SCMAF HOSTS RECREATION LEADER DAY WORKSHOP

The Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation (SCMAF) presented their Recreation Leader Day “Training for the Sports Leader” Workshop on Saturday, May 8^th at the Cerritos Park East Community Center in Cerritos, CA.

In attendance were over 60 Parks and Recreation Sports Leaders representing agencies across southern California. To kick off the workshop, SCMAF held an opening educational session called Sports, Recreation and You – Your Role as a Sports Leader. This session was presented by Sal Failla, Director of Community Services for the City of La Habra and a NCAA Division I College Football Official.

After the opening educational session, attendees were able to pick two of the following six workshops to help round out their overall training experience.  

Basketball Officiating Tips from a Pro was presented by J. T. Orr, a NCAA Division I, NBA and NBA Developmental League Referee. This session demonstrated how sound mechanics, knowledge of rules, great people skills and professionalism can make one a sound referee.

League and Tournament Coordination 101 hosted by Dave Coleman (City of Victorville) and Davie B. Gillus (SCMAF) taught participants regarding the best practices on youth and adult sports league and tournament management.

Take Pride in Your Work was presented by David De Leon (City of La Habra) and was a session that provided insight on how patrons and management see programs as a direct reflection on the workers who create them. It established how work ethic and professionalism will ultimately determine one’s success.

Basketball FUNdamentals was presented by Chris Acker, Regional Director of the L.A. Clippers and National Basketball Academy. This session discussed how to conduct effective practices through drills and games.

Jason Chacon (City of Pico Rivera) presented his educational session about Interviewing for Success. This session was about a supervisor’s perspective on what it takes to succeed in an interview.

Bracketology: The Study of Running Good Tournaments was presented by Bobby Snarey of Major League Softball. This session demonstrated how to run specific types of tournaments (Round Robin, Double and Single Elimination, King/Queen of The Court, Consolations), advantages/disadvantages of the types of tournaments as well as internet sources that can aide in filling in the teams.

Overall, the Recreation Leader Day was a tremendous success, in large part due to the coordination of the workshop by Carlos Espinosa, City of Cerritos (SCMAF Vice President) and his excellent committee. SCMAF would like to thank the City of Cerritos for the use of the Cerritos Park East Community Center and their staff for all their assistance with the workshop. SCMAF would also like to thank the event’s sponsors: Los Angeles Clippers – The National Basketball Academy Youth Hoops, Soccer Central, Major League Softball, Mizuno, Cal South Soccer and The Science of Training.