What is the point of the ref/scorer training?

[Anonymous]

This is our first year on a club team. Everybody on the team did the online scorer/ref training. During tournaments we tried to rotate work assignments so that each kid could try to get two signatures for scorer and two for ref. This is easier said than done. For various reasons, at most each kid only got one signature per sheet, which is apparently not enough.

Can someone explain the point of all of this? What are the repercussions (if any) now that the girls didn't get enough signatures? Once a girl DOES get all her signatures, do they last for her volleyball career or do we have to repeat this every year?

[Anonymous]

You will do this every year and chase signatures every year. The advantage of getting the two signatures in the first year is that you will only need one signature the next year (I hope I remember correctly what my DD told me once).

[Anonymous]

This is one of those things that feels like pointless hoop-jumping your first year, but there is a reason for it.

In USAV tournaments, teams are responsible for providing work crews (R2, scorekeeper, libero tracker, line judges). There simply aren’t enough paid officials to staff every court all day, so the system only works if players can step in and do these jobs correctly.

The online training + signed evaluations are meant to:
• Teach kids how scoring, rotations, subs, and libero tracking actually work
• Make sure they can do it in a real match (not just watch a video)
• Prevent errors that can affect match results or delay play.

This gets more critical as the age groups progress.

Why it’s so hard to get them
What you described is very typical. Between limited opportunities, and officials forgetting or declining to sign, it’s practically impossible to get everyone fully signed off. Everyone should have an opportunity to get one evaluation, then in my experience you do your best to get a second one done if possible. Sometimes clubs will have older girls work tournaments on their “off weekends” to get certifications done.

What happens if they didn’t get enough signatures?
For the players themselves, usually nothing.

They’re not going to be penalized, and this doesn’t follow them in any meaningful way. The impact is more at the team level:
• Teams are expected to be able to staff work assignments with competent players
• In some regions, there’s an expectation that you have a minimum number of “certified” scorers and referees available per team. For example, in CHRVA, teams are supposed to have a certain number of certified scorekeepers and referees. That’s pretty common across regions. Believe it or not, clubs can be fined for having poor quality work teams!

Also, at some tournaments, especially bigger ones, there’s an expectation or requirement that scorers and R2s are fully certified, not “in progress.” They’re not checking paperwork at the door, but if the table clearly doesn’t know what it’s doing, that’s not ok.

What is the actual point?
It’s less about the signatures and more about this: Can your players run a match correctly when it’s your team’s turn to work?

If yes, no one cares how many signatures they have. If no, it becomes a problem fast at tournaments.

Do you have to redo this every year?
Sort of.

Most regions including CHRVA require annual training, but returning players usually have it easier. If your kid was certified the prior year, many regions only require a refresher and fewer evaluations (sometimes just one signature) the next season. So it makes it easier on any player who was certified the season prior, but mostly from a paperwork and logistics point of view.

[Anonymous]

That is super helpful. Thank you for the information!