They’re going to the monitor!
Sport Officials Surrendered (S.O.S.) announced today a format adjustment for the 2020 Referees Embracing Faith Conference. REF Conference: At The Monitor will be conducted entirely online, simulcast across the S.O.S. online and social media platforms on Saturday, August 15, 2020.
REF Conference: At The Monitor will be streamed on the S.O.S. YouTube channel and Facebook page, and will be accessible through all other S.O.S. social media channels. Two 90-minute sessions, morning and afternoon, will be highlighted by impactful teaching and powerful personal faith testimony from many recognizable names from the top levels of officiating across multiple sports, all centered around the theme, “trouble to trust to transformation.”
The one-year shift from the usual in-person format is in response to the current public health concerns and travel restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the uncertainty that remains for the summer months.
“We were genuinely looking forward to bringing REF Conference to the Pacific Northwest this summer, and we extend our thanks to Capital Christian Centre in Olympia, WA for opening your arms to the officials,” said S.O.S. co-founder Dan DiFolco. ”However, after staying informed by health authorities and communicating with our officiating community since the pandemic began, we made the collective determination that the online format for this year was in everybody’s best interests to respect health and safety for all involved, and the uncertainty that still exists through the summer months,” DiFolco said.
The full lineup of speakers who will take part in REF Conference: At The Monitor will be announced later this spring. Past REF Conference speakers include Pat Fraher, Darron George, Ted Barrett, Ed Rush, Steve Javie, LaMorris Crawford, JD Collins, Homer Drew, Alika Arisumi and Nate Harris.
“We cherish the in-person interaction that we enjoy with our fellow officials from across the country and the relationships that form as a result of REF Conference, and we will certainly miss that aspect this year,” said REF Conference co-founder Pat Fraher. “We also believe, though, that a blessing from this temporary switch will be the ability for sport officials worldwide to join us at the click of a button from the convenience and safety of their own living room,” Fraher said.
The REF Conference organizing committee is also hopeful that the convenience of the online setting will help bolster the lineup of speakers and presenters able to participate, including representatives from the widest variety of sports yet for the third annual event. Speakers will be announced as the schedule is determined.
REF Conference: At The Monitor will be available for all, completely free of charge, simply by heading to the S.O.S. YouTube or Facebook pages. Real-time engagement with guest speakers and S.O.S. team members will be possible through the respective platform chat functions during each session.
Additional opportunities for personal interaction will be available for S.O.S. email subscribers and partners.
Organizers are hard at work securing all further aspects of REF Conference: At The Monitor such as speakers, a finalized schedule, and new engaging features. All further updates will be announced through sportsofficialssurrendered.org and S.O.S. email newsletter.
Referees Embracing Faith Conference looks forward to coming to you live at the monitor on August 15, 2020!
Please contact TeamSOS@sportofficialssurrendered.org with further inquiries.
S.O.S. IS ON ZOOM
Sport Officials Surrendered is conducting prayer calls on Zoom. Email sportofficialssurrendered@outlook.com to request further details.