Dear Shore Board 194 Members and Basketball Community,
Welcome to the 2024-25 basketball season! As your president, I look forward to the new year and working with you to continue moving our Board forward. Our Executive Board and IAABO have worked to greatly improve the resources and training available to our members and new candidates. As a result, I believe we have plenty to be proud of and excited about our future.
With a new year comes opportunities and challenges. We continue our efforts to increase our membership and retain members. Not surprisingly, we lost a significant percentage of members to retirement during the post-pandemic period. That said, thanks to our Membership Committee, Cadet Program, and Mechanics Committees we have been able to bring on lots of new officials these past few years. Nearly 25% of our membership has been with us five or less years, along with another few dozen cadets we are training currently. We appreciate the support from so many in keeping us strong in numbers and skill. We will continue our discussions and are always open to new ideas that will help grow our organization. Please direct those interested in becoming a referee to https://www.shoreboard194.org/contact-us.php to submit their contact information and receive our training information.
A recurring challenge and point of emphasis we face is Sportsmanship. We appreciate your efforts in addressing unruly behavior on the court and at times in the stands. We are hopeful that working together with coaches, athletic supervisors, and site personnel will lead to improved behavior so that we can focus on the game itself and the enjoyment of being a part of a great sport.
On behalf of our Executive Board, I wish our basketball community a healthy and safe upcoming season. It is an honor to serve as President of this great organization. I look forward to seeing each of you at the upcoming meetings and/or at a game throughout the season.
I ask that you visit our website to keep abreast of any new information that may assist you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any Executive Board member with any questions or concerns that you may have.
My best to you,
Brian Murray
Please contact me via email (brimur5@aol.com) with any questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding our organization. Please direct any questions regarding rules and their interpretation to Jason Stallworth (jstall4@verizon.net). All other Board business should be sent to our secretary/treasurer (shoreboard194@gmail.com).