KCRYA14 - All photos now online / Reviewing your performance

Evening everyone,

Well I've spent a productive afternoon indoors (no football for me this Sunday??) finalizing the uploading of Day 4 - Day 5 - Presentations photos to the Flickr account.

If you search for your first name and / or finals game "U/14MPlate" and select Your Photostream as shown below

you'll find pictures of your games, awards ceremony and perhaps random pictures tagged with you or your final game.

Over 1900 pictures online (new record for KCRYA) and I'm still waiting on pictures from NZ and Lynda for completeness (hint hint Paul, Brent).

I'm working on reviewing the video footage shot (mostly of Sunday's technical sessions and Sun - Wed's technical sessions).  At this stage I'm looking at uploading that footage onto a DropBox account for closed distribution but will have to work out the details yet as it's a lot of downloading to view it all (currently 37Gb).  If anyone has better ideas, love to hear some feedback.

I'll also be using the dropbox service to provide footage from past Kanga Cup technical sessions as soon as I can edit it down.  More details in a post later this week.

Reviewing / Goal Setting

How was your first full weekend back post KCRYA?  Any improvements?  New found confidence on your local leagues after refereeing in the hot house of Kanga?  Are you reviewing your performance game to game for areas of improvement?  Have you set new short term / medium / long term goals for your refereeing career?

Your Academy book had some brief reviewing sheets to help you in this regard, but you may have filled them all in.
Here's a possible template to start with.
Jim Ouliaris, formerly FIFA AR, current member of FFA/FFV Referees Technical Committee, FFV's Referee Standing Committee, and AFC/FFA Assessor / Instructor and back in 2012 was FFV's Talent Officials Program Manager.  Jim created along with help from Chris Bambridge, Ian Postlethwaite, Luke Brennan, Carlo Graser, Hakan Anaz, Kevin Dockerty (a stellar range of FFV's top refereeing minds) a range of documents you can still find on the internet and are still relevant today.  Here's Jim's Top Session 2 that covers topics including Unwritten Rules, SMART goal setting, LOTG Q&A, and a short quiz.  Give it a try, see how you go and the unwritten rules are especially interesting reading.
Used with thanks to Jim and the FFV crew.

Gossip from around the Grounds

Post Kanga lag for some of the Qld crew - Lynda has spent most of the week recovering from a cold, missed training but was back out assessing today.  Can't keep a good assessor down long, made of tough stuff up North.

Darren went straight back into the deep end of Football Brisbane's Capital 4 on Saturday afternoon (well someone had to do it!!) and promptly sent off two and cautioned half a dozen, keeping up the hard line spirit of Kanga Cup and not taking any nonsense.  He had a good night's sleep and promptly returned to the airport on Sunday for a few days in Melbourne.


Bit of a step up from this 3 days earlier

Tuesday's training was full of questions from KCRYA Alumni about how good/bad it was. Bit of jealously I felt about our AIS setup I think compared to years past - LOL

I caught up briefly with Oliver at Monday night's junior coaching on the Southside.  Otherwise it's back to normal.  I managed to have two quiet games (Sunday after, just a single RC for VC) and yesterday Capital 2 Ressies was a walk over 9-1, but was a fun training run working my angles. Already working on the annual report, did some correspondence with the KCRYA coaches and spent the rest of this week sorting out my Uni life for Semester 2.



CF - Delfina Dimoski (presenter on Sunday night)

had a big weekend being appointed to ACT NPL U/20's CR for first time.  There is speculation she's aiming on making a big play for Kanga Cup U/12's Plate Grand Final in 2015, so you can follow her progress on Twitter @DelfinaDimoski

Alasdair - MIA somewhere last seen in the FNQ area after missed flights and another long day on Saturday (LOL).

No word from NZ crew, but lots of FB updates indicating everyone got back.

If you managed to get some local publicity for your attendance, send me the link.  Remember, internal promotion of your time at KCRYA within your branch / region could be via your monthly newsletter / publicly speaking at your next coaching meeting - ask your Branch coach / mentor about it.

Anyway, time to get onto something else. Enjoy the photos and don't exceed your parents internet limit.

REMINDER: Visit http://www.ausref.com/index.php/shop for your all refereeing needs with your KCRYA exclusive discount code only valid until the end of July.  Thanks to Scotty for the Flickr site maintenance.

Until next time.

KangaCupRef

Post Academy - Some tools to help you survive and thrive

Evening everyone,

Hope by this time everyone has gotten 12 hours sleep, sought medical help for those colds / aches and pains and have done a load of washing following this year's Academy at Kanga Cup.  Whilst the physical and logistical needs are easily taken care of, it's now time to consider the more complex needs of your brain, namely Post Course / Camp Depression (PCD).  Whilst you haven't been to a American Summer Camp, you've taken part in a short, intense experiential camp program where you've learnt, worked and formed relationships that may be stronger than you realize, similar in many aspects to a traditional camp program (substituting the canoeing / camp songs for officiating / education sessions)

The Academy has evolved over several years to generate quality youth referees for Kanga Cup to support and work along side the Capital Football officials, but the outcomes I believe are longer term for those who take part.  Here's why.....

Darren holding court, Day 1 debrief

Post Camp Depress is the best example I can find of what occurs to referees after attendance at the Academy.  PCD occurs due to several factors.  Tiredness, jet lag for some, intensive shared experience unlike any your refereeing friends / colleges or parents can understand.  You may know the person you shared a room with better than any other just now, something that parents / friends will find difficult to understand and accept.  You may have made connections to mentors / coaches unlike any you've previously had; different structures of living for the week (rigid schedules, expectations, purpose); strong supportive atmosphere of positive encouragement; refereed matches of higher quality and diversity than you'd be given at home.
You may have changed.  Not physically, but you may be more confident, walk just that bit more confidently, have more tools in your toolbox for dealing with difficult situations on the field, have new ideas about your refereeing goals / careers that others will not understand fully - they weren't part of the group, weren't in "the room" at the AIS.  It's a combination of shared experience in a close group that is unique and therefore special to you and will be difficult for you to explain to others.

Your transition back to everyday life might be difficult. You may be back at school / work / university this week, after what was a very different week and perhaps your first time independently away from parents / carers.  The Academy demands early starts, long 16 hour days, physically and emotionally draining, intensive assessments, education sessions and feedback and constant communication with people who were strangers on Saturday evening but might now be close friends.  And now suddenly your expected to be back into your routine of school, sports, friends, and family - the Academy experience is finished.

Solutions to PCD are varied.  Some blogs indicate keeping busy - school, regular life, ensure your back refereeing this weekend in your local leagues (applying your new knowledge / confidence), attend your monthly coaching meeting.  Make a effort to be more involved in your refereeing career - it promotes yourself and also reflects that Kanga had a positive impact on you, without saying it.

And I always say to my students following a longer outdoor education program, talk at length to your parents / close family / carers about your experience.  They ARE ALWAYS interested in not just what you did (U/12 final), but more about who you've become and what new ideas you have about the world.  Parents love to know about the lives of their children, so share it when you feel ready.  If you haven't yet had that conversation, make time later this week or next when your ready to discuss it casually over dinner or a quite time with Dad / Mom / Gran / Uncle.  Sometimes talking with people not closest to you are able to listen the most.  Your referees mentor / coach are also good listeners and could acknowledge your experiences easier as they may have been there, done that in their youth.  If you don't yet have a mentor, ask someone in your branch about it.

And be aware - Kanga Cup and your participation may not be fully supported by your local coach / branch / State even if you did "The Grand Final".  There is lots of reasons for this, but just be patient. Cream always rises to the surface and your accomplishments will be known, even if not publicly acknowledged.

If you need support, there are many coaches / assessors happy to help talk you through it - reach out to Capital Football and I'm certain they will support you further.

 Brendan, William, David and Rodney - coaches and mentors for KCRYA14

PCD doesn't last - like all things, it'll pass with time and distance from this years Academy.  It'll resurface with pictures on Facebook / Flickr or when you get a message from someone online / FB request.  You might return in 2015, but your journey may be directing you in twelve months towards new directions (National Titles, National Talent Pool, more local development opportunities) that are more challenging than what Kanga Cup can offer.  Seek out these options (Kanga Cup WILL continue without you) if they are relevant to your development stage.

But regardles, Keep those friendships and networks going - it's much easier now than when I was at your level (before the internet).  Start a email / FB / blog discussion about your next games, how your improving weekly, achievements at Finals and if your keen, send me notes - happy to promote Academy Alumni achievements here in future posts.

Give yourself time to reflect on your Magic Moments and what you've learnt to take forward from KCRYA14. And remember, it's just a step in your LONG journey, not the destination.

More pictures online overnight and tomorrow as they roll in, working on where to put video.



Cheers

KangaCupRef


Here's some links to PCD for your reading and interest, some ideas I've borrowed for this post.

http://southpawprodigal.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/thoughts-on-post-camp-depression-part-2.html


http://bdgarberphd.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/summer-camp-syndrome/


http://campcounselors.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/post-camp-depression-is-real-heres-how-to-deal/