Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Return to Competition: Individual Sport Considerations

OFFICIALS’ GUIDELINES WHEN RETURNING TO OFFICIATE:
Officials are not responsible for monitoring activities on the sidelines, such as social distancing, hand washing, symptoms of illnesses and other such issues. This monitoring obligation remains with the coaching staff and school personnel.

Here are the latest guidelines from the PIAA.

This link is for the Volleyball Specific Guidelines:

This link is for the Officials Guidelines:

Here is a link to the entire PIAA Return to Competition article.

John “Jack” Menes tribute

A tree will be planted in memory of Jack Menes from Golden Triangle Chapter. A link to his obituary can be found at http://www.sperlingfuneral.com/obituaries/obituary-listing?obld=12860640.

In Memoriam – Jack Menes

It is with great sorrow, that we inform you of the passing of Jack Menes, a beloved fellow official and longtime Chapter member.

On May 3, 2020, John “Jack” Anthony Menes, age 76, passed away surrounded by his family. Beloved father of 3 daughters, Nancy Hogle, Linda Nist (David) with grandchildren Benjamin, Jenna, and daughter Janet Notarberardino (Joseph) and grandchildren Isabella and Ava.  He is also survived by his loving caretaker and cousin, Janine Fiesta, Uncle Ted and Aunt Mary Sulkowski, and the only dog he ever loved, Shiloh.  He is preceded in death by his wife Joan (nee Harchuck) and his brother Ed. Jack was raised in Cleveland, Ohio.  He was a proud graduate of St. Ignatius High School (1960) and John Carroll University (1964).  He earned his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. Jack was a loyal fan of the Cleveland Indians and Browns, spent 30 years as a WPIAL sports official including basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball, served 35 years as a lector for St. Sebastian Parish and served on Parish Council, volunteered his time as an AARP Tax preparer and as an usher in the Theater District in Pittsburgh.  After retiring from USX after 30 years, Jack enjoyed watching his grandchildren in their various activities, spending time with friends, playing golf and cards, and traveling. We would like to thank the staff on 7 Main at UPMC Shadyside for their kind and compassionate care.  In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be made to the scholarship fund at St. Ignatius High School, 1911 W. 30th Street, Cleveland, OH  44111, Attn: Mary Beth Flynn or at the link below.   Due to the COVID-19 virus restrictions, there will be a private Blessing Service available to watch live-streamed on Wednesday at 11 AM.  Interment will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery in Cleveland. A celebration of Jack’s life will be held after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Chapter meeting Sunday, March 8, 2020

Reminder Chapter meeting Sunday, March 8, 2020 Sokol Club, Southside 7:15 pm. Chapter dues in the amount of $40 is due. NFHS insurance for 2020-2021 in the amount of $25.00 is due. Two separate checks or cash please. Rules Interpretation: R1/R2 duties and pre-match responsibilities. Special election for open at large board seat.

***Special Election***At-Large Board Member

On Sunday, March 8 at the 7:15 Golden Triangle Chapter of Certified Volleyball Officials a special election will be held to fill the open position on the GTCCVO Executive Committee.

The At-Large Board Member position previously held by Eric Ressler opened when Karen Ricco resigned as Recording Secretary.  Mr. Ressler volunteered to take over the Recording Secretary position.   

The position was open to the membership for nominations at the February 23rd meeting.  No nominations were offered from the floor, so Mr. Ressler will assume the role of Recording Secretary uncontested.

Nominations to fill Mr. Ressler’s At-Large Board Member position will be taken from the floor at the Business Meeting, following the Rules Interpretation.  Any person in good standing with the GTCCVO can run for the position.  

Per out chapter guidelines a person nominated, MUST give consent.  If a person wants to run for the position, but will not be at the meeting that person MUST: 

        Provide a Letter (e-mail will be accepted) to the Chair of the Nomination Committee (vice-president), Dave Mrvos.  This letter will be forwarded to the Corresponding Secretary (Milan Yekich), per requirement in the GTCCVO By-Laws. 

All persons running for the position will be given the opportunity to address the membership. If a candidate cannot attend the meeting a proxy may be designated to speak to the membership on behalf of the candidate.

Per the GTCCVO By-Laws Proxy Voting and Absentee Ballots will not be permitted.             If you have any questions, comments or need clarification for running for the position, please contact:

Dave Mrvos (Email and Phone Info available in Arbiter)

            Thank you and see on March 8th at the Sokol Club at 7:15 p.m.

NFHS Insurance

I wanted to clarify the insurance issue for our chapter. If you paid for NFHS Insurance in the fall of 2019, that covers you for this boys season 2020. That insurance expires July 1, 2020. A new policy will have to be purchased before July 1, 2020 for coverage of girls/boys season 2020/2021. The board decided to collect the money by March 8, our last chapter meeting for the spring, so that we have enough money to pay for the new insurance plan in July. You do not have to purchase NFHS insurance through our chapter, however, we are getting a discounted rate of $25.00 , but you must have insurance to officiate! Some schools are asking for verification that you have insurance. Below are the instructions to print your card if you have the NFHS insurance.

Here is how to log in and print it out: – Log onto the NFHS website – Click on “sign-in” in the top right of the page o Your username is your email o If you did not set up an account yet, click on “forgot your password” to create a new password – Once logged in, in the top right of the page click on your name – On the next page, click on the membership tab o Then click on “download membership card” A pdf file should download for you to print out your membership card to verify your liability insurance DO NOT LOG IN THROUGH ARBITER. Go directly to the NFHS website: www.nfhs.org  

Recording Secretary position

Effective February 24, 2020, Karen Ricco will resign her position as recording secretary. We will need to fill this position. If interested, please inform Dave Mrvos, if we have more than 1 person interested, we will have a vote. Thank you for your consideration. See everyone Sunday!

Chapter meeting Sunday, February 23, 2020.

Reminder our first meeting for 2020 is Sunday, February 23 at the Sokol Club at 7:15 pm. Dues in the amount of $40.00 will be due by March 8, 2020. Also, $25.00 is due for the insurance plan. The current plan expires July 1, 2020.

PIAA state final Saturday, 11/16

This Saturday, November 16 is the PIAA state volleyball final, which will be held at Cumberland Valley High School, Mechanicsburg, PA. Two of our WPIAL teams have made it to the final: North Catholic and North Allegheny. I am also pleased to announce that two of our officials will be representing GTCCVO! Greg Lockley and Milan Yekich have been selected to officiate the 3A final and call lines for the 4A final. Congratulations to both! I know you will do an outstanding job and our chapter is very proud! The games will be televised on the PCN channel.You can check your local listing to see the times. Much Success to both Greg and Milan!

Uniform for WPIAL/PIAA playoffs

The WPIAL and the PIAA both have confirmed that either the black/white stripe or the white shirt are okay to wear during the playoffs and finals. ALL officials must be in the same uniform...I suggest you take both shirts with you. Good luck to all who have been assigned.