York College will host its sixth START program on three consecutive Mondays (Feb. 6, Feb. 13 and Feb. 20).

START, or Students of Today are Referees of Tomorrow, is an initiative to recruit college students and others into the avocation of sports officiating, beginning on the scholastic levels and hopefully advancing to the collegiate level in future years. The START program was organized and initiated in Pennsylvania by five NCAA Division II and III conferences during the 2008-09 academic year – including the Capital Athletic Conference.

The sports offered this session at York College will include baseball, soccer, field hockey, football and basketball.

The program will be held in York College’s McKay Hall Room 222, located on Grantley Ave.(the building next to the Grumbacher Athletic Center), beginning both nights at 6 p.m.

Candidates will be able to take the PIAA officiating test at the end of the Feb. 20 meeting. The PIAA provides sport instructors as well as educational and testing material for the program.

The program is open to anyone, including college students at any school, as well as parents of athletes, college employees, alumni and fans.  Students from neighboring college and university campuses such as Penn State-York, Penn State-Harrisburg, Millersville, Messiah, Elizabethtown, Gettysburg, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall and others are encouraged to participate in the program free of charge. 

The PIAA waves its registration fee for students with current college identification cards. Non-college students are invited/encouraged to participate in the program by paying the standard $30 PIAA registration fee.

To register for the program at York College, candidates should send an e-mail to Capital Athletic Conference Commissioner Tom Byrnes (tbyrnes@cacsports.com), indicating which sport they’re interested in becoming a PIAA official.  Late applications, or interest in another sport(s), will be accommodated if possible.  

The START partnership included the NCAA Division III Capital Athletic Conference (CAC), Centennial Conference (CC), Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC), Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) and Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in coordination with the Pa. Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA).  

The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has scheduled a START program during February (Mon, 20th, Wed, 22nd and Mon. 27th) at Albright College in Reading, Pa.  Information for the program at Albright College, which will feature opportunities for new officials/umpires in baseball, softball, soccer, football, men’s and women’s lacrosse, volleyball and track & field, can be obtained by contacting Marie Godwin (godwin@lvc.edu).

The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) has also scheduled a START program for consecutive Wednesdays in February (8th, 15th and 22nd) at Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa.  Information for the program at Cabrini College, which will feature opportunities for new officials/umpires in boys and girls lacrosse, baseball and softball can be obtained by contacting Jim Berger (jberger@csacsports.org).

The CAC has also run START programs in Maryland and Delaware.  Other Division II and III conferences in New England, Ohio and some Midwestern states have organized similar programs. 

For more information, contact CAC Commissioner Tom Byrnes (tbyrnes@cacsports.com).