Umpire Training

Umpire training coursework is vital to the success of our committee. We will be assigning training in Thinkific, our LMS platform, based on the roles you will be performing. You will automatically be enrolled in the couses relevant to your role that must be completed by 11 PM ET on Sunday October 11, 2026. We will be checking for compliance, so please do not leave it to the last moment as you will not be assigned to a station until the training has been completed.

First time-HOCR umpires who are not USRowing licensed referees or candidates will receive an email from Thinkific requesting you create an account to access the training assigned to you. Returning HOCR umpires and first-time HOCR USRowing referees will use their existing account credentials and access the training from their dashboard.

Thinkific Training

All umpires will be enrolled in the relevant courses for their regatta assignments. The courses for 2026 are:

2026 HOCR Umpire Training (New Umpires)
2026 HOCR Umpire Training (Returning Umpires)
2026 HOCR Station Lead Umpire Training
2026 HOCR Appeals Training
HOCR Scenario Library (Optional, available upon request)

The courses are mostly video lessons with slides and a voiceover, but also include some race scenarios of potential penalty situations to test your observation and evaluation skills. The slide text doesn't contain all the information, so sound on for the audio!

You must complete your assigned training by 11 PM ET on October 11, 2026.

"Live" Training Sessions

We will host optional virtual training sessions on Monday, October 5, 2026 (8 AM ET and 8 PM PT) and Monday, October 12 (8 AM ET and 8 PM ET) to go through scenarios, including completing the penalty forms. The scenarios used in the live training are different from those in the Thinkific training.

While these sessions are optional, they are a good refresher for experienced HOCR umpires and a great learning tool for newer HOCR umpires. With the interactive format, it will give participants the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the nuances of enforcing the regatta rules. Attending this training does not replace the Thinkific training or the Umpire virtual meeting.

The virtual meeting links will be shared will all umpires selected for the regatta in September. RSVPs will be required so we don't hold a session where no one is attending.

Umpire virtual meeting

There are two virtual meetings held back to back - one for station lead umpires and one for all umpires - offered at two times on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 (8 AM ET and 8 PM ET).

The All Umpire meeting is mandatory for all umpires working during a racing shift. We'll send out more details closer to the regatta.

We will record the meeting, but it's best to attend one of the live sessions. You must attend one or watch the recording before the regatta.

Umpires working one or more shifts as a Station Lead Umpire will have additional information specific to that role after the core information for all umpires. The Station Lead Umpire portion will immediately follow the All Umpire portion.

The virtual meeting link will be shared will all umpires selected for the regatta about one week in advance. We anticipate the All Umpire portion to last about an hour and the Station Lead Umpire portion an additional 30 minutes.

The meeting slides and videos will be shared here after the conclusion of the meeting.

race morning briefing

Each race morning, we will have a brief meeting before the umpires head to their stations. These meetings should be short, but we'll cover critical points from the previous day's racing. All umpires working that day need to attend this meeting.

After the meeting, you'll gather with the other umpires working your station and go by car, or van to your station depending on your assignment.

LOCATION: Royal Sonesta Boston - Charles B room, East Tower, Level 2

Umpires will also need to collect snacks and Station Lead Umpires their electronics and station supplies from our storage room (Charles A room, East Tower, Level 2 - right next door!).

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