Wow, where did the summer go? Or, in my part of the country, when is the summer coming?  Like most summers, I went to Colorado Springs in June for USA Hockey’s Annual Congress, took a vacation in July and am now trying to get all the information configured for the upcoming seminar season.

It seemed like summer, but in fact hockey season is a 12-month sport in my life. In some people’s lives hockey usually ends around April and starts back up in September. Guess what? We are past September and it is now time to blow the cobwebs off of the rulebook and get ready to start the season.

As we start the new season, not much has changed regarding the rulebook. This year was a rule change year for USA Hockey, and with little changes, we will start the season with basically the same rules.

The same can be said for the Standard of Play Initiative. USA Hockey has not changed the position we took several years ago on holding, hooking, tripping, slashing and interference. What you see on TV is not the same as the leagues you officiate.

As you get ready to attend the mandatory seminar, you need to commit to officiating like anything else in life that you are serious about. Getting the rulebook out the night before the seminar and dusting off your skated that morning is not taking the commitment very seriously.

The seminar season should start the juices flowing to get back to officiating a great sport that we love and respect. Showing up unprepared and not going through old materials is unacceptable. You would never show up to work or school having crammed for something, and it’s the same here.

You might think you know the material but preparation is the key. We get a lot of complaints on the closed-book test and many excuses why people fail, when the truth is people simply do not study. Take the time to get ready for the seminars knowing most of you will have to take a closed-book test. It is not the closed-book test we are trying to get officials ready for, it is the entire season.

Another factor in officiating is preparing physically to get back on the ice and being able to keep up with the younger players during the game.  I hope all of you have been preparing off the ice this summer to make sure you are ready to go physically and mentally.  Far too often we regret not spending the time necessary to become the best we can.

Don’t cheat yourself or the game by not preparing yourself physically and mentally for the upcoming season.  When the postseason assignments come out and you are not working, will you wonder why?  Is that the same reason you didn’t get a raise or you got an “F” on that paper?

I hope everyone has a great season, and I look forward to seeing you at the rinks.