Master Pascetta is prominently known for his experience and integrity as a strict, fair, and decisive referee. His unique perspective on Martial Arts sport activity comes from the extensive career experience as a participant in the roles of World Class competitor, World Class coach, World Class referee, and World Class promoter/organizer. Functioning as a consultant for video productions, live broadcasts and post productions for television, has also provided him with an insight reflective of the sport from the perspective of potential sponsors and viewing audiences.
He served on the Board of Directors for the U.M.A.R.A. (United Martial Arts Referees Association) for ten years, from 1977 to 1987. In this capacity, along with the other directors, he was responsible for the development and training of judges and referees who officiate at regional,national, and international tournaments; for the standardization of rules and procedures used in sport competition; for the supervision and execution of said procedures at various events; and for the administration of the U.M.A.R.A. organization. When Master Pascetta resigned his position is 1987, the U.M.A.R.A. Organization had expanded to over 100 trained Black Belt officials representing a broad cross section of various martial arts systems, which made it one of the largest inter-style referees associations in the history of Karate in the United States.
In the full-contact sport, Pascetta has functioned as an official or judge in several PKA World Champion Title events (in Atlanta, Ga., Washington, D.C., and Hampton, Va.) and as a referee in more than 50 lesser events. He has been certified by the Professional Karate Association (PKA) as a referee for PKA sanctioned events. Master Pascetta’s first involvement as an official in the PKA was during the early development of the sport. During these first few years of the PKA, the officials would meet for a de-briefing directly after each World Title Event to critique and discuss the details of the event. It was during these meetings that many of the finer points of the rules were developed and the sport became fine tuned. In this manner Master Pascetta participated and contributed as one of the early pioneers of the “Full-Contact” Karate/Kickboxing sport.
In traditional Karate he has also been certified as a referee with U.S.A. Karate Federation (U.S.A.K.F.- the organization recognized by the US Olympic Committee as the sanctioning body for Olympic style (traditional) Karate competition and representative of W.U.K.O. in the U.S.A.)
