So You Want to Become a Collegiate Wrestling Official?

Why Join the MSWOA?

The MSWOA is dedicated to developing, supporting, and advancing collegiate wrestling officials throughout their careers.

• • MSWOA Dues
    • For each season you will need to pay dues to the MSWOA. A portion of these dues go to our assigner who spends countless hours coordinating all of our duals and tournament assignments. Other expenses may be used for our summit, website and other items throughout the year. Dues must be paid to receive assignments through the MSWOA. If you have received a contract and have not yet paid your dues prior to the event, you may be removed from that event.
  • What does the MSWOA do for me?
    • The MSWOA currently assigns for about ## schools which entails approximately ## duals and ## tournaments for the year.
    • We also host a summit geared towards on the mat training and classroom discussions to help newer officials. All officials are welcome to attend and learn.
    • The MSWOA will also assist you with working with a Mentor and Veteran officials to help you along your path in officiating.
  • Assignments. Getting assignments and working into tournaments/opens.
    • Assignments for duals and tournaments are sent out to members in good standing with the MSWOA. These assignments are given out based on the needs of the tournament and level required for officials. In order to get more assignments or more high profile tournaments, you need to be seen and evaluated by our assigner and/or veteran officials.
  • Evaluations. Got to be seen by one of our many evaluators/mentors.
    • If you want to move up and get more assignments, you need to be seen either by our assigner (recommended) or one of our veteran officials/evaluators. This will allow us to give you some feedback on what you may need to improve on and what other tournaments you’re capable of handling. We don’t want to throw you into the fire for your first match.
  • Travel and grant assistance for new officials. Helps pay some expenses to get mat exposure.
    • For some duals and tournaments, we have the ability to help pay for a room or travel expenses if you want to tag along with another official for the day and work a dual as a second or work into an open tournament to get some mat time. This is the best way to show others that you want to get better and move up in the ranks. The best way to move up early is put in some windshield time and ask others if you can tag along.
  • Mentorship. Pair up with a veteran official.
    • Working with a mentor throughout the year is a great way to assist with learning not just the rules but the ins and outs of officiating at the college level. You will be able to contact your mentor for questions on rules to assist you throughout the year.
  • Training. Conferences, Clinics, Opens Etc.
    • We host a summit/clinic geared towards newer officials to get some instant feedback by officiating several matches during the summit. Evaluations are given by veteran officials and allow you to interact with other officials at the same time. Classroom discussions will also be available for rules and other areas around all of our officiating duties.
  • Registration with the NCAA
    • Register with the NCAA via RefQuest at https://plus.refquest.com/home.
  • Refquest signup information.
    • Registration opens yearly in July. You must be a registered official and pass a background check in order to officiate any collegiate matches.
  • Costs for registering for each division.
    • If this is your first year in collegiate officiating, you may just want to register with DII, DIII and or NAIA divisions. There is an additional cost to register for DI assignments.
  • Signing up for conferences to work.
    • Within the registration process, you will be asked which conferences you will be working for. Only select the conferences that you know you will be assigned to or working in. This does not disallow you from getting an assignment throughout the season for one of those conferences. Do not simply register for all conferences.
  • Testing!!!!
    • IMPORTANT! Do Not Take the test until you are ready.
    • There will be time to take the test along with some discussions around any new rules. You only have two opportunities to take it. If you do not pass it, you do not officiate. Simple as that.
    • Take your time and use your case book thoroughly.
  • Rule books and case books. Our bible.
    • Once you register, you will receive your rule book and case book. These are also available via PDF documents through the RefQuest portal. https://plus.refquest.com/home/fcfURYs06QLLtrmhISPh

  FAQ’s

  • How much do you get for a typical dual meet?
    • Fees for duals vary from conference to conference. While you may see some still around the $150 range, most are around $200-$300 from DII and lower. Some conferences may now be paying $350 or more.
    • Second officials for dual meets are typically around $100-200.
    • At the DI level, you can expect on average with the dual fee, mileage and per diem to be $800 plus. For second officials at the DI level the average is $400-$600
  • How much do you make for a tournament?
    • Most tournaments are paying $400-$500. We are working on getting all tournaments to be a minimum of $500. Some tournaments do pay quite a bit more and dual meet tournaments are based off of the number of rounds/duals to work.
  • How many matches should I expect to be assigned to my first year?
    • Depending on your history/resume for officiating, this can vary. Newer officials can expect to get 2-4 tournaments and possibly more during the season depending on how they perform and what our needs are. As you get more experience and you are comfortable giving you more assignments then you can start expecting to get several more until you have a full season.
  • What can I do to get more matches?
    • Read and study the rule and case books heavily. Know it front to back. Be an expert on the rules. You should know the rules better than the coaches.
    • Attend clinics. Clinics are one of the best ways to interact with other officials and get some feedback if it is a working on the mat clinic.
    • Attend online meetings or discussions. There are several groups and associations who have regular meetings throughout the season.
    • Tag along with a veteran official. This will get you noticed much faster as it shows others your willingness to put in some time and the work that is needed. Even if it is for free. (Grant money may be available).
    • Watch matches on TV and online. Watching other officials is a great way to see how calls are made whether you disagree or agree with the call. If you have questions about a specific call, contact your mentor or a fellow official to discuss.
    • Video yourself. Seeing yourself on video is a great way to see your positioning on the mat and to see those little things that others may pick up on. Do you look confident making your calls? Are you in the proper position? Did you make the right call and the proper signal?
    • Practice your signals in front of a mirror. Our signals should not vary from one official to the other. These need to be 100% correct and consistent.
  • Can I get a mentor to help me get better and move up the ladder?
    • Absolutely. If you have someone you have talked to or would like to work with, let us know. Also check for an official that may be in your area who may be willing to mentor you.
  • How much would I have to travel?
    • Depending on where you live and proximity to schools can vary on how much you would need to travel. If you want to move up, be willing to travel a bit your first few years. Then, you can set some limits as you get a full schedule on how much and how far you wish to travel. Driving 2-5 hours may be expected.
  • Do we get hotel rooms for all matches?
    • No. More and more schools have moved away from providing rooms by raising their fees they pay for matches. While there are still quite a few schools that will gladly provide rooms, please contact your assigner and not the school directly if rooms are available.
  • What if I am already contracted for a match and get another offer?
    • We prefer all officials to honor current contracts. This includes high school contracts. We do realize that in order to move up and get better matches, this may be necessary. First, contact both assigners and discuss with them to see if they will let you out of the contracted match. Do not simply give up one DII assignment for what you think is a better DII assignment. But, going from a DIII open to a DI Dual may be acceptable. This may be done on a case by case situation after discussing with your assigners. Do not play games with this by making things up in order to take a better assignment. And do not make a habit of it. If you abuse it, assigners are less likely to work with you.
  • What if I get sick, hurt or can’t get to my match?
    • Contact your assigner immediately so they can work on getting a replacement. We also understand that wrestling is during the winter and weather may come into play. Sometimes you may just need to give yourself another hour or more to get to an event.
  • What if a match is cancelled?
    • Depending on when the match is cancelled will determine if and how much you get paid. If you have not left or the match is cancelled days before, then typically no pay is given. If you are enroute to the match and it is cancelled for weather or other reasons, then you may receive a prorated amount. If you are onsite and it is cancelled then you should still receive the full amount. Contact your assigner for details as this can vary by school and conference.
  • Do we get travel pay?
    • This varies by conference and school. At the DII and below, you typically do not receive additional fees for mileage. There are some national level tournaments that do pay mileage or flight costs. This should be stated in your assignment for each tournament. At the DI level, you may receive additional mileage per conference. Some build this into their fees.
  • How do I get into a conference championship?
    • Work your butt off!
    • As you work tournaments and are seen by our evaluators, and other NCAA evaluators, you may be recommended to work a DI conference championship. Working a few years at least in DII and DIII is usually required to get experience. This also varies from one official to the next in how fast you can progress. It’s up to you how fast you move up but expect to take at least 5 plus years or more to get there. Some may also want to see you get to a DII or DIII championship prior to a conference championship
    • We do assign for a few non DI conference championships. These will be assigned to officials as the assigner deems appropriate.
  • How do I get to work at a National tournament?
    • Again, work your butt off. As you work tournaments, there are always eyes on you. Being seen repeatedly by evaluators and showing your ability to work through tough calls and be professional will be noticed. Your assignors and evaluators are typically the ones to recommend you to advance.
  • How many officials are there in the MSWOA?
    • We currently have 117 officials in our association.
  • How many schools does the MSWOA assign for?
    • The MSWOA currently assigns for 46 schools, 6 conferences, 33 tournaments, and 118 duals (including tri’s and quads).