In order to encourage and maintain a high standard of safety, sportsmanship, and fair play across our organization, teams will be required to complete the following certification requirements in order to compete at this upcoming season’s regional and national events.

Dear Members,

After a bit of a delay, the Gameplay Department is extremely excited (and relieved!) to finally announce the launch of our online Referee Tests which, as promised, we are offering free of charge.

We know that many of you have been waiting in anticipation for this moment, and we thank you for all for the patience and understanding you have demonstrated over the past several weeks while we pieced together the tests. While the majority of our prepared material was ready to be presented as of last week, beta-testing showed that some fine-tuning needed to occur in some areas of our work. Moreover, we were not able to properly consider length, difficulty, and various marking schemes before beta-testing occurred. It was a necessary step in determining what we believe to be fair, necessary, and accurate testing material.

[bctt tweet=”Quidditch Canada Releases Referee Tests” username=”quidditchCanada”]Presented alongside our updated gameplay-related policies and procedures, we are confident that these tests will serve to promote in-depth knowledge of our set of rules. In turn, we hope to see a rise in the quality and standard of officiating our league offers. It goes without saying that safety and fun go hand-in-hand. Through these tests, players and referees alike will be encouraged to acquire the knowledge they need to participate in the game in a manner that is both safe and enjoyable.

However, testing only represents one way we are able to raise awareness of the rules. Passing or failing a test is not necessarily as meaningful as in-game practice, thoughtful reflection, and consistent revision. For this reason, the Gameplay Department has decided to create a referee group for all QC-certified referees, providing a Q&A forum, prioritized access to resources, and direct support from Gameplay Department staff. Any Quidditch Canada member will be added to the group automatically upon achieving certification at any level, although participation in the group shall not be made mandatory.

These are still brand new tests, and we are working with a set of rules that is relatively new to us. We have done our utmost to ask meaningful questions, ensure accurate responses, and to present a variety of scenarios that we believe game officials should be prepared to respond to in any given match. That being said, this has been a huge project for us to undertake, and we recognize that it is possible we may have overlooked something. If you think you see errors of any kind, or should you have any suggestions, please contact gameplay@quidditchcanada.com (with screenshots, if applicable) so that we can address them as soon as possible.

Before closing, it is absolutely necessary that I thank a number of people for making this project become a reality.

First of all, these tests wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for our somewhat unique set of rules, and the visionary perspective of the IQA Rules Committee (and all those who serve on it). Although they have raised debate and complications in many respects, I do sincerely believe that they are ultimately looking forward to the sport’s future needs, and am extremely happy that we have been able to incorporate a majority of their proposals into our set of rules.

Next, I’d like to thank the tireless work contributed by the volunteers in my department. Our Snitch Coordinators (from east to west), Matthew Bunn, Christian Favreau, Wesley Mackie, and David St-Germain, who have taken on the brave task of representing both the most iconic and controversial position in the game: the Snitch Runner. Next, our newest member, Ittaana Krow who, despite his most recent hiring, has already contributed significantly to the department’s decisions on our finalized amendments. Next, Rachel Malone, who, believe it or not, first got us started on our search for video footage before summer even began. Next, Cayley Mendoza who has spent countless hours conversing with and working alongside me (virtually), often working through the dead of the night to selflessly accomplish what needed to be done. I couldn’t ask for a team of more dedicated volunteers to take on all the work we are given (and still have to face!). Whenever you get a chance, please recognize and thank them for their efforts, because they really are the ones taking action to improve the sport within Canada.

Moreover, there are a couple people outside of the department that deserve special recognition. One of those people is Michael Clark-Polner of the USQ Rules Team, who, throughout the test development process, generously donated hours of his time to ensure that a good majority of our material was not only well-informed, but fair. His guidance, experience, and expertise as a referee and rulebook editor has been key to the development of our tests, and we at the Gameplay Department are extremely grateful for his critical insight and genuine willingness to provide support at any time during the day.

Finally, I’d like to give a shout-out to Sachin Kotecha, who did not only suggest beta-testing (when I was more concerned about publishing these tests immediately), but who somehow also found the time to take all 3 tests and pass them while performing all of his Event Director duties. Although he isn’t planning on trying an HR Field Test, he does claim a place in history as the first person to ever successfully pass all 3 tests. Please join me in congratulating him on this fantastic feat!

It has been a stressful and demanding summer, and we still have much to do! Look forward to our next batch of policies, because they are coming. In the meantime… Happy studying. ?

Your Gameplay Director,

Ema S-C.