TBOA
Together
Building the Future of the TBOA
For years, officials have waited for fixes to these challenges: fair pay, poor sportsmanship, difficulty recruiting, retention of tenured referees, and having a voice to influence solutions for all of it.
We are exploring building the first officials' organization in North Carolina that is owned and governed by its members, invests every dollar back to TBOA officials, and exists solely to improve the officiating experience.
We are discussing if being a self-governed association allows us to fix these challenges ourselves.
Need to Know Below.
What Do You Think?
Help Build the TBOA's Future.
Together.
We will visit clinics and scrimmages in a listening tour over the next few months.
No decisions have been made. We need your input and support to succeed.
We Not Me
TBOA Together
The Vision
TBOA Together is dedicated to enhancing the future of Triangle basketball officiating through education and member-driven governance. Our mission is to foster an independent, self-governed association that prioritizes the development of TBOA referees, ensuring that every voice matters and every dollar invested goes back into the growth of our TBOA community.
This is not about leaving the NCHSAA. It's about taking back control of our future and investing to solve our challenges.
We are exploring if the move is right for us and want to know what you think.
TBOA Together
You Wonder Why?
Recruitment
Independence allows for better and more effective recruitment and retention of TBOA officials at a time when shortages threaten the quality of high school sports.
Solving Challenges
Our advocacy allows us to partner with the NCHSAA, its member schools, and any outside organization to positively solve the challenges we have.
Fairness
Self-governance creates greater transparency, accountability, and fairness for every TBOA official.
Professional & Sustainable
Schools, officials, and the NCHSAA will benefit from a system that is professional and sustainable because of self-governance.
It's All About You
Self-governance provides us with the resources where we can be more supportive of our members. We can advocate directly for you.
Retention
Being self-governed allows us the resources to build programs to retain the TBOA's best and brightest into education-based athletics.
Together We Can...
Create a brighter financial future for our members.
Solve the sportsmanship issue.
Recruit so no one has to work more than two games a night.
Build incentives so our most tenured officials stay.
Have leadership that listens to member concerns and solves them.
Build a strategic plan for growth.
TBOA Together
Some FAQs
Will Game Fees Improve?
That's one of our goals. Instead of an outside organization paying us based on what they believe their schools think is fair, self-governance gives us that opportunity to negotiate directly for our officiating services as that conflict-of-interest won't exist.
What About the Sportsmanship Issue?
It's the biggest issue contributing to our loss of officials and inability to recruit. Instead of having to wait for an outside entity to decide a longterm statewide solution, we can set sportsmanship standards with accountability back to Triangle schools to fix this problem.
Who Decides Our Future?
We do. TBOA members you know now will represent you in everything. TBOA officials will have a direct say in everything. We no longer will need to wait on any outside entity to decide what's best for our future as an association. Self-governance gives us all that local authority.
Why Now?
The issues facing high school officiating have already been identified throughout North Carolina. Rather than continue waiting for a statewide solution on pay and sportsmanship, we believe it's appropriate to explore how local leadership can help move those recommendations forward here.
Will Dues Go Up?
Not at all. In fact, at some point, the Association will have the resources to cut fees. The monies you now pay the NCHSAA will come directly to the TBOA. We will use them to operate and grow. When there is excess money, that will be used to do things like defray registration fees and build programs to support our members.
Is This About Fighting the NCHSAA?
Absolutely not. This is about strengthening our position with them through improvement and self-governance. Any successful relationship will require partnership and collaboration, which is our goal in the relationship.
What problems are we trying to solve?
The central question is whether TBOA officials can achieve stronger advocacy, better representation, improved sportsmanship efforts, better compensation, and greater influence over our future through a different structure.
What if I disagree with this?
We expect disagreement. In fact, we welcome it. If you have concerns or disagree, please join the conversation because healthy disagreement helps us make better decisions. Every TBOA member's perspective, concerns, and hopes matter.
Who will be in charge?
One of our goals is to create governance that is transparent, accountable, and representative of you. You guide our Board of Directors and will hold them accountable to where you want to take this association into the future.
Is this a break from the NCHSAA?
Not at all. Our independence will allow us to work in partnership with the NCHSAA to better serve the schools, student-athletes, and coaches. We view this as a chance to improve what we do for the benefit of education-based athletics. Our advocacy will always put TBOA officials first.
What are the biggest pros for doing this?
Leadership will be closer to the members in self-governance so they hear their concerns and fix them quickly. We will have the resources to do that. An agreement for our services will make things more predictable and consistent for everyone. From pay to sportsmanship, advocacy to growth.
What about the cons?
Self-governance comes with a learning curve. Not everything will go right at first, which is why we would do this slowly and in stages, so we make strategic decisions that are always in the best interest of our members, the future of the TBOA, and those who come after us.
TBOA Together
One Association.
One Voice.
One Future.
A move to self-governance and forming an enhanced partnership with the NCHSAA puts us in control of our future.
It allows us to fix the challenges every officials organization has. But we'd fix them ourselves.
Listening
Tour
A stronger voice for TBOA officials.
Over the next few months, we'll head out on a TBOA listening tour to clinics and scrimmages to hear what you have to say.
What Do You Think?
Here's Where We'll Be Together.
Sunday, September 27 - Knightdale Clinic
Monday, September 28 - Millbrook Clinic
Monday, September 28 - Riverside Clinic
Sunday, October 4 - Good Hope Church Clinic
Monday, October 5 - Southeast Raleigh Clinic
Monday, October 5 - Clayton Clinic
Sunday, October 11 - South Johnston Clinic
Monday, October 12 - Vance High School Clinic
Monday, October 12 - Cary Clinic
Tuesday, October 13 - Middle Creek Clinic
Sunday, October 18 - Western Harnett Clinic
Tuesdays, October 27 & November 3 - Online Zooms to answer questions
Over the summer, a few TBOA members got together and wondered "what if".
What if we took control and planned our future as an association together? What if we had advocacy by and for TBOA officials directly with the NCHSAA to create a better officiating experience?
What if we no longer had to wait for the NCHSAA to solve our challenges like pay, sportsmanship, and representation?
Together, we decide how we grow. Together, we decide the terms of how we'll call the game.
The TBOA Together conversation was started by these folks.
Reach out to any of them with questions or comments.
Dean Beabout - dbeabout@nc.rr.com
Max Carter - sports1official@yahoo.com
Joaquin Davis - joaquindavis@gmail.com
Brian Eaves - beaves9873@gmail.com
Justin Salz - jmsalz804@gmail.com
Steve Schwartz - steve@refthetriangle.com
David Shirley - trophydavid@aol.com
Partnership Together Growth Advocacy Transparency Excellence
TBOA Together
What Do You Think?
Have a Question or Concern?
Want to Support Moving Forward?
Send Your Thoughts.
You Can Even Stay Anonymous.
We are only in exploration mode on this. No decisions have been made. So, we'd like to know what you think. Let us know, even if you'd rather not reveal who you are. Just don't fill in those fields - we will still get your feedback.
We Not Me
TBOA Together
In Action
