I'm nursing a tight hamstring and I'm heading out for a tournament down in Memphis this weekend. I don't expect the weather to be really cold but my hamstring gets tight with the cold. I'm finnaly considering buying some Under Armour undershorts to keep it tight and warm. Under Armour offers two versions of their undershorts a 7" and a 9". I tried them both and I prefer the longer version since it goes almost to my knee where my injury is. The thing is that the 9" shows quit a bit when I'm wearing my OSI shorts . I've heard some referee uniform Nazis saying that I shouldn't even wear my mock neck black undershirt as it shows when I'm wearing the pro style shirts. This is the first time I'm attending this tournament and from what I heard it is a good level tournament and I want to look nice. I'd hate to be judged by the fact that about 1 1/2 " of my undershorts is showing under my shorts. What do you guys think?
I would hope they're not that strict. As long as its the same color I'm not sure anyone would notice unless its like 3-4" difference. Plus since you're wearing them for an injury I'd think it was fine.
I've worn both mock turtle neck underarmour and the longer compression shorts. Adidas also makes a fairly pricey and somewhat longer 12" techfit short with a webbing that I found to be very helpful for muscle issues. With respect to the players, this sort of thing is ok so long as the colors match. I really don't see this as an issue for a referee. You are involved in a fairly athletic activity and the alternative for the sticklers is you injuring yourself and not being available for a prolonged period.
I personally think that compression shorts go a long way towards preventing hamstring and groin strains. I've been told (SRA) that as long as the undergarments are black, it's ok. I'm sure the compression helps, but I think the real benefit is keeping the muscles and tendons warm, especially for when you are AR and are called to sprint full speed after basically standing at attention for sometimes several minutes. Personally, at my age and fitness level, I have them on all the time when refereeing.
I wear the shorter Under Armor compression shorts.....all rhe time. No issues. I can't see where the longer ones would be an issue, especially for injury purposes. Aesthetically, the only problem I see with the longer model is you run the risk of looking all black from the waist down sans a wee bit of knee cap, NOT a good look IMO. LOL!
A few things: - I have worn compression shorts for years and it was mentioned briefly at our State Cup by one of our top (and most respected) assessors once when I was (I think) a grade 7. Once. Never again. By her or by anyone else. Anywhere. - The tournament you are attending will have 25+ current Professional and National Referees and myriad other ex-top level folks there as mentors. I doubt anyone will say anything. - In previous years, the weather has been frightful and people have worn as much clothing as possible to stay warm; hats, gloves, sweatshirts, sweatpants, tights, etc., but.... - This years weather promises to be marvelous! I'm not even taking long sleeved shirts. Not that I wear them much anyway. - Come and say hello at the meeting on Friday.
I water NIke compression shorts every week. If they peek out under my shorts, I don't worry about it. I consider them like shoes and part of my uniform. They see black in color. I also assume like any tool, if they help me do a better job, they are acceptable
Andy knows the particular tournament, so his advice is more important than mine. But, it would be a big negative in such tournaments in So Cal to wear a 9 inch compression that extends three or four inches below the 5" short. (The shorter version of the compression short that "peeks" would rarely be an issues.) The better option with long compression shorts is a black short with a 9 inch inseam. Note: OSI now sells one as a "leisure short" if the logo matters. First impressions matter when you are arrive at a new tournament and would like to be noticed.
Thank you for your input. As I try to move up I worry about all those horror stories we hear about assessors getting caught in details other then my ability as a referee. During my upgrade assessment I was questioned why I used 2 whistles on a ring, why did the crew change jerseys as opposed to having the home keeper change, and a few weird/irrelevant questions that had nothing to do with my game management. Not once I was asked anything about any of my calls or the game. I felt lucky I was wearing my pro shirt and my show was nice and polished. I couldn't care less if any member of my crew had undershorts showing being that the 5", 7" or 9" as long as I could rely on his/her calls. But those horror stories are there for a reason, it seems that are people that pay attention at style over substance. As much as I don't want to worry about that should I as I move up?
I dunno, if all an assessor can think of to ask is the nitpicky stuff, I'd just take that as a good sign about the game you just called . . . but I'm curious, having converted to two whistles connected by a ring a couple of years ago, did the assessor have a problem with that, or just ask you why you made that choice?
I have been part of and the subject of many assessments over the years where silly stuff like this comes up. The one thing I will always say is I have rarely, if ever, seen that stuff actually written down on the official assessment. Further, the few times I've seen it mentioned it had little to no impact on the actual score and certainly was not the difference between pass and fail. My most recent one was related to my deliberate (or intentional, I suppose) decision not to wear a second watch on a game. I was AR2 (meaning I was the third in line to go in if there were injuries) and the game was DA Showcase. Long story short, the only negative comment was that I should wear two watches. The assessor said, "Do you have a good line for why you aren't wearing two watches?" I said that I had started my sun dial as a backup but, no, I wasn't going to make up some story about why I had one watch. I just didn't want to put on the second one. Why lie, right? At the end of the day, once the sting wears off from the comment you'll find that its just a nit to pick. It really has no impact on you long term if you wear these silly undershorts.
We was asking and talking a lot, most of the time he didn't even wait for my reply. I guess he was one of those guys that loves the sound of his voice. He asked if I noticed that the field wasn't properly marked and that it was more in shape of a trapezoid than a rectangle . The only valid question he asked was why I didn't inform the coaches before the game started how long the half time break was going to be. He said that it must be discussed before the game start, however the ROC states that it is no more than 10 minutes and I didn't see the need for that. We, the crew just nodded every time he said something.
I rarely wear a second watch when I'm an AR. As for the little things making an impact on the final grade, even though it's not written down on the final assessment report one would hope that the nitpicking assessor didn't cloud his judgment with those irrelevant details.
I would offer this suggestion. Last year I had a minor pull in my hamstring going into the first game of the spring season. Of course it was going to be freezing cold for the first one (28). I warmed up my hamstring on the trip over by putting a mildly warm hot pack under my leg while driving. When I got there my hamstring was completely loose and ready to go. I reheated and reapplied during my game off to keep it loose. I didn't feel any tightness on my games that weekend (U16+). A bit more on topic, I have longer and shorter compression shorts, but I find that I don't wear the longer ones very frequently because I feel like I look like an idiot with them sticking out a bit standing around (of course I'm also standing around wearing yellow mismatched stripe shirt and knee socks so I'll leave that to you).
I had a really bad hamstring for most of the spring/summer season. I went with a cream, ace bandage, and a hamstring wrap. It is finally better. Took months. Wear whatever shorts feels the best. I think you ref better if you feel better.
If it's for your hamstring, then by all means wear what you need to so you can stay healthy. Otherwise, yes I think it's a bit tacky to wear undies longer than your shorts. If you must wear long undies, then get longer shorts. Is it a huge deal? Of course not. But it is slightly tacky, regardless if you're trying to move up and upgrade or not.