TONYA'S NEXT LEVEL

Recently I decided to form a committee of people to help me get to the NEXT LEVEL. I want to begin to travel and referee the highest levels of college basketball. I am 37 years old and have been officiating for over 9 years now, seven of those at the high school level. I am single with no kids. I love high school basketball, I even coached for several years, but my passion is the college game. I am giving myself 2-5 years to get as many invites to various conferences and ultimately to the highest levels of college. There are so many college conferences looking for quality female officials who have good mechanics, solid decision making, and the “IT” factor. I am not just looking to get into the West Coast conferences, I am looking nationally. I am reestablishing my contacts back east and making new ones to help build the number of people that will see me referee.

I know there is still lot’s to learn, any good referee knows that there is always more to learn, therefore the committee being formed and certain steps need to be taken, I like how my pastor, Shawn puts it, when talking about Christianity, he said, “you make a decision and then you take ACTION!!” Thank you, Shawn for this analogy that I can make with my decision to referee college basketball and go for it. I am a person that needs to write things down and make a list of what needs to be accomplished. Otherwise, I get side tracked with life and forget things. It is optional to be on my committee, a lot of where you get is who you know, so the more support the better. If you are getting this letter, you are being asked by me to be on my committee. One of my colleagues from NCBOA asked, what is my job as part of this committee? Well, some of you have already been there for me as part of my committee in your general support as co-workers and friends when you tell me my mistakes and help me get better in basketball and life. You also have served as an inspiration telling me that I am a good official and a good person, and should consider this next step. Without people like you, I wouldn’t be here, and thank you.

I also wouldn’t be here if wasn’t for family and friends, who always love and show support for whatever I get into. I also want to of course thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for my abilities and this opportunity. I would be remiss if I didn’t include in my committee both Him and my dog, as she will endure the grunt of my travels in the winter, Thanks Jezebel. Ed Rush(an NBA Official) has suggested being a BALANCED person and to not forget my faith, family, friends, and my teaching vocation, and in that order, before the avocation of refereeing basketball. Thanks Ed for that wonderful advice.

Once you join my committee, you will be asked to continue your support and I welcome any and all information that can help me, Tonya, get to the NEXT LEVEL. I will keep you informed of all camps, clinics, and let you know when I am scheduled to be on TV refereeing basketball, Woo Hoo, I am excited, I hope you are to. Thank you all and God Bless you.

Tonya

Please let me know through email or phone if you can serve on this committee and the next email will be my ACTION PLAN.


The Action Plan

• Form a committee for support

• Welcome criticism and ask many questions

• Evaluate myself each game and have some reflection time recorded in a journal, funny plays, questions that arise, could things been done differently, etc.

• Join more associations including the Pacific Coast Conference, a junior college association I have already been invited to, basically referee more basketball

• Attend online class held by Ed Rush(NBA Official)

• Become a mentee to anyone willing to give back

• Join the Instructional Committee and continue to give back to my main association, NCBOA

• Mentor younger and inexperienced officials

• Study and stay on top of the rules and mechanics, especially the difference between college and high school rules and mechanics.

• Continue to read my Referee Magazine, the entire Basketball section every month

• Attend a South Atlantic Women’s Basketball Camp being held in North Carolina, April 17-19, which includes conferences such as ACC, Big South, Colonial Athletic(George Mason, my alma mater), and the Southern Conference. The camp is only $150, which doesn’t include a place to stay, airfare, or meals. Any of these conferences would be a dream to work in, and Southwest flies into Raleigh, DC, and Maryland, right where I have lots of family to visit.

• Attend a camp being held at the University of Tennessee June 12-14, which includes conferences such as the Atlantic Sun, Ohio Valley, and a huge Georgia Junior College. This camp is expensive at $400, but it includes lodging and meals and it is about 7 hours from many family members out there, I might just get a rental car and meet you this summer. The camp fee would not include the airfare to get there. This is a dream camp, but I have a good feeling about this one and the possibility to meet Pat Summit is even better!! I talked to the camp coordinator and she says the Coach sometimes speaks at the camps. Those of you who don’t know who Pat Summit is, you are not a college basketball fan, google it!

• Attend a camp locally in Orange County at Concordia University July 10-12, which includes the Big West, the huge NAIA, which includes divisions I and II, some Division III and junior college conferences, both on the West Coast. According to many people on NCBOA, it is the best camp to attend to be seen for the entire West Coast and possibly other states. The cost of the camp is $200. It is about an hour to an hour and half drive from where I live, so gas is the only other expense with this camp. I might even attend this camp with a local official, so we can share gas expenses.

• Be disciplined enough to save the money for these camps, which all come to about $750, ironically the amount and more that some of these conferences pay to officiate their games, so it is a good investment. Some of these conferences have camps and clinics for FREE and will even pay me travel stipends with assignments, once you begin to work for them on a yearly basis. So you can constantly learn and improve and not have to spend a $750 in future springs or summers. I am also realistically looking at about the same amount in additional expenses.

• Start looking at ways to save and or raise the amount needed to attend these camps. Most of these camps require money, some if not all by May 15, 2009. The spring camp will be sooner.

• Apply for scholarships from my home association, NCBOA. I know there are funds for our officials to attend camps, I just need to apply.

• Try and attend a camp with someone else to share gas and hotel expenses.

• Check with committee and do research for cheaper airfare, discounts, and people they might know to make the travel less expensive.

• Eat out less, drink less beer, no more Starbucks, stop impulse buying, make some sacrifices, and start stashing money away for my travel.

• Obtain place for my dog to stay or get someone stay and watch her at my studio apartment.

• OBTAIN MORE INCOME: I’m going to umpire softball for MOA(high school level), continue working for the Boys & Girls Club, under 25 hours a week contract when the kids are in school, continue with my independent contractor duties tutoring and refereeing basketball. Possibly working for my uncle’s construction company doing construction and my aunt’s Real Estate office doing office work. If I travel, possibly working for my old associations in Virginia and Maryland, for AAU and high school tournaments. For instance, driving from the Tennessee camp June to Virginia, where my baby brother lives in 6 hours and working games while I am out there for more income.

• Obtain a $500 loan as a valuable investment in ME!! Once I work my first two college games I can pay back the loan, plus 50% interest, which would be $750, which is one or two division I basketball games easily. If I am not invited to any conferences or meetings, or clinics to move up to the next level, then the loan could be paid back at the end of this July, when I will be obtaining a lucrative summer contract from Nacel Open Door(google it), where I will be teaching ESL and serve as a Coordinator of Programs that Host Foreign Students. A separate contract that is notarized can be drawn up for this loan.

TWILIGHT - Edward is Gorgeous!!

I love the books and love these pics found online, aren't they both Gorgeous?

DRAMA

Here are some of the kids at the local Elementary. Thank you Lord for my job that keeps me alive and able to still do these fun things I enjoyed as a kid.

Pictures from my TRIP!!

Here is the future ROCK STAR in the family, my handsome nephew, Gabe. The picture above is my baby brother, John and his new wife, my new sister, Jean. Congrats to them on getting married this last summer. The pictures I took from Paula made me feel like I was there. God Bless you both and your new family. I love you!!

My January Letter...It's been AWHILE...I love you, this is Jezzy and Me at Christmas 2008.

Dear Family and Friends, January 15, 2009

I just wanted to write to my family and friends since the New Year has come upon us and it has been several months since the last letter. I just finished my favorite lunch or dinner of all time, a bean and cheese burrito with roll tacos from Las Panchos, a little Mexican dive here in Oceanside. I am sitting on a picnic table at a local park near my studio apartment with my dog, Jezebel. It is currently sunny and about 82 on a Thursday afternoon. This park is killer, it overlooks the ocean and a view of the mountains. I will post some pictures on the blog for your viewing. Jezebel and I come up here just about every day, to play ball, read, be lazy, and now write on my computer. I miss all of you dearly, especially the ones that I don’t see very often. I would love to hear from any or all of you. I wanted to send this letter to get you updated on how I am doing and it is my 2009 New Year’s resolution to keep better in touch with family and friends through letters, phone calls, and posting to the blog.

. I am still living and working in the city of Oceanside. I didn’t like the cold weather and rain we just had, but now the weather has returned to gorgeous, as always. We really are spoiled when it comes to weather out here. Thank you Lord, for my beautiful San Diego weather. If anyone is looking to move, the houses are going pretty cheap out here of late. Currently still working part time for the local Boys and Girls Club, where I have started programs such as a Drama Club, a Book Club, Club Strategy, HeyGirlHey and Uno Frenzy. My Dram Crew recently did a comical piece of “Rudolph” and we already have a production planned for the end of this month. The Book Club was inspired by my sister Paula, when she told me to read the “Twilight Series” by Stephanie Meyer. She and I were in our own little book club, talking about the Twilight books each week. So, I will be getting together with teens each week to discuss the books and other pieces of literature. My elementary kids will be reading the Chronicles of Narnia, which are written by a brilliant Christian Theologian named C.S. Lewis. Both are approved reading by today’s public schools. The Club Strategy was inspired by my love to play chess and the possibility to one day teach and tutor chess. I predict chess as being the next Texas Holdem!! I have been attending classes at Academic Chess, designing my own online chess curriculum, and playing lots of chess. Get your chess sets ready. I play online daily to improve my game, people from all over the world on chess.com, I am EnforcerT, if you ever want to challenge me online.

I am also still officiating high school basketball. I had many exciting holiday tournament games, which included teams from all over San Diego and out of state. I had a girl’s varsity game that the teams got up into the 80’s, and that’s a lot of points for a girl’s basketball game. Heck, 80 is a lot of points for a boy’s game as well. I was recently working a game in Mt. Carmel, where there were 400 people in the stands screaming for their teams, it went to overtime and what an adrenaline rush to be the one calling the game and have the best seat in the house. You must have the thickest of skin to be a referee and realize that you won’t make everyone happy. My experience and accolades in my officiating are bringing me opportunities to reach the college level as soon as next year. I have been invited to attend a Pacific Coast Conference officials meeting, which is a junior college division here in San Diego. This invite will require me to attend a camp this summer and begin to focus on improving my game for the next level. Thank you Lord for this wonderful opportunity to make a living doing something that brings me passion, adrenaline rushes, and exercise. Hopefully one year I will be telling you about my invite to Division 1 basketball, where I am currently seeing more and more women these days. We always have to have dreams, right?

I am getting ready to go back to the East Coast to visit my sister Paula, friends, and other family members. I leave next week and I am really excited to see everyone. I can barely recognize Paula’s kids on the phone now days, they are growing so fast. While out there, I can keep in touch with my clients I am currently tutoring online via the internet. My Mom and my sister Yonna might make the trip up from North Carolina, since they live there now and we can make a big family reunion of it. Thank you Lord for this opportunity, and thank you Paula for opening up your home for all of us.

Well, I have rambled enough, I didn’t want to write too much, since I sometimes can write novels. I hope this letter finds everyone happy and healthy. I hope this New Year brings you lots of love and growth that will allow you all to prosper. Don’t forget the bonds we all have with family and friends and the relationship we have with our savior, Jesus Christ. His relationship has the power to nourish, strengthen, and put out all the fires in all of our relationships. Thank you Lord for this opportunity to write to family and friends, thank you Lord for everyone who read this far, may you bless them, and I say this in your heavenly name, Jesus Christ, amen. I love you all and God Bless!!

Tonya

www.flywithchrist.blogspot.com

www.BigSisterTutoring.net

PARK

Here are the the parks where Jezebel and I like to go. One is of course, the ocean, where there is a park, Jezzy chases the squirrels. The other, you can literally see the ocean and the mountains and it is right up the street from where I live in Oceanside.