Rod Symington is a former Director of the WSF Referees’ Committee and the former Director of the WSF Rules Commission. He has been training referees for over 30 years and has conducted 6 WSF Refereeing Conferences and countless other refereeing seminars (both beginners and advanced) all over the world: in Canada, the USA, China, England, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, the Netherlands, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Macao, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent.
Following a modest career as a squash player, he became a Squash Canada National Referee, Chair of the Squash Canada Officiating Committee, and then a WSF International Referee. In 1989 he was engaged by the US Squash Association to set up an international softball refereeing programme for them, when the US switched from American hardball to the international game. For several years he travelled extensively all over the USA conducting refereeing seminars (and giving certification examinations) in all the major US cities (and many smaller ones, too) — and later holding weekend seminars to train refereeing instructors and assessors. As a result he trained in the USA over 1000 referees and approx. 40 instructors. He has also advised the national associations of Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and China on the establishment of referee development programmes. He has delivered refereeing seminars in English, Spanish, and German, and counting all the countries where he has conducted refereeing seminars, he has trained over 2500 referees.
For 12 years he wrote a monthly column for the US Squash Magazine – a task that produced over 100 articles on the Rules of Squash and refereeing. He also wrote regularly for the Canadian Squash Official newsletter and contributed to the now defunct French quarterly magazine Planète Squash. Some years ago he also wrote a successful book Squash Rules for Players.
He has been Championship Referee for 7 World Championships, as well as Tournament Referee for a great many PSA and WISPA Events, plus many Regional and National Championships in Canada, the USA, and the Caribbean. As WSF Senior Referee Assessor, he traveled the world training the WSF Assessors in the Competency Based Training and Assessment Programme. He served for many years on the WSF Referee Review Board, responsible for the appointment World and International Referees, and then chaired that Board for three years.
Languages spoken: English, German, French, Spanish
Awards:
- 1992 Brauns Award – for Services to US Squash
- 1995 Squash Canada Distinguished Service Award
- 2002 Stanley D. Woodworth Sportsmanship Award
He is currently resident in Thailand, from where he offers training and mentoring programmes to Asian referees.