Hi All!

You have to check out the new USAT rules for, I hope not to many coaches get fed up & 86 it all together , listen to this everyone starts off from zero no matter what level you were before, starting with the first Qualifier you must take a seminar for $100 pre-registration & still will have to pay the coaching fee for that Qualifier, you than are considered an Associate Coach, in order sit & coach World Class re; at the Jo's & Nationals you have to take a day & 1/2 seminar at the Jo's or Nationals, cost $375 plus the normal coaching fees for the event. I have a feeling there's going to be allot of kids without coaches, the only Grandfathering they talk about if you were previously certified you have the right to protest after having taken the course. I think of all the seminars I've taken & I'm only a level 2. I'm wondering what coaches of a higher level will be thinking. I hope this doesn't drive people to the AAU, but I think this might have that effect. Please USAT don't let this happen! What coach is going to be willing to shell out $100 than $375 if he wants to coach World Class at the Jo's or the Nationals. I feel at least starting off they could have made the fees a little more reasonable in (IMHO) Check out the USAT site yourself to make sure I'm not dreaming or misinterpeting anything & tell me what you think, also the referee fees for seminars have increased to $75. How this will pan out know one knows!                         TKDBlue  

Hi Jeannette!

I guess because of all the backlash from referees, they changed it back almost immediately, originally when I saw it I even verified with USAT & spread the word to other referees, hopefully they'll do something to correct the coaching situation !

                               God Bless!

                                       Tkdblue

The $75 seminar fee was only posted onthe site for a few days, and was changed three days ago (I believe).  On another site, it was addressed by Grass Roots Director Ronda Sweet that it appeared to have been a typographical error.

In support of that, I believe Grant M. noted that when he had originally seen thd PDF posted, it appeared to be a cut-and-paste of last year's "late, at-the-door" registration form for the Rochester referee seminar.  Personally never having seen the 2005 form Grant is referring to, I can't comment in that regard.  Only that the original posting showed a $75 seminar fee, and that has since been changed/corrected to reflect the usual $45 seminar fee.

--Larry Voorhees