2006 Referees of the Year

Amanda Ross just turned 22 years of age, but has been a referee since she was 13. At the age of 15 she decided to stop playing soccer so that she could dedicate her efforts to working as a referee. In 2006, at the age of 21, she completed her requirements for a State Badge.
She had a very successful summer in 2006, working several high level tournaments. After attending the State Cup Tournament, she was invited to ODP Regionals in New Jersey, the Premier League Finals in Delaware and the US Youth Soccer Regional Finals in Virginia Beach. At the US Youth Soccer Regionals she was honored by being selected as the referee for the U19 Girls Championship game. She has worked as a referee at levels up to and including Men's Premier, and has worked as an assistant referee on Men's Premier and Women's Professional games. She has attended numerous national tournaments, including the Jefferson Cup (VA), the PDA College Showcase (NJ), the Disney Classic Tournament (FL) and the San Francisco Cup (CA).
In 2002 she was selected as Young Female Referee of the Year by the Rochester Referee Unit, the New York State West Youth Soccer Association, and US Youth Soccer Region 1. In addition to working as a referee, Amanda has been an asset to the unit. She regularly works as a mentor with young referees. In the spring of 2006 she volunteered her time to assist in a training session for up and coming referees, even though it meant driving 3 hours each way from school.
She graduated with honors from Binghamton University in 2006 with a double major in Political Science and Economics. She was accepted into a Ph.D. program in Economics at Syracuse University and intends to continue refereeing in the Syracuse area to the degree her studies permit. She remains very interested in earning a National badge some day.

Brian Morgan is 19 years old, has been a referee for six years, and is recognized by assignors as one of the top young referees in the unit. He is currently a Grade 8 referee, but is looking to upgrade soon. He has worked as a referee and assistant referee in several hundred games. As a referee he has worked up to the U17 Boys level, and as an AR he has worked the Men's 1st Division. In addition to attending the State Cup Tournament for three years, he was selected to attend the 2006 ODP Regionals in New Jersey.
In addition to his refereeing, Brian played high school soccer, track and tennis. He served as a volunteer at the Rochester School for the Deaf and performed various community service projects in high school.
He graduated from Spencerport High School in 2005, and has started his second year at the University of Dayton (Dayton, OH) and has a double major in Business Management and Marketing. He hopes to work as a Marketing Manager at Xerox or another local company.
Brian plans to continue working as a referee and wants to work higher level games. His goal is to work a Rhinos game.

Katy Nesbitt is 18 years old and has been a referee for only three years. In that short time she has earned the attention of the local unit for her excellent skills and her desire to learn. Though she estimates she has worked fewer than 100 games, she has successfully refereed games up to the Women's 1st Division. In 2005 she was selected as an AR in the Women's Amateur Cup Finals. She has attended the State Cup Tournament for two years and hopes to attend higher level competitions in the future.
Katy graduated from Bishop Kearney High School in 2006. She was active in student government and served as yearbook editor in her senior year. She played varsity volleyball. She was a competitive figure skater for 9 years, and competed at the Empire State Games. She is also active in amateur and town theater.
Katy has just entered St. John Fisher College, School of Pharmacy. She will be playing NCAA Division 3 volleyball in addition to studying to become a pharmacist. She is considering working in Italy when she finishes her studies.
Katy's goal is to become at least a State Grade 5 referee and wishes to continue as a referee so that she may remain a part of the game at all levels.