People of SYSA: Duncan Munro, Referee, Referee Mentor & member of the Washington State Referee Committee

Welcome to our 'People of SYSA' series! This series is where we talk with players, coaches, administrators, parents, referees and volunteers from all across SYSA and learn a little bit about them and why they love being a part of Seattle Youth Soccer Association.

If you've ever wanted to get inside of a referee's mind, buckle up, here we go! Our interview with Duncan Munro who currently works as a Referee, Referee Mentor and is a member of the Washington State Referee Committee, covers a lot of typical officiating stuff yes, but also gives us a rare glimpse into the character development and love for the game that is behind a lot of refereeing. We hope that this dive into the world of reffing may have you looking at your next referee a little differently, and maybe even have you wanting to come out and give it a go yourself!

The beginnings of something big

Duncan started his referee journey while coaching recreational soccer at Woodland Soccer Club in the early 2000's. Both of his daughter's wanted to play soccer, so he volunteered to coach and got involved right away. A few years into it, the club asked each team to provide a referee for the recreational matches and Duncan again volunteered.

"I was an absolute disaster for my first 10 games," he says candidly. "I assumed that because I knew the game well that I would be a great referee. I was really wrong." But Duncan kept going, and fortunately, very soon after he started, crossed paths with a former National referee who gave him a few pointers.

The referee told him to just focus on these 3 things:

(1) Work hard and LOOK as if you are working hard.

(2) When you make a decision, mean it. Your 100% assured that you are getting it right, SELL IT with everything you've got.

(3) Be kind to the players. At all levels, players need empathy.

Duncan took this to heart. "To this day, I give these pieces of advice to all new referees because they are invaluable. Regardless of if you are reffing an MLS game or a U10 recreational game, you need to do all these things if you want to do your job well. Your livelihood depends on it."

Developing the next generation of refs

Around 2011, Duncan realized that he really enjoyed refereeing, to the point that he wanted to take it to next level. So he started working hard on his fitness and learning what he needed to learn. "It's just like being a player," he says. "You can work hard and get better as a referee too." In 2012, when his daughters decided to leave soccer to play competitive volleyball, Duncan found himself with a lot more time on his hands. He started attending state level events where referees go to improve their skill and broaden their community. He found success there, at the state level, and then started to get invited to even bigger regional events.

Because Duncan had come to refereeing later in life, he knew he would not be able to keep climbing. He knew he had the personal skills to manage a game but not the physical skills. While he would have liked to continue expanding and exploring reffing at the highest levels, he had always also had an interest in training others, so he choose a different course. He took all the knowledge he had been gaining over the years, both on the field and in the organizational structure to support refs, and began instructing and training new referees. He started in 2014 and has now been doing this for 10 years and he absolutely loves it.

"We do everything we can to help them. We do video analysis, we walk them through the decision making processes, we mentor them on the field - both at the local level and at the state level,” says Duncan. “And as we develop referees and spend time with them, we start to see what their natural personality and tendencies are and then we work with them to fill in the areas that we know will be challenging to them.

“We really tailor the referee training experience to who they are because we want them to be successful." - Duncan munro

Training refs is challenging with the wide spectrum of abilities and personalities across a variety of ages, but with leadership from the State Director of Instruction and their thoughtful development of curricula tailored to different levels of officiating, and really putting in a lot of emphasis on inspiring and motivating the next generation of refs, he finds that he loves what he does.

The immense value of refereeing

"Refereeing has been unbelievably enriching in my own life," says Duncan, reflecting back over the years.

"I remember sometime in like 2016, my boss asked me what I was doing differently outside of work because she said she had noticed lately that my communication skills were much improved." Duncan worked in software development at the time and said that when his boss mentioned this to him, he was able to recognize just how much refereeing had been helping him develop and progress, even in his career. " I didn't really appreciate the importance of good communication skills until I was heavily into reffing."

In addition to communication leaps, Duncan has gained in so many areas of his life. He says that there are 3 things he always tells people about the immense value of refereeing:

1. It brings you a richer and deeper developmental experience as a person than you could ever image.

2. You get to contribute to the development of soccer locally AND the development of soccer nationally.

3. All the yelling from the sidelines is white noise, and the noise doesn't matter. Nobody is yelling at you, they are yelling AT THE UNIFORM. This experience will help you in conflict in other areas of your life. It's all about growth.

Duncan says he is actually pretty thin skinned in his normal life, but refereeing has helped him learn to LISTEN at a much deeper level.

"When I'm out there reffing and people are yelling, I'm just listening for nuggets of wisdom in the yelling. And there are actually some in there, believe it or not." - DUNCAN Munro

In fact, he said recently he reffed a game with a center ref who had given one of the younger refs some great advice that supported this. "He said we never argue with people's opinions. Let the opinion flow out of the tap until it runs dry. Most people on the sideline aren't seeking feedback. So we just hear them, we hear what they are saying, we let it flow out of them."

Want to become a referee in the Seattle area?

Majority of new refs right now are in their early teens, 13 or 14. Duncan's best advice for parents of teenagers interested in reffing is to thoughtfully consider if this would be a good venture for their child or not. "You know your kid better than anyone else, many kids absolutely flourish in this environment and become even more thoughtful, reflective, more mature. Other kids can be traumatized by the experience and don't come back after their first cycle. It's a difficult job for the teenage brain, lots of multitasking on different levels. Some kids are OK with this and thrive, some do not."

While Duncan and his training staff love that so many young people are coming out wanting to ref, he is also very transparent about the gap that exists for the older age groups. "Ever since the pandemic, our 40-60 age group has become severely depleted, and because of that, we do not have enough referees to cover the U15 - U18 games." Games must be officiated by referees older than the players, so the 13 and 14 year old influx doesn't help the situation for our older players. 

In regards to encouraging adults to try out refereeing, Duncan brings up something interesting. He says that the average soccer parent most likely is not aware of the richness of this opportunity, not just as a way to support their kid's team, but as a way to enrich THEIR OWN LIFE.

"Reffing can be about YOU. You can create an identity for yourself, separate from your kid, inside of a sport you love. You don't have to just ref because your kid's team needs someone to volunteer. You can for sure, we'll take it, but you can do this for YOURSELF as well." - DUNCAN Munro

While on the surface level, refereeing may seem like something where you are just getting yelled at each week, once you dive in you will find that it's actually a much deeper, complex and enriching experience than that. Yes, there are extremely difficult moments, as with anything. But those moments are also the moments that provide deep personal growth opportunities and creation of community. "When we have hard games, afterwards we all get together, shake hands, work through things, talk to our mentors, our mentees, the coaches, the players. We create community, we grow together and as individuals," says Duncan.

Visit https://www.wareferees.org/ for information on available refereeing clinics in the Seattle area. Questions about reffing? Email Duncan at duncaninseattle@gmail.com

Founder's Cup Finalists! Woodland U19 Riptide

On February 4th, the Woodland B05 Riptide soccer team was standing with medals around their necks on the picture platform at the 2024 Founders Cup. The Washington Youth Soccer Founders Cup is a state cup tournament held every January and traditionally entered into by select and competitive teams, not recreational teams (there is a separate WYS Recreational Cup in December).

But the Riptide redefined that. The Riptide are a recreational team through and through. And the Riptide made it all the way to the championship match.

(Photo caption: Founders Cup finalists Woodland B05 Riptide with coaches Patrick Basilio and Tersh Barber)

In this photo, the boys aren't exceptionally thrilled because the game didn't end as they had hoped. They placed second, playing in the final against Crossfire Select B05/06. They played a tight 0-0 game, giving up just one goal in the final minutes on a quick-played free kick just outside the box. Now though, after some time has passed, both players and coaches look back at their run in the Founders Cup as a fun and amazing experience, one they are glad they took a chance on. The players are high school seniors and their success at this cup was the perfect way to wrap up the past 12 years of playing together.

What makes RIPTIDE special

Back in 2012, Riptide coach Tersh Barber had just moved to Seattle and his kindergarten aged son wanted to join the local neighborhood club, Woodland Soccer. Tersh didn't start coaching until the following year, and the core of that group became the beginnings of the Woodland Riptide team (although back then they weren't called Riptide, they started out as FC Messi). Over the years, the Riptide lost some players (and parent coaches) to select soccer, as recreational teams do over time. They also continued to grow, as players would rejoin the team after stepping away from their select teams, and as the remaining players would rave to their friends about the team and encourage them to come out. The team also added a great assistant coach, Patrick Basilio, dad of longtime player Christian, to round out the practice and game-day duties.

While the boys are mostly seniors, at mainly Lincoln and Ingraham High Schools, they are a mix of interests, hobbies and personalities. Many of the players on Riptide are athletes who are predominantly focused on other sports (football, cross country, ultimate frisbee, baseball, lacrosse), and some don't play other sports at all, just rec soccer. "One of the best things about this team over the years, is that it has allowed each of them to get a whole new peer group, and not just with other athletes. These kids come from all walks and it's so great because even if they don't hang out in the same groups at school, when they pass each other in the hallway, they'll give high fives and talk about soccer," says Tersh.

“I have loved my time playing rec soccer, which for me started kindergarten. I played select for a few years but came back to rec in high school. My favorite part about playing for the Woodland Soccer Club team (then and now) was the opportunity to play on a team with my childhood friends.”

— Dylan Pignotti, Riptide player

The freedom to JUST play

Not just in makeup, but visually as well, the Woodland U19 Riptide is the portrait of a classic rec team. On the field during the state cup tournament, they were easy to identify. Being the only recreational team to enter Founders Cup, they stood out because they had no matching socks or shorts, just jerseys. "We were kind of a ragtag team out there, a classic rec team," says Tersh.

Despite the randomness of the uniforms, on the field during Founders Cup, Tersh said it was remarkable to watch all of the boys have each other backs and support each other. Their Founders Cup run is even more impressive because of the team's lack of practice - getting together just once a week all fall, with a pretty small group in attendance each time because of other commitments.

"Because we didn’t have practices and stuff, a lot of the coaching got done on the field by the players. That's kind of cool, the more experienced guys help coach the newer guys. We noticed in the other games, every select team was better on a player-by-player basis, and clearly were more practiced - but we were more in it for each other. There was more freedom, we could just play. The pressure was lower and it was more fun. Reactive and adjustable soccer - this is my method of playing. And I rotate everyone through, keep the playing time pretty even. Even during the tournament."

This freedom and lack of pressure was obvious when looking at the goal differential the Riptide managed to rack up through the course of the tournament (when players can play with freedom and creativity and don't carry the weight of expectations, they often end up taking more chances which can result in more goals). After a 3 way tie for first place in the group stage, Riptide's goal differential ended up pushing them into the top spot. From there they entered the knock out round and beat another Crossfire team 3-0 and an MIFC team 4-0 before landing in the final and losing 1-0.

REflectinG on The Tournament, and the team

When asked why the team entered Founders Cup, Tersh says "the kids wanted to see what it was like."

And what was it like? Tersh described it as "both fun and intense. We won some really close games, exceeded our wildest expectations, and even after the hard-fought finals loss, we celebrated the season and our last game together as a team with parents in a tight circle. The kids for sure have great memories and lasting friendships from Messi/Riptide.  Patrick and I will especially cherish the size extra-small Woodland kits the kids all signed, and the printed team photo with memories shared by kids and parents."

People of SYSA: Rebecca Wynkoop, Positive Coaching Alliance Coach of the Year

Welcome to our 'People of SYSA' series! This series is where we talk with players, coaches, administrators, parents, referees and volunteers from all across SYSA and learn a little bit about them and why they love being a part of Seattle Youth Soccer Association.

Years ago, the G05 Woodland Swarmettes made a pact to stay together, to come back year and year and keep playing on their recreational soccer team, no matter where life took them. The teamed originally formed in 2011 when the girls were just 5 years old. This past fall, they finished up their senior season and went out with a bang, winning the 2023 Girls U19 Washington Youth Soccer Recreational Cup title. Not only are the Swarmettes taking a state championship with them as they graduate and move forward, but they are also taking with them the memories and experiences that every kid playing recreational soccer hopes to take with them: friendship, teamwork, community and character.

The Woodland Swarmettes in December 2023, after winning the GU19 WYS Recreational Cup (photo courtesy of Rebecca Wynkoop)

Supporting this 12-year endeavor was volunteer coach Rebecca Wynkoop. Rebecca was recently named as one of 36 regional Coaches of the Year by Positive Coaching Alliance, the only coach in Washington state to receive this honor. We recently got the chance to sit down with Rebecca and talk about her time with the Woodland Swarmettes and what coaching means to her.

In it for each other

After losing in two separate SYSA City Tournament finals, the Swarmettes's State Cup win this past December was even sweeter. This was the first year that the team entered the State Cup tournament, Rebecca said. "The girls were really hungry. We worked super hard to stay together during Covid (we were doing clinics and practices) and then we came back after Covid fired up and ready to go. Somewhere around late elementary school or middle school, the girls had made a pact to stay together until they graduated high school. The pact was THEIR thing, not mine. The pact was so strong that when one of our players tore her ACL playing another sport, she was so devastated that she couldn't come back and play the final season that she went out of her way to do all the paperwork to get officially signed on to be an assistant coach so that she could be with the team."

Rebecca has been coaching the Swarmettes since they came together at age 5 to play U6 soccer for Woodland Soccer Club. "It was easy for me to sign up to coach my daughter's team at that time because I had already coached my son's team for 3 years, so I knew how things worked," said Rebecca. Because Woodland is a neighborhood club, all of the players lived very close to each other at that time which really helped create a strong base of community right from the start.

"This team was very much a neighborhood team, 3 of the girls still live very close to each other today."

Rebecca with her daughter (photo courtesy of Rebecca Wynkoop)

During the early years the team grew and changed. Players left to pursue new endeavors or focus on their main sport, and new players joined and helped the team expand into the group they have today. Of the original seven players on the U6 Woodland Swarmettes, four still remain and were a part of the group lifting the State Cup trophy in December. Along the way, it wasn't always easy to stay together. Some years were harder than others, particularity once they hit high school. "I remember a year when we had a roster of 22 and were only getting like 11 at each practice. I went to the girls and I said hey, I want this to be valuable to YOU, this isn't for me it's for YOU. What do you want to do? They decided to continue on, invoking their pact, and really committed to showing up for each other. They trusted each other that even if someone couldn't make it to practice or a game, they knew it must be for a really good reason and they had each others backs in this."

Cultivating a positive experience

As her time coaching the Woodland Swarmettes comes to a close, with this upcoming Spring Soccer season being their last, Rebecca has reflected back and really been able to hone in on what pieces helped make the whole experience so great. She says that one of the best things she did right from the beginning, that ended up being key, was that she made it a priority to set a good foundation of values and put them out there for everyone to see.

"My advice to other parents thinking about volunteer coaching, figure out what your values are and communicate that as early as possible to both players and parents."

For Rebecca, love of the game and having fun had to be the main priorities, no questions asked. "As a coach, if you are able and willing to communicate your values with families, that will help create an environment that is very easy to coach in. Early on with the Swarmettes, I was really intentional about communicating this message with parents: Play hard, run fast, have fun. I did this because as parents on the same team, we should all have the same goals. We want our kids to love the game and have fun and we needed to be able to support each other and have the expectations that we were all here for the same things."

When it comes to recreational soccer, it takes a whole group of people to make the season happen. And each role is of equal importance. "My message with the parents was always, let the coaches take care of the soccer and your role is to cheer them on. Everything about this is about that kid and we are just all here to soak it up and make it as positive as possible. That's it, that's our only goal." Setting this tone gave Rebecca direction and created a positive experience for everyone involved. It's much easier to navigate things when you have a foundation, a compass, and when everyone knows what you stand for up front.

In regards to keeping things positive on the coaching side, Rebecca's advice is to "find someone to coach with you, it makes so much of a difference because you don't feel like you are carrying the weight on your own. Having other parents help is something I would never hesitate to do, it makes coaching much more do-able and enjoyable, which overall makes it a more positive experience."

Growing together

"Playing in League Washington this final season really gave us the opportunity to blossom. The new environment gave the players more of a competitive fire and helped strengthen their commitment to each other. It gave them a space to see how far they had come, to see what they could do." Regardless of what was going on in their lives, Rebecca said this team showed up and played for each other all season. Example, the last game of the fall regular season they had their most competitive match - and it just so happened that they were down 3 players. Both of the girls who were rocks at center back were unable to be there, and the players that filled in absolutely played their hearts out - a direct example of how strongly these girls felt about the collective.

"These girls just show up and play for each other, not for themselves, but for each other, for the team."

From Rebecca's standpoint, this year was such a great culmination of the Swarmettes journey because this was the year that she didn't see herself as coaching and leading this team, this was the year that THEY led. This was the year that they took complete ownership, had each other backs, and just really leaned into and owned the unbreakable bond that they had been building amongst themselves all of these years.

"The most valuable part of this entire experience was being able to allow the girls to grow into a team that we were a part of together. I wasn't leading them this year, it was THEIR team this year. I was subbing and communicating yes, managing you might say, but to be able to let this be THEIR season, and for them to have so much success in that endeavor was just amazing to witness. They did this together, I was just there to bring the soccer balls. And that gives me so much joy."

Ironically, it seems as if Rebecca's Coach of the Year award came in a year that she did the least coaching, but a year that was the culmination of the amazing culture she had intentionally cultivated for over a decade that laid the groundwork for them to coach themselves to a championship. Which is very, very deserving of the Positive Coaching Alliance's recognition:

"Together we are making sure that all kids have access to the life-changing experiences of sports—the sense of pride and confidence in belonging, the courage to stretch and grow, the resilience to navigate life’s challenges, and the ambition to pursue their dreams." - Positive Coaching Alliance

Thank you Rebecca!