US Youth Soccer Young Referees of the Year Named
Georgia's Jorden Clements and Minnesota's Bob Hinrichs honored at Awards Gala
SAN JOSE, Calif. (March 6, 2009) - The recipients of the 2008 US Youth Soccer Young Referee of the Year award were announced tonight at the US Youth Soccer Awards Gala, held in conjunction with the 2009 US Youth Soccer adidas Workshop at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose. The Female Young Referee of the Year is Jorden Clements, of Warner Robins, Ga., and the Male Young Referee of the Year is Bob Hinrichs, of Rogers, Minn.
Hilary Kennedy, host of The US Youth Soccer Show on Fox Soccer Channel, set the stage for the night as the master of ceremonies for the more than 1,000 in attendance. Competitive and Recreation Coach of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Goal and Save of the Year, and the Dr. Thomas Fleck Award were also presented during the Gala and the US Youth Soccer Hall of Fame inductees were honored as well.
Playing recreational soccer was a big part of Jorden Clements' life until an accident that prevented her continuing to compete. Continuing to pursue her love for the game, Clements turned to refereeing. In April 2006, she began as a Grade 9, but upgraded to a Grade 8 in July 2008. Her experience as a referee includes local amateur leagues, middle school matches, local youth leagues, the US Youth Soccer State, Regional and National Championships, crediting her with over 300 games. She has excelled in all challenges presented to her through soccer and she also participates in various programs in her community that allow her to give back to others.
Bob Hinrichs is a Grade 8 referee and has more than five years of experience. He has the attended the referee academy and the advanced referee academy in order to broaden his knowledge and skills as a referee. In the summer of 2008, he participated as a select referee at the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program clinic in Rockford, Ill. Hinrichs has set high goals for himself as he plans to attain his Grade 5 certification and continue to referee at a higher level as an adult.
Recipients of the Young Referee of the Year awards are selected by the US Youth Soccer Board of Directors based on work ethic, knowledge of the rules of the game and influence as positive role models.
Through the Young Referee of the Year program, US Youth Soccer helps foster the development of referees for the future of soccer in the United States. Many of the leagues around the country would not be able to cover all of their games but not for the involvement of youth referees.
The regional winners of the 2008 US Youth Soccer Female Young Referee of the Year are:
|
Region I
|
Samantha Polito
|
Canonsburg
|
Pennsylvania West State Soccer Association
|
|
Region II
|
Rebecca Hall
|
Hartland
|
Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association
|
|
Region III
|
Jorden Clements*
|
Warner Robins
|
Georgia Soccer
|
|
Region IV
|
Maia Anderson
|
Anchorage
|
Alaska State Youth Soccer Association
|
The regional winners of the 2008 US Youth Soccer Male Young Referee of the Year are:
|
Region I
|
Ryan White
|
Manassas
|
Virginia Youth Soccer Association
|
|
Region II
|
Bob Hinrichs*
|
Rogers
|
Minnesota Youth Soccer Association
|
|
Region III
|
James Johnston
|
Greenbrier
|
Arkansas State Youth Soccer Association
|
|
Region IV
|
Zachary Pendt
|
Bremerton
|
Washington State Youth Soccer Association
|
*denotes national US Youth Soccer Young Referee of the Year
For bios on each of the regional award winners,
click here.
The Young Referee of the Year recipients are awarded for their dedication to the game, their outstanding personal accomplishments, serving as role models to other youth referees and players, and for their excellence as recognized by their adult referee peers and mentors.
For more information about the US Youth Soccer Awards Gala and award winners, go to
USYouthSoccer.org/workshop/galaawards. ###
About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer) – US Youth Soccer -The Game for ALL Kids!
® is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3.2 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member state associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit
www.USYouthSoccer.org.
Media Request: When referring to the United States Youth Soccer Association, the largest youth sports organization in the United States, please refer to the association only as US Youth Soccer, and never as USYS or USYSA. We appreciate your cooperation.