Last year, the Board of Directors and the Officiating Pillar launched a survey on the forum to better understand how certification is used in officiating and how people would like to utilize it. We received many insightful responses, which led to additional questions—particularly regarding how certification is perceived and the individual journeys of those seeking it.
After reviewing the feedback, we realized that we may not have received sufficient input from skaters. We would greatly value more feedback from skaters to gain a deeper understanding of their perspectives on certification. Additionally, some of the responses we received were thought-provoking, and we would like to explore them further by interviewing selected survey participants.
We are seeking skaters who are interested in sharing their thoughts on the certification of officials in WFTDA. If you are interested in participating, please email tarabyte@wftda.com. I would be happy to arrange a time to talk.
Yes, tho not on social media, please. But we know there are independent officials who do not have access to the forum at this time and would love for them to have this update. we know that is only one example of people who would not be able to access this information.
That should not be an issue. also note that there will be other information coming out about certification. so I would love that also shared in the same places when it is completed.
“Despite its lower value, many still heavily rely on game history and references for staffing
decisions”
I’m interested in the rationale for this statement. How has it been determined that game histories and references have lower value that Certification, given that “The consistent negative is that cert is not respected/trusted.”
Sorry, this was the sentiment expressed in the survey that they are perceived to have lower value yet used by several people more often. We did not impart our thoughts on the standards used.
We’ve received a few questions about the purpose of the current survey and why we’re seeking input from skaters. We wanted to take a moment to address those questions more broadly—hopefully this provides some helpful context.
Why does WFTDA Certification want to hear from skaters?
While this won’t be a complete history, we’ll do our best to capture the key points—and we welcome others to fill in any gaps. The Certification program was originally created in response to skater demand. Skaters—whether attending championships, postseason tournaments, or even home games—wanted confidence that the officials, particularly skating officials, were well-qualified and prepared to manage the game fairly and consistently.
Over time, Non-Skating Officials (NSOs) were added to the certification process, and the program evolved into two parallel tracks: one for skating officials and one for NSOs. As the program grew, the officiating and skater committees within WFTDA became more distinct. This was necessary at the time to ensure that officials had a dedicated voice, but it also created an unintended divide between skaters and officials. Certification continued to grow and change, but increasingly without skater input.
That’s something we want to change.
We’re asking questions like:
What expectations do skaters have of certified officials?
Do certified officials make you feel more confident in the officiating of your games?
Do leagues support their officials in pursuing certification?
Do you intentionally seek out tournaments known for staffing certified officials?
These conversations are meant to be just that—conversations. We hope these questions spark dialogue and lead to even more thoughtful insights from the skater community. Your perspective matters, and your voice will help shape what comes next.