CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO -- Members of the CFL’s ninth team, also known as the CFL Officials, are in Toronto this weekend for their annual training camp.

The men in stripes will spend all day Friday with league personnel attending workshops and going over new CFL rules. The officials will also undergo fitness testing and work on positioning.

Saturday morning features an interesting guest, former NBA referee Ed Rush. Rush will lead a session on managing the game’s emotions, which focuses on diffusing potential volatile situations that can arise during play. The remainder of Saturday will be spent on team building exercises for each of the league crew teams.

The training camp wraps up on Sunday with more discussion on points of emphasis on certain rules for the 2009 season.

The CFL draws most of its officiating staff from the ranks of CIS officials. All CFL officials started at the amateur level, officiating club team games or high school football. Each official worked their way up through a local association, moving progressively to working higher and higher levels of football.

Prior to arriving in Toronto, all CFL Officials had to take a written exam on league rules. Below are three examples of questions that occurred on the exam. Try your hand at these questions and visit CFL.ca on Monday for the answers:

1. Team A will be punting on 3rd down. Prior to the play the QB advises the Referee that because of injuries they no longer have a long snapper. He asks the Referee if it will be legal for him to take the snap and then turn and lateral the ball back to the punter. The punter will then kick the ball in his normal position and motion. The Referee advises that this is legal and the punter will be afforded his normal protection as a kicker. True or False?

2. Pyramiding is a 5-yard penalty called when a player jumps on another player to gain elevation to block a field goal, convert or pass attempt. True or False?

3. Team A attempts a forward pass. Immediately after the QB throws the pass, a player on Team B tips the ball. The touch does little, but causes the ball to slightly change direction. The Team A receiver who the QB was throwing the pass to had to make an adjustment to his route in order to get close to the ball. When the player on Team A makes his adjustment, the Team B man covering him slips and grabs the sweater of the player on Team A, causing a noticeable pull. The Back Judge throws his flag for pass interference. Is this the correct ruling?

CHECK BACK ON MONDAY FOR THE ANSWERS!