Monday, January 23, 2017
0030: Fell asleep watching BBC World Service at 20:00 after an extremely long day of travel, was wide awake again only four and a half hours later. So, I get up to write yesterday's travelog from my hand written pocket notebook into this text file that I will then copy into the blogspot app along with photos. My mind was not working well, and I was unable to figure the transfer of images from mobile phone to my netbook for composition of the travelog on the blogspot app. So, I decided it better to go back to sleep for another four hours.
0800: awoke, showered and shaved before putting a little more work on the computer to transpose the travelog and add photos.
0900: Down to the dining room for breakfast where the other three USA referees are there working on their computers. They too, had early rise and were waiting for the dining room to open at 0530. I enjoy breakfast and conversation with our USA corps before the dining room closes for breakfast.
1030: I decide to take a walk along the river and explore the trails between the canal and the natural river where there were historical waterfalls.
Trollhattan is name based upon Troll Hats, which signifies the natural rock formations that poke up from the river and resemble the hats of a troll. There is a series of great waterfalls in this area with a large hydropower system powering industry. Shear cliffs with exposed granite remind me of the area around Taylor Falls on the St. Croix River between the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin north and east of the Twin Cities metro area. A nice walking trail makes its way below the dam, and I find a special rock outcropping with inscriptions of Swedish royalty going back several centuries.
A beautiful old church overlooks the river gorge between the canal and river.
I continue my walk back up river to the hotel which is on the east bank of the river canal. With more time to kill, and the desire to walk off more of the kinks in the legs after yesterdays long flight I decide to make the short ten minute walk up to the bandy hall, Slättbergshallen, home of the Grippen Bandy Club. The hall is located in a nature reserve where the receding glaciers had scrubbed the landscape clear leaving large flat horizontal slabs of exposed granite. There are nice walking trails where many people are out walking their dogs, and there are many birds flying about. The birds are quiet, so I am not able to attempt at imitation of their whistling calls. After brief reconnaissance of the facility, I make my way back to the hotel for lunch before we are scheduled to begin the referee education, tournament protocol, and written tests of the FIB rules.
1400: we meet at the referee conference room in the hotel, and I find myself beginning to set up with the referees before I realize that I am now a Supervisor and will be seated at the front of the room with the other four FIB Match Delegates. I do miss the camaraderie of the referee corps, but also am very happy to have been invited to act in this new capacity.
1730: the education and tournament protocol is completed and we break before dinner, opening ceremonies and skating test at the bandy hall later in the evening.
1900: opening ceremonies begin with procession of the teams from hotel to the town square. The referees may participate in only part of the ceremony due to need to depart for skating test.
1930: Team FIB (referees and supervisors) board the motorcoach for transport to the arena where the referees will be put thru their skating tests. The first test is composed of an endurance interval test where the referees skate a 240 meter oval circuit inside the bandy pitch. Each lap must be skated in 30 seconds, with a thirty second rest in between each interval. Referees must complete the circuit withing 5 meters of the line at the 30 second time - or they are shown a Caution Yellow card. Upon two Cautions, the referee must stop and they are recorded the number of laps completed. Assistants must make 12 laps and Head Referees a minimum of 15 laps. This is not an easy task, and the key is to make a quick start for first 50 meters of the lap and then carry the momentum thru the rest of the lap. The referees skate as a group and take turns leading the pack and breaking the wind like speedskaters or cyclists. All of the skaters to well, and the leader of the referees are able to get a first look at skating skill of each of the referees.
We then spend 10 minutes cooling down with some instruction on positioning during match situations such as corner strokes. Each referee position is defined depending upon which corner the play is restarted. It is critical that the Assistant Referees understand the system of control based upon whether the corner is taken from their side of the pitch.
The second skating test is for agility and entails skating a rectangular course of six cones at 40 meter intervals. Each skater starts at the middle of one side and skates forward the first leg to and around the first cone, 90 degree turn and around the second cone where another 90 degree turn toward the middle cone where there is a corner flag set up. The skater then switches to backward skate another 90 degree turn into figure eight pattern back toward the start line cone. The figure eight is completed still skating backwards and continues with 90 degree turns around the final two cones to the finish. This test certainly gives the Referee Leaders a complete indication of each referees ability on their skates.
2100: the skating session is now complete and one of the teams is arriving for their practice session, the referees pack their gear bags and we board motorcoach back to hotel and again to the conference room where the first days assignments will be given. There is great anticipation, and I am very happy to see that our USA referees have shown their excellent skating skills, giving the leaders confidence to give them their assignments. All referees are instructed that assignments are to be held in strict confidence, for the referees assigned to all games are not published until one our before each fixture, when the team leaders meet in the referee room for handshakes and to confirm the jersey colors are in contrast. We USA referees are now really hitting the wall that is jet lag, and we head straight to bed. Our second day is now in the books, but we have been on the run for three days now. Tomorrow the tournament begins and there are sure to be some butterflies in the stomachs of the referees which is a good thing in anticipation. I have great confidence in our crew and their preparation. The two female referees will make history tomorrow as they will be pioneers - being the first to referee in a major International Men's tournament. I am so very proud of both the FIB and these very talented individuals in this regard.
0030: Fell asleep watching BBC World Service at 20:00 after an extremely long day of travel, was wide awake again only four and a half hours later. So, I get up to write yesterday's travelog from my hand written pocket notebook into this text file that I will then copy into the blogspot app along with photos. My mind was not working well, and I was unable to figure the transfer of images from mobile phone to my netbook for composition of the travelog on the blogspot app. So, I decided it better to go back to sleep for another four hours.
0800: awoke, showered and shaved before putting a little more work on the computer to transpose the travelog and add photos.
0900: Down to the dining room for breakfast where the other three USA referees are there working on their computers. They too, had early rise and were waiting for the dining room to open at 0530. I enjoy breakfast and conversation with our USA corps before the dining room closes for breakfast.
1030: I decide to take a walk along the river and explore the trails between the canal and the natural river where there were historical waterfalls.
1400: we meet at the referee conference room in the hotel, and I find myself beginning to set up with the referees before I realize that I am now a Supervisor and will be seated at the front of the room with the other four FIB Match Delegates. I do miss the camaraderie of the referee corps, but also am very happy to have been invited to act in this new capacity.
1730: the education and tournament protocol is completed and we break before dinner, opening ceremonies and skating test at the bandy hall later in the evening.
1900: opening ceremonies begin with procession of the teams from hotel to the town square. The referees may participate in only part of the ceremony due to need to depart for skating test.
1930: Team FIB (referees and supervisors) board the motorcoach for transport to the arena where the referees will be put thru their skating tests. The first test is composed of an endurance interval test where the referees skate a 240 meter oval circuit inside the bandy pitch. Each lap must be skated in 30 seconds, with a thirty second rest in between each interval. Referees must complete the circuit withing 5 meters of the line at the 30 second time - or they are shown a Caution Yellow card. Upon two Cautions, the referee must stop and they are recorded the number of laps completed. Assistants must make 12 laps and Head Referees a minimum of 15 laps. This is not an easy task, and the key is to make a quick start for first 50 meters of the lap and then carry the momentum thru the rest of the lap. The referees skate as a group and take turns leading the pack and breaking the wind like speedskaters or cyclists. All of the skaters to well, and the leader of the referees are able to get a first look at skating skill of each of the referees.
We then spend 10 minutes cooling down with some instruction on positioning during match situations such as corner strokes. Each referee position is defined depending upon which corner the play is restarted. It is critical that the Assistant Referees understand the system of control based upon whether the corner is taken from their side of the pitch.
The second skating test is for agility and entails skating a rectangular course of six cones at 40 meter intervals. Each skater starts at the middle of one side and skates forward the first leg to and around the first cone, 90 degree turn and around the second cone where another 90 degree turn toward the middle cone where there is a corner flag set up. The skater then switches to backward skate another 90 degree turn into figure eight pattern back toward the start line cone. The figure eight is completed still skating backwards and continues with 90 degree turns around the final two cones to the finish. This test certainly gives the Referee Leaders a complete indication of each referees ability on their skates.
2100: the skating session is now complete and one of the teams is arriving for their practice session, the referees pack their gear bags and we board motorcoach back to hotel and again to the conference room where the first days assignments will be given. There is great anticipation, and I am very happy to see that our USA referees have shown their excellent skating skills, giving the leaders confidence to give them their assignments. All referees are instructed that assignments are to be held in strict confidence, for the referees assigned to all games are not published until one our before each fixture, when the team leaders meet in the referee room for handshakes and to confirm the jersey colors are in contrast. We USA referees are now really hitting the wall that is jet lag, and we head straight to bed. Our second day is now in the books, but we have been on the run for three days now. Tomorrow the tournament begins and there are sure to be some butterflies in the stomachs of the referees which is a good thing in anticipation. I have great confidence in our crew and their preparation. The two female referees will make history tomorrow as they will be pioneers - being the first to referee in a major International Men's tournament. I am so very proud of both the FIB and these very talented individuals in this regard.
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