Close to twenty officials have already registered for the Dawson Basketball Officiating Camp scheduled for June 21-23 at Dawson Community College. The number of attendees will be capped at 25. This will be the first time Dawson has held an officiating camp in many years and the high enrollment numbers are a positive start. There are several officials from out of state and some in-state officials from as far away as Butte, Turner, Shelby and Power. Dawson men’s coach Joe Peterson explained, “I think the high numbers are impressive for the first year and being located in a rural location. It shows the need for these kinds of trainings for officials in the region. There are camps similar to this in western Montana and eastern North Dakota, but nothing much in between. I think the high quality of the instructors we are bringing in has been a major reason so many have already registered.”
The keynote instructor, Mike Thibodeaux, officiated in the SEC, Big 12, Conference USA, Sunbelt and Southland conferences for 31 years. Mike Fischer is the Assignor and Supervisor of the Frontier Conference and has officiated in high school for 32 years and college for 12 years. Jeff Risk’s career spanned 42 years of refereeing high school, college and professional games. He is currently the commissioner of the Mon-Dak Conference as well as the Assignor and Supervisor of officials for the North Star Conference and the Mon-Dak Conference.
These three instructors will be doing on-court evaluations of camp attendees as well as six different classroom sessions. All camp attendees are provided with a camp t-shirt, housing and meals, including a Barbeque in Makoshika.
The camp is designed for current youth league, high school, recreation league and college officials; as well as for those who are looking to get started in officiating or those interested in moving up to higher levels. The camp is approved through the MHSA and the NDHSAA to count as 2 study club credits. Montana educators can also receive renewal units.
DCC extended the deadline for registration to June 14th. Cost of the camp is $100. For more information, contact Athletic Director and Coach, Joe Peterson, at 406-377-9459 or jpeterson@dawson.edu. To register, contact Sara Engle, DCC Workforce Development and Continuing Education at 406-377-9441 or sengle@dawson.edu. The brochure can be downloaded online at https://dawson.prestosports.com/general/2018-19/photos/Dawson_Basketball_Officiating_Camp.pdf