Taylor Bombalski and Corey Yerace attended the Jefferson Cup, Boys Weekend. Here’s a report of their experience at the tournament:

Attending out of state tournaments are an adventure. You get to meet new people, explore new places, and referee different teams. Corey Yerace and Taylor Bombalski traveled to Richmond, Virginia on March 11-13 and assisted with the Jefferson Cup Boys Weekend. This was a college showcase and coaches were settling in to watch the tournament, players in the showcase age groups not only sought to lead their teams to victories, but also to show their potential for the next level. It was a great experience, they didn’t have any mentors or assessors, but they would take the advice from the other referees on their crew.

The level of play varied from game to game, so you had to be on your toes at all times and keep in mind it was a college showcase. Their first game was intense with Corey Yerace in the middle and Taylor Bombalski on AR2. The players were there to play and win. Corey handled himself very professionally dealing with the problem players early. The next game was more laid back and a lower skill level. Taylor Bombalski was in the middle and Corey Yerace was AR1 in this match. One team dominated the whole game and tried to waste time at the end of the game and it resulted in a yellow card with two minutes left in the game. There were no major problems with the games officiated by them.

Participating in tournaments with people from the same area as you has benefits because you know each other’s tendencies, but working with out of state referees you have to adapt to what they are used to or vice versus. They got to work with referees from Virginia and North Carolina at this tournament. They gave them suggestions on how they can change their pregame or signals to make their communication easier. You can take those suggestions or not. It is whatever makes you the most comfortable while officiating. That is a big part of officiating out of state; you have to make sure the crew understands your signals and tendencies. This is so the crew can feel comfortable and have good communication throughout the game.