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By Leonardo Campos and Craig Heywood

Official Business: Getting Involvedin the Guts of Bicycle Racing

ave you ever wanted tobecome a road, t rack ormounta in bike raceoff icial? Have you everw o n d e r e d how raceofficials at United StatesCycling Federation (USCF)a n d Na t i ona l O f f - R o a d

Bicyc le Assoc ia t i on (NORBA) even tsbecame off icials? The USA Cycling(USAC) Off icials Program teaches theskills and knowledge to aspiring bicyclerac ing o f f i c i a l s th rough c l in ics,guidebooks, exams and a mentor ingprogram. The USAC Off ic ials Programalso gives USCF and NORBA Officials theopportunity to become nationally andinternationally certified.

The primary function of a USA Cyclingrace official is to ensure a safe and faircompetition. USCF and NORBA Officialshelp to provide a level playing field forcompetitors with their thorough knowledge of all current rules.With their impartiality at events, they assure all racers have anequal chance and that everyone will be judged according to thesame rules.

USCF and NORBA Officials maintain a special position atevents because of the contact and relationships that they havewith different groups. Officials must work closely with theevent organizer, ensuring that the event is held in an organizedand safe manner. For the new event organizer, officials canhelp ease tensions by inspecting the course and giving adviceregarding how to best conduct the event. USCF and NORBAOff icials may have contact with event sponsors and mediarep resen ta t i ves , so they must also be knowledgeables p o k e s p e r s o n s for the event and USA Cycl ing. Mostimportantly, USCF and NORBA Off icials will have the mostcontact with athletes. In this case, Officials also serve acustomer service role because not only are they offering a clearexplanation of racing rules, but their actions and rulings at anevent can affect all competitors.

Al l Of f ic ia ls are faced with having to handle va r iousresponsibi l i t ies concurrently. In addition to all their otherexpectations, they are also responsible for:

• Serving as a representative of USA Cycling

• Assisting the race promoter inproviding the optimum race experiencefor all participants• Assisting with scoring and timing of theevent , and for submi t t i ng a c c u r a t eresults• Overseeing the sale of racing licensesat the event• Address ing any s i tua t ions involvingracing licenses, classes, and categories• Clarifying any rules questions• Resolving any protest issues• Submitting event evaluations to USACyclingUSAC Of f i c ia l s can also prove to bedefinite assets within their own cyclingclubs by provid ing answers to racingrules questions and assisting racers withlicense upgrades.The first step to become either a USCF orNORBA Race Official is to contact the USACycling national office or USAC Regional

Coordinator in your state. USCF and NORBA Officials clinics aretypically held throughout the year . Some requirements forbecoming a USCF and/or NORBA race official are:

• Be at least 18 years old.• Successfully complete a USA Cycling Officials clinic,• Pass the officials exam.• Racing experience is not necessary, but is useful.USA Cycling's Officials licensing program is a graduated

system, in which Officials take on bigger roles as they gainmore experience. USCF Officials start as a Category 4 Official,and NORBA Officials start as a Regional Official. . It is notexpected that new Officials will be able to handle all situationsdirectly after receiving their new license. As Officials work theirway up to being either a USCF Category i Official or NORBANational Commissaire, they will take on increasingly moreresponsibilities and duties. Craig Heywood is a USCF Category2 Race Official, and is the President of the Dell's Angels USCFClub. Leonardo Campos-Moya is a USCF Category 4 Race Officialand a NORBA Regional Race Official. He is the Team Director ofVeto Club Ole/Team Bellin Health and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Cycling Team.

For more information on the USA Cycling Officials program,check the USA Cycling website at: http://www.usacycling.org.

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