Scheduler at any level other than those listed above is not permitted. Instead, the procedures outlined in section 3.3.2 must be followed.

Note that the Scheduler must be contacted more than twenty-four (24) hours prior to an assigned game in order for that game to be turned back. If an official finds him/herself in an extenuating circumstance where s/he must turn a game back with less than 24 hours before game time, s/he must follow the procedures outlined in section 3.3.2. However, such official shall be subject to disciplinary action by the Executive Board, pending an investigation of the situation.

3.3.2 Finding a Replacement Official

An official assigned to a game at any level other than those levels outlined in section 3.3.1 must find a replacement official to work the game. The replacement official must be eligible to work the game, as defined by the eligibility requirements outlined in section 3.1.

Any official who relinquishes his/her game to an ineligible official, or any official who works a game for which they are ineligible to work, may face disciplinary action from the Executive Board.

When an official finds a substitute for an assigned game, both the originally assigned official and the substitute are required to contact the Scheduler in order to request approval of the change in assignment. The Scheduler will either approve the request or reject the request. If the requested change is approved, the originally assigned official bears no further responsibility for the game, and the substitute official must check in with the other partner(s) assigned to the game, following the procedures outlined in subsection 3.2.5.

If the requested change in assignment is rejected by the Scheduler, then the originally assigned official must find another replacement. A game remains the responsibility of the originally assigned official until the Scheduler approves any replacement. Any official found to be relinquishing games to another official, or to be taking games from another official, without obtaining approval from the Scheduler, may be subject to disciplinary action from the Executive Board.

3.4 Missing an Assigned Game

It is imperative that at least two officials are present at each game. If an official misses one or more assigned games on a given day, that official shall be fined a fee equivalent to the combined fees s/he would have received for all assigned games on that day which s/he missed. The official will be immediately unassigned from any other games, and shall receive no further game assignments until the Treasurer receives the imposed fee. A second occurrence during the same season shall follow the same procedures described above, except that the fine is doubled. A third occurrence in the same season shall result in the termination of that official's membership in CDIHOA for the remainder of that season, and the assessment of a double fine using the same procedures described above. This loss of CDIHOA membership may be extended further at the discretion of the Executive Board, and the official will not be allowed to rejoin CDIHOA without paying both the outstanding double fine and the CDIHOA membership fee for the next season.

If an official is left to work a game without a partner, s/he should accept only the standard fee of one official for that game, and must report the incident to both the Scheduler and the Treasurer within 24 hours of the assigned game. The solo official will later receive another half-game fee, once the fine is received from the absent official. (The other half-game fee goes into the CDIHOA fund.) However, if the solo official neglected to complete the check-in procedure with his/her partner (as outlined in subsection 3.2.5), the solo official shall not receive any additional payment.

The coach of the home team (or in the case of a tournament, one of the tournament officials) shall also contact the Scheduler, indicating the date, time, and rink where the game was played with a single official. When the Scheduler receives notice that an official missed a game, he will contact the official and inform him/her that s/he is ineligible to work any games until the Treasurer receives his/her payment of the fine, and he will notify the entire Executive Board of the situation. The Treasurer shall contact the Scheduler when the payment is received, and shall forward half the fine to the official who had worked the game alone.

An official who is left without a partner has the option of refusing to work the game if s/he feels completely incapable of handling the game alone, in which case the official shall receive no compensation. The solo official also has the option of recruiting one player from each team to serve as linesmen, while the official assumes the responsibilities of the referee in a three-man officiating system. However, unless the players are already experienced officials and have brought a minimal set of referee gear with them, this procedure is usually more hassle than the solo official just handling the game alone.

In the event that a game is not played due to lack of officials, or if a game is played with no CDIHOA officials on the ice, the Scheduler shall not receive the standard scheduling fee for that game, and the case will be investigated by the Executive Board.

3.5 Arriving Late to a Game

Officials should strive to arrive at the rink one-half hour before the start of the game. This allows them enough time to get dressed, stretch, talk to their partner(s), and deal with any unforeseen situation, such as a skate-lace breaking. Officials are required to be at the rink a minimum of fifteen (15) minutes prior to game time. If an official anticipates being late to a game, his/her partner should be contacted in order to make them aware of the situation. (Each official knows whom they are working with because of the ``check-in'' policy, discussed in subsection 3.2.5.) Any official who is consistently late to his/her games may face disciplinary action from the Executive Board.

Five minutes prior to the start of a game, if an official is still without a partner, s/he should call his/her partner to attempt to resolve the situation. If the partner cannot be contacted, the official may contact other officials in the area who would be able to arrive at the rink in a short period of time. Either way, the official should begin the game by him/herself as close to the scheduled start time as possible.

Any time a game is begun without two officials on the ice, the coach of the home team (or in the case of a tournament, one of the tournament officials), as well as the solo official, shall later report the situation to the Scheduler. If the late official eventually shows up, and no substitute has already arrived, the late official should get dressed as quickly as possible and work the remainder of the game. Compensation for a late official is as follows:

• If the late official arrives before the end of the first period, s/he is entitled to the proper game fee.
• If the late official arrives after the end of the first period, s/he shall receive no compensation for the game, but no fine shall be imposed.

If a substitute official, having been called five minutes (or less) prior to game time by the solo official, arrives at the rink after the late official has arrived, the late official shall work the game, but is required to pay half the game fee to the substitute official, whether or not the late official is actually compensated for that game.

3.6 Cancelled Games

In the event that a game is cancelled, the local hockey organization must contact the Scheduler a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours prior to the original start time of that game. The Scheduler is then required to contact the assigned officials for that game a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours beforehand.

If an official arrives to a rink for his/her game, and the game has been cancelled, the official is entitled to receive one-half the fee for that game, unless the Scheduler has made an attempt to contact the official at least twenty-four hours beforehand. The half-game fee can come from either the local hockey organization itself, or from the CDIHOA Treasurer, as outlined below. Note that even within twenty-four hours of a cancelled game (for example, during a snowstorm), the Scheduler will still attempt to contact the assigned officials, and no payment is due to any official who has been notified of a game cancellation prior to his/her departure for the rink.

When an official, having received no notice of a game cancellation, arrives to the rink, s/he may seek out a representative from the local hockey organization. If such a representative is found, and that representative can secure the half-game fee for the cancelled game, the official may accept the payment immediately. In that case, the official must contact the Scheduler within 24 hours of the assigned game and inform him of the situation. This allows the Scheduler to maintain accurate records of cancelled games. The official is not required to contact the Treasurer, since payment has already been made.

If no payment is made to the official at the rink, the official must contact both the Scheduler and the Treasurer within 24 hours of the assigned game and inform them of the situation. The preferred method of informing the appropriate CDIHOA personnel is the Contact Us page on the CDIHOA website, using the topic that is titled “Payment issues, money owed, cancelled game”. An e-mail to the Scheduler with a CC to the Treasurer is also acceptable.

The Scheduler will then relay this information to the entire Board. The half-game fee shall be paid to the official by the Treasurer, and the local hockey organization shall reimburse the Treasurer for an amount equal to the fee paid, unless the local organization had contacted the Scheduler at least forty-eight hours before the game, in which case no reimbursement is required.

If the official was assigned to work consecutive games, and the first game is cancelled, the official must remain at, or return to the rink for the next game. The official shall be compensated for all cancelled games according to the policy above. However, if the official is not present at an assigned game following a cancelled game, and the subsequent game is played, the official shall be fined according to the provisions outlined in section 3.4.

If an official arrives at a rink, and the rink is closed, the official shall receive no compensation, and the local hockey organization shall not be required to reimburse the Treasurer. Therefore, officials are strongly encouraged to call the rink prior to departing for a game, especially during inclement weather.

3.7 Relocated Games

When the Scheduler assigns an official to a game, the official is given the date, time, rink, and level of the game. It is CDIHOA policy that an official is assigned to a rink, not to a game. Therefore, if an official arrives to a rink, and the game has been relocated to another rink, the official is not responsible for ``following'' the game to the other location. However, if another game is being played in its place, the official is required to remain at the rink and officiate that game, unless the game is at a level higher than what s/he is eligible to officiate. In that case, the official must decide whether to work the game or not. If the official chooses to work the game, and another official arrives who is eligible to work the game, the ineligible official must relinquish the game, but will still be paid the half-game fee as described in section 3.6.

If an official decides to ``follow'' a relocated game to its new rink, that official shall not replace any official who is already working the game, unless an official already working the game is ineligible to officiate at that level, in which case, the eligible official shall replace the ineligible official.

4 Rulebook Addendums

While the USA Hockey rulebook covers most situations which may occur during a hockey game, it also leaves some areas open for interpretation or clarification. The following subsections serve to clarify open-ended parts of the rulebook through CDIHOA policy.

4.1 Game Misconduct and Match Penalties

This subsection serves to clarify Rules 404(b-e), 405(a), 405(c).

Whenever a Game Misconduct or Match penalty is assessed in a game, the official must record this information on the game scoresheet and retain a copy of the scoresheet. The official should then send this information to the appropriate personnel within 24 hours of the game by utilizing the Contact Us page on the CDIHOA website, using the topic that is titled “Reporting a Game Misconduct or Match Penalty”.

In addition, for any Match penalty, the incident must be reported to the Local Supervisor of Officials within 48 hours of the game, who will then send each official a special form to be completed and mailed back to the Local Supervisor. Each official must be prepared to attend a hearing if the incident requires one.

4.2 New York State Rule Modifications

This subsection serves to modify Rule 601(f)(2).

In New York State, the penalty for ``racial/ethnic slurs'' under rule 601(f)(2) is a match penalty. This is more severe than the game misconduct penalty indicated in the rulebook. This modification applies to all USA Hockey age classifications except for Juniors.

4.3 Time-Outs

This subsection serves to clarify Rule 637(e).

Time-outs are not allowed in curfewed games. Therefore, each official must understand before the start of a game whether the game is curfewed or not. Typically, regular season games are curfewed, so time-outs should not be allowed. In tournaments, officials should speak to the tournament director to find out whether time-outs will be allowed or not.

Exception: As of 10/1/2002, all games played at Frear Park Arena are not curfewed (all games will be played to completion.) Therefore, time-outs are allowed for any game played at Frear Park unless otherwise notified.

4.4 Modifying Your Sweater

This subsection serves to clarify Rule 502(b).

Every CDIHOA official is required to wear the current USA Hockey officiating crest when working a USA Hockey sanctioned game. (Exception: Some USA Hockey leagues, such as certain Junior and College Club organizations, have been permitted to utilize their own crest.) It must be affixed to the left chest of the sweater. An official without the proper crest is ineligible to officiate any games sanctioned by USA Hockey, which includes most games scheduled through CDIHOA.

If a CDIHOA official is assigned to work a non-USA Hockey game, the USA Hockey crest must be removed from the sweater (velcro is the preferred method for allowing officials to remove their crests), or the crest must be completely covered using non-clear tape or some other means.

The wearing of a nameplate is permitted, provided that the nameplate contains the proper last name of the official wearing the sweater, that it is affixed to the upper-back area of the sweater, and that it consists of white letters, three inches in height, on a black background.

The wearing of a shoulder patch must be approved by the Executive Board on an individual basis. Any organizational shoulder patch issued by CDIHOA requires no approval, provided the patch is current.

4.5 Officiating Systems

This subsection serves to both clarify and modify Rule 501.

The standard officiating system for games under the jurisdiction of CDIHOA is the two-referee system, or ``RR'' system. As such, a minimum of two officials will always be assigned to each game. To provide a training ground for officials to work district and state tournaments at the end of the season, some games during the season will utilize the one-referee, two-linesmen system, or the ``RLL'' system. CDIHOA will negotiate with the local ice hockey associations in order to determine which games will use the RLL system. The RLL system shall also be utilized for all games played at the Junior level, and officials working at that level must follow the USA Hockey Junior rules as outlined in the Junior Rulebook, including ``touch-up'' icing and red line offside passes (``2-line pass''), if applicable to the league.

CDIHOA also utilizes a third officiating system known as the two-referee, one linesman (or ``RRL'') system. This system is not documented in the rulebook, but has been approved by USA Hockey for use only in our area. This system maintains similar mechanics to the RR system, while adding a third pair of eyes to observe play. Again, CDIHOA will negotiate with the local ice hockey organizations to determine which games will utilize the RRL system.

4.6 Locker Room Usage

This subsection serves to modify Rule 109(c).

All officials are asked to maintain the locker rooms which they utilize for changing before or after a game. Tape, paper towels, food and beverage containers, and the like should be discarded properly. In general, please try to leave the room in better shape than when you arrived.

Note that smoking, alcoholic beverages, and chewing or spitting tobacco are NOT allowed in any officials' locker rooms under any circumstances. Chewing gum is allowed provided that wrappers and used gum are discarded properly. Food and beverages are allowed as long as the arena has no specific rule prohibiting such action, but once again, officials are required to pick up after themselves.

5 Evaluation Program

The CDIHOA Evaluation Program is in place in order for new officials to better themselves as they seek to master the basics of officiating, as well as for veteran officials who are looking to move up to higher levels of officiating. The Evaluation Program enables CDIHOA to ensure that we are providing quality officiating to all the organizations which we serve. The Evaluation Coordinator is in charge of the Evaluation Program in our area, and he commissions a group of veteran officials to act as the Evaluation Committee. Each member of the Evaluation Committee is a capable official, trained specifically to understand the criteria by which an official must be rated. Any member of the Evaluation Committee may conduct an official USA Hockey referee evaluation for any member of CDIHOA. Two types of evaluations may be conducted:

Unannounced Evaluation:

This type of evaluation is conducted without the knowledge of the official being evaluated. It is used as a method for CDIHOA to keep track of the performance of its officials, as well as to respond to complaints made by the local organizations.

Announced Evaluation:

This type of evaluation is conducted with the complete knowledge of the official being evaluated. Usually, an official requests this type of evaluation, in order that s/he may showcase his/her talents in the hopes of moving to higher levels of officiating.

6 Mentoring Program

The CDIHOA Mentoring Program exists in order to develop new ice hockey officials in a positive and constructive manner. While the Evaluation Program gives officials periodic feedback, the Mentoring Program will allow new officials to receive constant evaluation and assistance. This in turn simplifies the task of determining an official's abilities, dedication, and work ethic when the Executive Board votes to approve the official at higher levels of hockey.

6.1 Mentors

Veteran officials who have been registered with USA Hockey at level 3 or higher for at least one year are eligible to become mentors. Such officials will typically be invited to join the program by the Executive Board, but an official may also submit a request to become a mentor. In either case, the Executive Board will approve all candidates, with the Mentoring Coordinator having final jurisdiction.

All mentors must attend a meeting at the beginning of the season, which the Mentoring Coordinator will schedule. At this meeting, each mentor shall receive details about the program. In lieu of this meeting, the Mentoring Coordinator can also choose to distribute information using e-mail.

A mentor shall not be consistently paired with the same student(s). Instead, a mentor will work with a variety of students, allowing students to work with, and be evaluated by, more than one mentor.

After each game that a mentor works with a student, the mentor must offer feedback to the student, then proceed to fill out a mentor evaluation record for that student to track the student's progress. The mentor is responsible for sending the student records to the Mentoring Coordinator on a timely basis.

All CDIHOA officials who are enrolled in the Junior Pool are automatically approved as mentors. In addition, each official in the Junior Pool is required to serve as a mentor for a minimum of two (2) games during the season, unless the Mentoring Coordinator indicates that this requirement is not necessary (due to a lack of games, a lack of students, or an abundance of available mentors). Any CDHIOA Junior official who does not meet his/her mentoring obligation shall be removed from the Junior Pool.

6.2 Students

All new ice hockey officials shall be automatically signed up for the Mentoring Program. However, the Executive Board may waive this requirement for selected new officials in the event that the program does not have enough resources, or for any other legitimate reason. In addition, any CDIHOA official may request admittance into the program, in which case, the Executive Board shall either approve or deny the request. Finally, the Executive Board may require a returning official to enter the Mentoring Program in order for that official to work at higher levels.

Whenever a student works a game with a mentor, the student must allocate some time after the game to allow the mentor to give feedback on his/her performance and offer advice for improvement. Students are expected to retain this information, and to work on those areas of their officiating that are targeted by the mentor. It is suggested that students come prepared with a notebook and pen in order to maintain notes based on the mentor's post-game advice.

In either of the mentoring systems discussed in section 6.3, students are paid a half-game fee, not the standard full game fee. The half-game fee for students is meant to encourage students to work hard at developing their skills and to assess their dedication to the profession of officiating. This helps to avoid situations where new officials perform at substandard levels with compensation being their only motivation. Laziness, indifference, and incompetence are all qualities that are detrimental to the association, as they are easily perceived by coaches, players, and spectators.

A student shall remain in the Mentoring Program until such time that the Mentoring Coordinator ``signs off'' on the student, at which time the student shall exit the program and be granted full membership privileges, including full compensation for all games s/he works. The Mentoring Coordinator shall base his decision on the feedback obtained from mentors, in addition to any personal observations conducted.

6.3 Mentoring Systems

The Executive Board has approved two mentoring systems that can be utilized for any mentored game: the Shadow System, and the Partner System. Outlined below are the details of these two systems.

6.3.1 The Shadow System

The Shadow System is the recommended system to be used for mentored games. In this system, a single mentor is assigned to work with two students. The students shall officiate the game using the USA Hockey 2-man system, as they would in any other game. The mentor shall ``shadow'' each student, offering advice and instruction during play. On stoppages, the mentor shall meet briefly with both students to review the previous play and discuss any issues. This system allows for immediate feedback to the shadowed student, even to the point where the mentor could instruct the student to blow his/her whistle, explaining the reason for the stoppage. The mentor is also empowered to stop play for any rule violations (offsides, icing, penalty, etc.) that are not called by either student.

The mentor shall be dressed in either the standard USA Hockey officiating attire, or in an approved warm-up suit. The students must wear proper officiating attire. Both mentors and students must wear helmets.

For payment purposes, the mentor shall receive the standard game fee, and the students shall each receive a one-half game fee.

6.3.2 The Partner System

The Partner System is an alternative mentoring system that utilizes one mentor paired with one student. The mentor and the student shall officiate the game using the USA Hockey 2-man system. In this system, the mentor must meet with student during stoppages of play in order to review the previous play and discuss any issues. These discussions are important, because there is no opportunity for immediate feedback, as there is when using the Shadow System.

Both the mentor and the student must wear the proper officiating attire, including helmets. For payment purposes, the mentor shall receive the standard game fee plus an extra half-game fee, and the student shall receive a half-game fee. The mentor may elect to reward the student for hard work and improvement in certain areas by giving the student some, or all of, the extra half-game fee.

7 CDIHOA Publications

Each year, CDIHOA makes a set of publications available to each member, such as the Roster of Officials, the List of Game Times/Fees, and the List of Rinks. Due to the large number of officials registered with CDIHOA, it may take some time to get these documents published and distributed. CDIHOA will make every effort to distribute these documents in a timely manner, and to ensure the accuracy of their information. Some documents may be revised and redistributed throughout the season. In that case, a revision number will be printed at the top of the first page, allowing officials to confirm that they have the most recent copy. Please contact a member of the Executive Board if information contained in any document is outdated, misleading, or otherwise incorrect.

The preferred method of document distribution is via the Internet. All CDIHOA documents are available from the CDIHOA website, and members can view and/or download and print each publication. In the past, CDIHOA made printed versions of these documents available at the local seminars. However, that practice has been obsoleted by the growth of the Internet as a tool for information dispersal. The URL for the CDIHOA Home Page is:

http://www.cdihoa.org/

7.1 The Roster of Officials

The Roster of Officials is the list of all officials who are currently members of CDIHOA. This implies that the official has properly registered with CDIHOA and paid his/her membership dues. However, membership in CDIHOA alone does not meet the eligibility requirements for working games, as described in section 3.1.

For each member of CDIHOA, the roster will clearly indicate that official's full name, city, USA Hockey certification level, phone number(s), and e-mail address(es). If that official is not properly registered with USA Hockey, then the word ``Unregistered'' will appear in place of a numerical certification level. An official who is listed as ``Unregistered'' is prohibited from working any USA Hockey sanctioned games.

The Roster of Officials is published to the CDIHOA website, and is password-protected. The username and password are e-mailed to all CDIHOA members shortly after the first version of the Roster is published. It is the responsibility of each member to print the Roster of Officials, to have it available when working games, and to report changes and corrections to the Database Coordinator immediately. The preferred method of informing the appropriate CDIHOA personnel of changes that must be made is the Contact Us page on the CDIHOA website, using the topic that is titled “My CDIHOA membership status, joining CDIHOA, or change of information”.

7.2 The List of Rinks and Hockey Shops

The List of Rinks is provided so that officials may call rinks ahead of time to determine if a game will still be played. The List of Hockey Shops is useful for officials when buying officiating equipment, such as skates, helmets, whistles, sweaters, pants, and pads.

7.3 The List of Playing Times and Officiating Fees

The List of Playing Times indicates the length of a period for each USA Hockey age classification, with penalty times and overtime periods scaled down appropriately. Games which are played beyond the standard time of three periods fall under the Extended Game Policy, also outlined within that document. Penalty times may be increased beyond what is shown in the table, up to the time prescribed by the USA Hockey rulebook.

The List of Officiating Fees presents a detailed view of the compensation for an official based on the level of the game, and the type of officiating system used. Please have this document readily available at any game in the event that there is a discrepancy between the amount paid and the amount outlined in the document.

8 CDIHOA Leadership

CDIHOA is governed by an Executive Board, and its programs are implemented by an Administrative Staff. Each member of the staff has specific duties and expertise. The following tables display the composition of all leadership positions within CDIHOA. Please contact the staff member whose function best addresses your concerns. To reach all members of the Executive Board or the Administrative Staff, please utilize the Contact Us feature at the CDIHOA home page, and select the topic that is titled, “Issue directed to the CDIHOA Executive Board”, or the topic that is titled, “Issue directed to the CDIHOA Administrative Staff”.

8.1 CDIHOA Executive Board

The Executive Board of CDIHOA shall act as the governing body of CDIHOA, and it shall be responsible for defining the policies, procedures, and programs necessary to achieve the goals of the organization.

8.2 CDIHOA Administrative Staff

The Administrative Staff of CDIHOA shall consist of both the Executive Board of CDIHOA, as well as a group of appointed individuals who are responsible for implementing the programs defined by the Executive Board.

8.3 Local USA Hockey Staff Members

Several local individuals play key roles within USA Hockey. While these positions are not administered by CDIHOA, the organization works closely with them in order to resolve issues quickly.