Meeting Dates Posted
Meeting dates for the 2011 - 12 school year are now posted on the
website. You can see the complete schedule on the Meeting Dates page. Any
meetings coming up in the next thirty days will always show up in the blue
section on the right side of any page.
Roster Updated
We have had several additions and deletions to our association roster.
Our database, which feeds all member information pages, is current, as is
the PDF file that contains the entire roster.
This document is great to print and have contact information for all FOA
members in one spot.
Dues Status
We continue to receive dues payments from members for the upcoming year.
As of 8/24/11, we are at 72.2% paid (78/108 members). Thanks to all who have
taken care of this. If you are not sure if you have paid your dues or if you
are marked as current, check out our Dues Status
page. Please give us a few days to get the list updated after your
payment, particularly if you mail a check rather than using our online
payment option. Paying online is the fastest way to take care of
your dues. You can complete the process in about five minutes by following
the steps on our FOA Dues page. Although we use
PayPal to process payment, you don't need a PayPal account. All it takes is
a credit / debit card. Please remember that your FOA dues now includes your
ArbiterSports Technology Fee. The FOA will pay this fee to the Athletic
Assignors Association on your behalf once you've paid your association dues.
Prepare Now for 2011-12
Now is the time to get ready for officiating in 2011 - 12. Below is a
checklist of things you might want to do to prepare:
- Pay your FOA / Arbiter dues, if you have not
done so. (Make sure your name doesn't show up on our unpaid list. If you
see your name listed erroneously, contact
Bruce Molineaux, FOA
Treasurer, immediately.
- Register with the MHSAA.
- Get in shape for the season, don't use the season to get in
shape!
- Make sure your availability calendar is completely updated in
Arbiter for any of your assignors.
- Keep your address current for both the FOA and Arbiter. (These tasks
must be accomplished separately.) You can update Arbiter from within the
site (make sure you have not logged in to any specific group, just into
Arbiter). To make any changes to your FOA information, use
this form.
- Replace any worn or missing uniform / equipment items now, before
the season starts. Honig's Whistle Stop
is a great place to find all your officiating gear.
- Apply the MHSAA patch and FOA patch in the correct locations on your
uniform now, while you're thinking about it and know where the patches
are. If you need an FOA patch, contact
Bruce Molineaux.
- Start spending some time with the rule book.
What's New
- Information is now available about ArbiterSports, the online
assigning system for our area officials.
Click either of the links below for help on using the ArbiterSports
site:
We've Revamped Our Site!
In case you haven't visited recently, we've revamped our website.
Although the old design was still very functional, we decided it was time
for a fresh look. All of the previous functions are still available, and
we've added some more content. Also, some of the content that was static is
now being pulled from our online database. If you have any issues as you
navigate, or have any suggestions for ways the site can be more beneficial
to you, please pass them on to our webmaster using this link. Below are some
of the changes:
- Pictures in the upper right-hand corner of each page are all of FOA
members in action. These pictures randomly change each time you visit a
new page or refresh the page you're on. Have a picture you'd like
included? Send it to us and we'll get it up!
- Upcoming meetings list along the right-hand side of the page is now
dynamic, and will show any meetings coming up in the next 30 days. Since
this is pulled directly from the database, it will always be accurate.
- Can't find what you're looking for? Check out the
Site Map link to see a complete listing of
all pages in the site.
- Our Photo Gallery page now has
thumbnails that can be clicked to show you a larger version of each
photo. Again, we are relying on our members to keep those action shots
coming!
- Member directory pages now have picture icons for sports worked
instead of the old "true" and "false" method used before. This should be
a much cleaner way to quickly see which official works each sport. (A
special thanks to
Kelly White,
web designer for the Kalamazoo Officials Association, for this idea and
how to implement it!)
- You can now pay your dues or donate to our new scholarship fund
directly from our website using PayPal. Check out this new feature on
the Pay Dues page and the
Student Scholarship page.
- We've added a Dues Status page for
members to check and make sure their dues are listed as current. All
delinquent members are listed on this page.
- We've also added new content about the following:
- Becoming a member.
- Meeting information and requirements.
- How to get assignments.
Note: Please make sure to use the Info Update form to
keep our member database accurate. All member information seen on the site
comes from this database. If you don't get us the changes, they won't be
accurate on the site. Remember that this is completely separate from
changing your information in AssignByWeb.
About the FOA
The Fruitbelt Officials Association is an organization serving high
school athletic officials in southwest Michigan. Our members referee and
umpire the following sports: football, basketball, volleyball, wrestling,
baseball and softball. The mission of our group is as follows:
- To provide training
- To provide a forum for regular rules and mechanics study
- To promote the positive image of officials in our community
- To promote camaraderie by engaging speakers of interest
Our web site is designed to enhance this mission by providing quick
access to updated information about the FOA, its members, area schools and
officiating links of interest, as well as to provide a live forum through
the bulletin board system. It is intended for FOA members, school personnel
and anyone in the community interested in area sports and the way they are
officiated. Enjoy your visit!
Current Officers