USA Fencing released a memo today announcing an increase in the honorarium pay for referees at USA Fencing NAC events for the remainder of the season, beginning with the Junior Olympics. The honorarium will increase by $10 per day.
We understand and appreciate your frustration about the treatment of the referee corps. The last few
years have been challenging for the entire organization, and much of the burden has been borne by our
hard working volunteers. There has been no increase in officials’ honorarium for more than a decade, and
although we recognize it is not solution to the many issues facing USA Fencing and its referees, we are
happy to announce that honorarium for tournament officials for the remainder of this season will increase
by $10 per day at national tournaments, effective with the JOs in Baltimore. Our hope is to use the rest of
the season to more critically evaluate the compensation system and develop a financially sustainable,
long‐term plan as well as address the other concerns about the refereeing system that have been voiced
by various referees. Thank you all for your continued support and tireless efforts to improve our sport.
This looks to be a move in the right direction for the treatment of the volunteer staff that helps to run the ever increasing events that USA Fencing puts on.
The referee and other volunteers put in a great deal of time and effort to try to give a positive fencing experience at these events. They are all typically overworked – mainly because the events are popular and have a large number of athletes competing over the 4 days that most NACs run.
The next time you’re at one of these events, keep that in mind and thank your referee, bout committee member, armorer, or other volunteer for their efforts.
Source: http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0035/9602/Referee_Honorarium_Memo.pdf