Jamuary 3, 2026

Dear NCLOA Members:

I hope you have all enjoyed the holiday season with family and friends. As we begin a new year, please continue to keep our fallen members and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

The lacrosse season will be kicking off shortly and the board has been meeting regularly to prepare for a successful year ahead. I would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest board member, Pat Dumigan, who will be serving in the role of Secretary. In addition, Dave Critelli will be taking on the role of Recording Secretary. We appreciate their willingness to serve and look forward to their contributions.

In order for our season to be successful, it is critical that each member carefully read the emails that are sent out. Many of these communications will require action on your part. While I am not a fan of email overload, please know that any emails I do send will be of significant importance.

The Association is always on the lookout for new members. At this time, we have 41 candidates registered for the new class that begins on January 6th. If you know someone who may be interested in becoming a referee, please direct them to NCLOA.org for more information on the process.”

I would also like to offer a friendly reminder regarding unpaid dues. Referees with outstanding dues are not considered certified and therefore will not be assigned a BOCES schedule. Upon completion, it is our goal to have the updated NCLOA website provide an option for dues to be paid online, making this process more convenient for everyone.

Thank you to Rob Sullivan for his continuing work on making the NCLOA website more user-friendly. These improvements will benefit both current and prospective members.

Lastly, please complete your BOCES availability as soon as you are able.

Our State Clinic is Feb. 12 at East Meadow High School at 7 pm in the auditorium. THIS IS MANDATORY for you to officiate this spring.

Joe Rzempoluch
NCLOA President