COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today that it has postponed the 2020 Advanced Officiating Symposium which was set for July 24-26 at the Providence Marriott in Providence, Rhode Island.
“Due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, we felt the best way forward was to postpone the event,” said Matt Leaf, director of officiating education for USA Hockey. “We're excited to be in Providence next year, and we appreciate the partnership we have forged with the Providence Marriott in hosting this event.”
The event has been rescheduled for Aug. 6-8, 2021, at the Providence Marriott. Participants who have already registered will have the option to either transfer their registration to next year's event or receive a full refund. If a refund request is not made, the registration will automatically roll over for the 2021 event.
"This is disappointing to say the least, but at the end of the day, safety is our first priority,” said Dave LaBuda, USA Hockey's national referee-in-chief. "We appreciate the continued enthusiasm of our officiating team to get back to work and look forward to presenting a bigger and better symposium in August of 2021.”
ABOUT THE ADVANCED OFFICIATING SYMPOSIUM
The Advanced Officiating Symposium is open to any official who has been registered at Level 3 or Level 4 for each of the previous three hockey seasons. The symposium offers officials the opportunity to obtain “tenured” status within the USA Hockey Officiating Program upon attending. Participants have the opportunity to hear from high-level speakers, including those in professional and international hockey. General session presentations cover a wide range of topics including the role of the tenured official, opportunities in officiating leadership, as well as health and wellness for the amateur official. The first-ever Advanced Officiating Symposium was held in 2019 in Bloomington, Minnesota.