ISAF Instructors Conference to widen knowledge

by ISAF on 30 Sep 2008 The first ever Conference for ISAF Race Official Instructors is set to bring together over 90% of ISAF seminar instructors worldwide when it takes place from 3-5 October 2008 at the ISAF Secretariat.

The aim of the Instructors Conference is to provide an opportunity for all ISAF seminar instructors to exchange experience and to review current documents and policies. Instructors play a crucial role in the ISAF Race Officials programme and are responsible for training up and coming race officials at seminars and clinics around the world, assisting them on the path to ISAF International Race Official status.

There are currently 28 ISAF Instructors and five instructor candidates worldwide, spread across the four disciplines of Race Officials: International Judges, International Measurers, International Race Officers and International Umpires. More than 90% of them, representing over 15 nations, are set to attend the Conference.

One of the key focus points of the Conference will be training Race Officials outside their specific area. John Doerr, the chairman of the ISAF Race Officials Committee and head of the presenting team at the Conference, says this is to make sure officials have a thorough knowledge, not just of their discipline, but of the functioning of a Race Officials team as a whole.

'At events we want the Race Officials to be thought of and to act as one team with different functions. In order to do this we have to ensure that all the different team members clearly understand and appreciate each others roles. So the Measurers know what the Race Officers are doing and how to bring a case to the Jury, for example,' Doerr explained.

'One of the key questions we'll be asking is how do we change the way we train people in the future to ensure we create this cross-over of knowledge,' Doerr added.

Along with Doerr, fellow presenters are Josje Hofland, Jan Stage, David Sprague and Nino Shmueli.

The Instructors Conference is just one element of the ISAF Race Officials Programme which encompasses the training, assessment, support and appointment of International Race Official worldwide.

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