CAOA Officials Home

First CAOA Meetings of 2010-11: Monday, August 2nd, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Football), 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Basketball) at the MHSAA Building

CAOA Football Clinic DATE CHANGE

Due to time restraints and conflicts, the CAOA will not be conducting our own football clinic this year. We will be co-sponsoring the MHSAA Football Clinic on August 7 at DeWitt High School.

Please click here for the MHSAA Football Cinic registration form.

Attending the MHSAA Football Clinic will earn one (1) bonus meeting point towards CAOA membership in good standing. You may earn another bonus point by working one of the CAOA assigned football scrimmages on August 19. Scrimmage sites and times will be announced very soon.

Again, there will not be a CAOA football clinic on August 14. We will be co-sponsoring the MHSAA clinic on August 7.

Sorry for any inconvenience the date change may cause.

2010-11 Meeting Dates Now Online

Mark your calendars now for our 2010-11 meeting dates. You can view the dates by clicking here or by using the "CAOA Meetings 10-11" link on the navigation bar at left.

CAOA Membership Dues

All renewing and prospective CAOA members: please pay your 2010-11 dues now. Renewal deadline is June 1, 2010. Membership form can be found here or by using the navigation bar at left. In addition to submitting your registration, we encourage you to donate to our "Officials for Kids" program at this time. (There is a place for this on the registration form.) You can also specify your interest in following the CAOA on Facebook. Let us know on the registration form and we will invite you to become a fan.

Tony Payne Scholarship Fund

The CAOA has pledged $5,000 over the next three years to the Tony Payne Scholarship fund. Scholarships will be awarded to local student-athletes to attend Lansing Community College. If you would like to include a donation with your CAOA membership dues, please indicate the amount at the bottom of your CAOA registration sheet.

Register Now for the ADT Memorial Golf Outing

The third annual ADT Memorial Golf Outing honors the memories of three officials—Art Willard, Don Edwards, and Robert “Tony” Payne,—who inspired thousands of officials and student athletes through their officiating. The goal of this event is to endow scholarships for local student athletes in the communities served by Jackson Community College, Grand Rapids Community College and Lansing Community College. The event takes place Monday, June 28th, 2010 and includes golf, dinner, prizes and an opportunity to enjoy fellowship with fellow officials. It takes place at the beautiful Arbor Hills Golf Club in Jackson. The registration form is available here or by using the navigation bar at left.

Capital Area Basketball Officials Camp

You can now register for the 2010 Capital Area Basketball Officials Camp camp by clicking here or by using the navigation bar at left.

The CABOC is run in conjunction with the MSU Spartan Shoot-out which attracts some of the best high school teams from Michigan and surrounding states. The caliber of play at this camp is what makes this such an outstanding officiating experience. Our staff’s goal is your improvement and helping you to attain your goals.

The CABOC is directed by Mike Conlin. As our members know, Mike is the Coordinator of Men’s Basketball Officials for the Horizon League, the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the Michigan Community College Athletic Association and several high school leagues in the Lansing area. Mike has worked D-I Men’s College Basketball since 1989 and ended his on-floor career in 2007 - 08. Past participants of the CABOC are currently working in the Horizon, GLIAC, Heartland, WHAC, MIAA, and MCCAA. Many previous attendees have experienced success in improving the level of their officiating and the quality of their schedules.

The camp staff consists of D-I, II & III men’s and women’s college officials. They are intent on providing tangible, immediate feedback while campers work their games.

For more information e-mail Mike at mike@glra.net or call 517-204-6001.

CAOA Banquet a Huge Success!

The 2010 CAOA banquet was a great success! Over 140 members and guests came out to honor our finals officials and take part in some outstanding fellowship. The event featured both a 50/50 raffle and a prize raffle with all monies going toward the "Officials for Kids" program. Following dinner, MHSAA Assistant Director Mark Uyl served as the master of ceremonies for the evening. We had some special guests including Jason "Big Fish" Fisher from Mason High School. Jason was recently involved in a farming accident. Through your generosity we were able to give the Fisher family a check for $800 to help defray medical costs. In addition to Big Fish, we were honored to recognize Haslett outgoing Athletic Director Jamie Gent and Okemos outgoing Athletic Director Keith Froehlich. Jamie and Keith have been huge supporters of the CAOA since our inception. They were the first two athletic directors to jump on board our scrimmage policy. Finally, the 3rd Annual Tony Payne Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Tom Minter. Tom was honored and deeply moved by the award, especially as it came as a total surprise. Click here to see our photo gallery from the 2010 banquet. If you have photos you would like to submit for inclusion on this page, email them to Nichole Tilma.
 

Team CAOA Out in Full Force at the W3 5K Run/Walk

The CAOA was well represented at the Sparrow Foundation Women Working Wonders 5K Run/Walk at Hawk Island on Sunday, September 13. Over 50 CAOA members, family, and friends participated in the event. Team CAOA raised $1,275 for the Sparrow Foundation, more than 20% of all funds raised at the race.

Every member of Team CAOA received a "Whistle While You Run" t-shirt as well as a picnic lunch after the 5K.

Jordan Parks led the way for the team, posting a time of 19:54, good for third place overall. Nathan Parks and Kevin Duits finished fourth and fifth overall, respectively.

Click here for a photo gallery from the event.

New Email Address

CAOA President, Jeff Spedoske is using a new email address for all CAOA business. The AOL account was compromised. The CAOA apologizes if you have received spam email from that account. Any email regarding CAOA business for Jeff Spedoske should be sent to caoaofficials@gmail.com.

2009-10 CAOA Theme: A More Fit CAOA

At the most recent CAOA Board Meeting, the board decided on a theme for the 2009-10 season. This year, the CAOA will be putting an emphasis on getting in shape and eating right in order to be at your best on the field or court. Every CAOA meeting during 2009-10 will have a fitness component incorporated into the meeting. We also have a dedicated "Nutrition" page where you can view and print documents containing information on basic nutrition information, weight management, importance of fluids and more. This page can be viewed by clicking here or using the nutrition link on the navigation bar in the "Reference" section.

Membership in Good Standing

Now is the time to check your MIGS status, do not wait until the season starts! If you are a football crew chief, please check on your entire crew as soon as possible. You can see your status with on our web site, www.greatlakesreferee.com, and by logging into the MHSAA site. IF YOU HAVE NOT REGISTERED WITH THE MHSAA FOR 2009-10, WE CANNOT MAKE YOU A MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING UNTIL YOU DO SO. Please register with the MHSAA as soon as possible so we can complete our good standing roster. Any questions regarding MIGS status should be directed to Membership Director, Dan Carmichael, at jendan10@att.net.

CAOA Dues

CAOA Dues should be paid immediately. You will not be included on the MIGS list until your dues are up to date. CAOA dues are $40 per year ($20 for students). Click here for a registration sheet:

http://www.greatlakesreferee.com/highschool/caoa_membership.pdf

Any questions regarding dues should be directed to Treasurer, Eric Wills, at ewills@loeye.com.

CAOA Mentor Program Job Description

Did you have a veteran official that took you under his or her wing when you were just starting out or did you wander aimlessly through this maze of officiating without any guidance or support?  In either case, we have a way to give back and help a new official avoid those same pitfalls.

The CAOA is starting a Mentor Program for new or inexperienced officials.  Our hope is that by pairing up a less experienced official with a seasoned CAOA member, we can help new members avoid the pitfalls that often lead to discouragement, disillusionment, and ultimately disinterest in officiating.  If you are a CAOA member in good standing with a positive attitude regarding officiating and the CAOA, please consider being a CAOA Mentor.

Mentorship is not only for our most experienced or accomplished members.  In fact, an official with just a few years experience may be more adept at guiding a new official through today's myriad of issues.

A Mentor would be expected to be available to the mentee for guidance, be willing to occasionally work with the mentee on sub-varsity assignments, give both positive and constructive feedback on performance, etc.

Again, we are looking for mentor's with a POSITIVE attitude towards both officiating in general and the CAOA specifically.  If you qualify and are interested in becoming a CAOA Mentor, contact me, Jeff Spedoske, by email at caoaofficials@gmail.com.
 

CAOA Leading the Way for Officials for Kids

CAOA presented a check for $5000 at the 2006 Boys State Finals at the Breslin Center.

Officials for Kids originated in Lansing, Michigan in 2003 to support the local fundraising efforts of Coaches for Kids and Athletes for Kids whose goal is to construct a dedicated pediatric emergency room & waiting room at Sparrow Hospital. Now, Officials for Kids has built a positive image and is ready to go across Michigan to help kids in all our communities. This initiative is a great way to become actively involved in supporting the future of children's healthcare in Michigan.

The CAOA initially raised $1,000 toward their goal and the figure has grown exponentially since that time. The 2007 - 08 totals stand at $4,000, bringing the grand total raised to $13,277. "This is a great way for officials in the capital area to give back to the community," stated Jeff Spedoske, CAOA President. "We are very proud to be one of the leading officials associations in the state of Michigan to support this cause."
 

The Officials for Kids program originated in Lansing in 2003 with a goal of raising funds for the construction of a dedicated pediatric emergency room and waiting room at Sparrow Hospital. Now CAOA members can easily donate a game fee or more toward this purpose using our printable form. All donations are tax-deductible. Click here to view and print the form. You can also read more about this project on the Sparrow Foundation website.