From: Head Referee [chiefreferee@ayso43.org]
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2003 12:24 AM
To: chiefreferee@ayso43.org
Cc: Vivien D'Andrea; Vicki Yort; Steve Brocksen; Ray Cooper; Randolph E
Harr; Rajiv S. Goel; Patrick Murphy; Kim Sheehan; Jane Lombard; Chuck
Yort; Benrob; Alan Saldinger; Jane Duperrault
Subject: Message from the Head Referee ...

To: REGION 43 AYSO REFEREES				SEASON BEGINS: SEPT 6
Date: September 1st, 2003

Hello everyone and welcome to a new season.

Region 43, our region, representing Los Altos is gearing up for another
wonderful Fall season of soccer fun. We anticipate a very busy schedule
for the kids, the coaches, parents, families and of course for the
referees. I want to welcome back referees from past years and offer a
warm welcome to new participants.

Let me introduce myself for those who do not know me. I am Ray Cooper
and I am the Head referee for Region 43. This is my eighth year in Los
Altos and my fourth year in this role, working very closely with the
Region 43 Board, all the referees and Head Coach in our region.

I have enjoyed refereeing many games at various levels and also watched
my son play as he progressed through the divisions. I encourage you all,
as you stay involved in AYSO, to also recruit your own family members
and friends to become referees.

We want and need your help and I thank you all in advance for
volunteering to participate in AYSO and to referee. This year for all
referees, past and present, we have been holding training and refresher
sessions in our region and making known extra make up courses in other
regions. Please go to our web site for all the information on courses. I
want to take this opportunity and thank Randy Harr for being so actively
involved this year to create this information site and to teach the
courses. Please note that as in the past year we are joining with our
Mountain View region neighbors, Region 45 for these courses. I strongly
urge all of you to attend a course.

This year, as many of you are aware, construction is still ongoing at
various schools and so we are again reduced to a certain number of
fields and we share the use with CYSA and other adult leagues.  This
means in order to avoid conflicts on field use, we should try to keep on
time throughout the day.

We may schedule you to games in different parks than in the past and
also there will be games on Saturday and Sunday. We will do our best to
accommodate your schedules. This year I want to thank Mark Kent for
organizing the referee assignments. Please go to Web AYSO to set your
preferences, check your assignments, find fields, print out game cards
and indicate your acceptance of an assignment. Everything can be done
on-line. After the game enter the information directly from the game
card into the website for the game that you refereed.

We will have referee equipment and uniforms available. New and upgrading
referees will receive a referee’s uniform, flags, whistle and yellow/red
cards at the training course. Please provide yourself with a comfortable
pair of soccer boots or better still a pair of black cleats with small
studs. A hat would be a useful asset. You will need a watch, a coin for
the toss and a pen and you are all set to go!

You are not alone. We are all volunteers willing to help each other.
There are many resources to help you and please feel free to call me at
969-4533 or e-mail at RSODC@aol.com

Thanks for your help and for giving time to support the kids.
We look forward to a great, safe, fair and fun season.

Cheers - RAY