Tag Archives: game official

Heather Kursman

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Heather Kursman’s love of sports began long before volleyball became her life’s work. As a young girl growing up in Bloomfield, Connecticut, she could often be found playing catch with her father in the street or sorting through her baseball card collection, memorizing players’ statistics. As a beneficiary of Title IX, she was among the first girls to participate in both Little League and Babe Ruth baseball in Bloomfield. A three-sport letter winner in high school, Heather continued to pursue her passion for athletics at the University of Connecticut, where she earned a degree in Sports Marketing and Management. While attending UConn, she worked part-time for the University’s Recreation Department, gaining valuable early experience in officiating and athletic program supervision. Following graduation, she played volleyball with the Connecticut Sports Club, where she was first introduced to officiating adult matches. Encouraged by program director and collegiate official Matt Manliguis, she pursued officiating more formally and connected with Barbara Startup, a member of the Connecticut Women’s Volleyball Hall of Fame’s Founder Class of 2011, marking the beginning of her extraordinary career in volleyball officiating.

For more than four decades, Heather has been one of Connecticut’s most respected, dedicated, and influential officials. Her officiating experience spans every level of the sport, from middle school competition to high school state championship matches, as well as collegiate volleyball through National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), USA Volleyball, and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) programs. Heather was also one of the founding officials for boys’ high school volleyball in Connecticut, helping establish and grow the sport throughout the state. Her extensive experience includes officiating the Unified Games, Nutmeg Games, the Town of Newington Men’s League, Travelers, Pratt & Whitney, Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), the Town of Bloomfield Co-Ed League, and the IBM tri-State Volleyball League, among many others. For more than 40 years, she has also served as Coordinator of both the women’s and men’s volleyball programs for the South Windsor Parks and Recreation Department, continuing her lifelong commitment to developing opportunities for athletes of all ages.

Heather’s contributions to volleyball extends far beyond officiating matches. She currently officiates both boys’ and girls’ high school volleyball in Connecticut while serving as Head Rater for the Connecticut Board of Volleyball Officials (CBVO), mentoring, and evaluating officials throughout the state. She also serves as Scheduling Coordinator for CBVO-North and as President and Scheduling Coordinator for CBVO-Boys. In addition, Heather serves on both Executive Boards, the State Board, and the Boys’ Volleyball Committee, represents volleyball officials on the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Advisory Board, serves as the CIAC State Tournament Assigner for the Boys’ State Tournament, and acts as a liaison for new officials entering the profession. Her leadership and dedication have helped strengthen and support volleyball officiating throughout Connecticut.

Heather’s outstanding service has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Boys’ Volleyball Official of the Year Award, the Boys’ Connecticut Volleyball League Official of the Year Award, and the Town of South Windsor Parks and Recreation Ben E. Award. Throughout her career, she has remained guided by a steadfast belief that youth sports should always place young athletes first. Her unwavering commitment to sportsmanship, positive competition, and the enjoyment of the game has reflected the values that have defined her distinguished career in Connecticut volleyball.

Beyond her many contributions to volleyball, Heather enjoys supporting her alma mater, the University of Connecticut, as well as fishing, gardening, playing cards, spending time with her dog, Vegas, reading a good mystery, and traveling to the Caribbean with her wife, Theresa. Through her leadership, integrity, and lifelong dedication to officiating, Heather Kursman has left a lasting impact on the sport of volleyball and has helped shape the standard of excellence for officials throughout Connecticut.

 

Dominic D’Aurio

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Over the course of more than three decades, Dom was influenced by many officials, assigners, and mentors who shaped his approach to officiating. Rather than credit just one person, he is grateful for the collective impact of those who guided him, challenged him, and helped him grow into the well-respected official and leader he is today.

Before becoming an official, Dom was an avid athlete. His early experiences as a player gave him a firsthand appreciation for sportsmanship, preparation, and respect for the rules – values that would later define his officiating career.

In volleyball, Dom served as an official for 21 years with Southern Connecticut Board of Volleyball Officials (SCBVO) and held the role of Board President for 12 years. He also led the Connecticut State Board of Officials as President for 8 years, helping to elevate the standards of officiating across the state of Connecticut. Since 2017, he has played a key role in training new volleyball officials each summer, focusing on professional development and his signature specialty: “How to Deal with Difficult Coaches”.

In softball, Dom officiated for 32 years and spent 15 of those as an assigner. He worked 14 Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) State Finals and was named Connecticut Softball Umpire of the Year in 2016. For 12 years, he also served on the Executive Board of the Scholar Athlete Classic, helping to award over $63, 000 in scholarships and special gifts to graduating seniors who exemplified excellence on the field, in the classroom, and in their communities.

In basketball, he served as an official for 27 years with both the International Association Approved Basketball Official (IAABO) and the Connecticut Board of Certified Basketball Officials (CBCBO), earning respect for his calm demeanor and strong court presence.

In soccer, Dom officiated for 20 years and acted as co-assigner for 12 years, helping to strengthen the infrastructure and reliability of scheduling across the sport. He was among the first in Connecticut to adopt and promote Arbiter, a digital assigning and scheduling tool, and assisted in other sports in learning and implementing the platform.

In 2024, Dom relocated to Georgia, where he continues to give back to the officiating community by working in volleyball, softball, and basketball – bringing his experience, leadership, and commitment to excellence to a new region.

Karen Anderson

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Growing up in Hopewell Junction, New York, Karen attended John Jay High School where she played JV and Varsity volleyball. Her interest in officiating volleyball began in 1980 while attending Southern Connecticut State University. She started officiating high school and collegiate matches in Connecticut and area states. Karen found herself officiating while her older sister, Lin, was playing some of those college matches. After moving to Indiana, Karen spent eight years officiating high school and collegiate volleyball throughout the Hoosier State.

She returned to Connecticut in 1984 where she reestablished herself in the state and began training new officials. Karen spent 15+ summers at the Woodbridge Sports Center training and working with new officials as they officiated the summer high school girls league.

Over the years Karen has officiated many tournaments and jamborees including the Special Olympics and Connecticut All Stars. Karen was selected to officiate the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) State Volleyball tournament finals for both the girls’ and boys’ tournaments.

Karen served as an elected member of the Connecticut Board of Volleyball Officials for over twenty years, 2004-2023. She had served as vice-president of the Southern Connecticut Board of Officials for several years and recently finished serving as the vice-president of the boys Volleyball Board of Officials.

A true student of the game, Karen always found it rewarding to be part of the discussion of rules, procedures, and play. “A good official never stops watching, learning and adjusting” Karen states. Over the years, Karen has had the opportunity to watch players mature and grow as they played the sport. This has been one of the motivating factors in the longevity of her officiating career.