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Expert Profile: Richard Howland

Expertise:  I am a master USATF Track and Field official and can answer questions about officiating high school (NFHS), college (NCAA), National (USATF) and international in field events. I am not a coach except for other officials. My specialties are the Field events except pole vault.
I delight in meeting athletes from all backgrounds and ages. I have even officiated field events for a one hundred year old long jumper as well as many "Master" and "Senior" athletes. Special olympics is a great event for officials to volunteer and see the essence of good sport on the faces of the athletes. After thirty three years as a trial lawyer in Massachusetts with a focus on sports law, among others, I retired and devote much of my time to officiating. I referee soccer, time football, officiate swimming and diving, and officiate and start all events in track and field. My special focus in field events. In high school and college I played soccer, squash and lacrosse, but track was not available in any depth then. Since I was a lawyer I began officiating and training to officiate sports which I could fit into my schedule. I honestly do not remember when I first started track and field officiating, but estimate that I have been very active for at least fifteen years. I regularly officiate all events and levels.

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What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?  The sport, with all its various events, gets better with every new skill the official learns. Just like the athlete, practice and study make for better officiating and greater fairness to the competitors.
Something controversial or provocative about this subject  The greatest single flaw in officiating is failure to study and understand the rules. Second is the failure to remain focussed on the event and making errors negligently. Rules are different for other levels, venues, nations, and organizers. Indoors and outdoors are seperate rules.
What do you like about this subject?  Track and field is the sport all people, of any age, weight, height, or disability can enjoy. The joy is in the sport and the challenge of competition. Winning is as much attaining one's own "personal best" as conquering an opponent. The sport involves a great deal of study and science to maximize one's performance. Athletes in the sport must p
Average Ratings
Prestige Points: 2186
Knowledge   9.89   Best of the best
Clarity of Response   9.85   Best of the best
Timeliness   9.82   Best of the best
Politeness   9.88   Best of the best
Number Of Questions
(in Past 24 Hours)
0
Max Questions to be Asked
(in 24 Hour period)
5
Total Questions
(since joining AllExperts)
456
Recent Reviews from Users
KnowlClarityTimePolitenessDate
1010101011/05/08
10101010/31/08
1010101008/31/08
1010101008/29/08
1010101008/27/08
User Comments
Thank you so much your answer was of much help.
(Dylan on 11/05/08)
Thank you very much for all your help! i greatly appreciate it, and that site was just what i needed.
(Charle on 08/31/08)
Thanks!
(Charle on 08/27/08)
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Recent Answers from Richard Howland
2008-11-25  shot put Dear Nicole: The answer about specific training regimes for athletes is that they are unique and training should be supervised by a coach or trainer to answer your questions satisfactorily. The top...
2008-11-09  track&field Dear Shanise: Your question has many answers and so I will try to cover several and then I would like you to go to this website http://www.brianmac.co.uk/siteindx.htm...
2008-11-03  sprint help Dylan: Most regions have running clubs, certainly in suburban and urban area and many more "country" ones. Often there is a University or College with a track team or a high school with a team where...
2008-10-30  discus throwing Dear Nick: I do not know where you live or the level at which you are competing, but from the information I gather that you are a high school student, probably somewhere in the East (no offense intended)...
2008-10-29  choosing the right running events on the track Dear Juliette: You are obviously planning for goals that you wish to achieve. All of your questions are reasonable and show how much you have been thinking about your running. Answers however are...
More Answers for "Track & Field"


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