Mine are still perfectly serviceable after several hundred games. Maybe I don't use 'em enough. Maybe you could run them through the dishwasher...
I've heard "C'mon ref you're going to wear that thing out" during one particularly ill-behaved 0-30 match, but this seems excessive. I've seen cards that are faded (usually after 10 years living in a bag). What are you doing to these? I'm still on mine from 6 years ago (OSI)
I don't really know, it may be from a bunch of games in the rain, or maybe it is just me being OCD a bit and noticing something that is really not an issue.
Have it on good authority that this is in Santa's bag for me http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046BTK14/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER I can't wait to try it out but not much refereeing for a while - get to use it while training though.
Cleaning cards, depends on the material of the cards. If it is a plastic, it seems like a solvent based spray (WD40?) or an alcohol based spray (bug spray?) or baby wipes might work. If the card is a laminated paper card (paper with plastic lamination) I would think alcohol or bug spray will cause the card to delaminate and fall apart. If the card has printing on it, some of these solvent may cause the markings to be erased. If the card is separating, I would assume it has a paper core and the rain killed them.
You'll love it. Garmin is my 2nd watch for games. Besides being my redundant time piece, I like to know distance covered, plot speed vs time to check for sprints, and get pictorial feedback on how deep and wide I get during play. I sometimes even plot heart rate - just because I can. If I'm not in a stadium where the field boundaries are obvious I take a lap around the field during my warm up to help mark the boundaries when I view the map. Is that referee nerdiness?
I plan to use it for my second watch as well - never thought about one until reading here some used it and I saw the plots of the route on field. Good idea to mark the field with a lap first. It has the heart rate monitor so I hope that will not bother me, I would like to see that information as well so since I am following your lead and posting in the nerd alert I am afraid we have no way out but to admit it might be nerdy - maybe we can get by with geeky or convince ourselves its tech savvy
You can wear the HRM or not as you choose. I wear it about half the time, and don't really notice it when I have it on.
Found this on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CoinKeeper-...421?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d17a053d
I JUST this Saturday had an interesting discussion with my middle Grade 4 as we were having a chuckle that she could not find her (one and only) coin as we headed out of the referee locker room. It turns out I (and some on this board can confirm...) very often forget a coin. Mental block, blind spot, whatever, I just always seem to forget. She does too! She uses the fingers behind the back so the home captain can see approach, I use the whistle in the left/right hand approach. We both agreed that in reality, our approach is less heavy (and troublesome) than any coin! Sheesh, even if I bought this referee adapter to hold it, I will still forget the damn coin often. p.s. Nerds indeed. Only WE are capable to make a 3+ minute video explaining this... p.s.s. Now a tool to aid in centering the sticky bit to my badge, THAT would be helpful!
Not sure how nerdy this is but there are moments I forget I'm not always on the pitch. This morning when the cat started sharpening her claws on the living room sofa and I found myself reaching for my back pocket.
I just posted my GPS distance covered (1.4 mile) as 4th Official on a SC Final to Facebook. I feel dirty.
I have a flipping coin that lives in the back, velcro flap covered pocket of my shorts. I take it out for the coin toss and then return it to the pocket where it stays through laundering. Never have to worry about having a coin because it is always there.
You don't even need that, you can quite easily keep a coin in between the badge and velcro with the normal hook-and-loop
This still doesn't prevent the problem I encountered with losing the coin. I'm 4th for a D2 pro game and we're under the stands, doing the coin toss. The referee (now in MLS) tosses his coin and it, somehow, comes down, hitting him just below the throat and sliding down his chest, inside his shirt. The coin stops somewhere near the waist band of his shorts, giving a new meaning to calling 'heads' or 'tails.' He's trying to figure out where it is and how he's going to get it out, as the captains are laughing their heads off. Not a great way to start off the match. I solved the problem for him by immediately pulling out my coin and we did the toss again. He retrieved the coin after the captains left. And some people wonder why I always carry all of the pocket stuff, even when I'm AR or 4th.
A Dayton tournament gave these out as gifts a couple of years ago. One of the guys was using it on Sunday and all of a sudden couldn't find his coin. He's tearing around in his pocket when I told him that it was on his wallet. The coins that typically come from tournaments (US currency doesn't work) stick to the magnet. I have a coin that sticks to the inside of the wallet and never leaves. The one disadvantage is that the wallet is a bit on the bulky side because there is cardboard in it for a stronger writing surface.
1.4 miles, yea I was a bit surprised too, but I have no reference point. Maybe this should be spun off to a separate thread, but... What exactly do YOU do as Fourth? Some of what I did and generally do: - game lasted over 2.5 hours (OT periods, into second round of KFTM) - As some here can attest, I'm not a yeller. I take every opportunity to communicate shoulder to shoulder when I can (read: more blunt conversations if needed without putting receiving party into instant saving face mode), builds trust, shows empathy when appropriate, doesn't bring focus off the pitch, when I DO yell, well you know ). - benches at least 10-15 yds from halfway line. See above. - I was VERY formal on process: - three to four reminders for substitutes on bench and warming up to put on pennys- a few hey coach get back in your TA (we had them!)- lots of players coming over for water during play = wander over to ensure they stay on the pitch- a couple hey coach no throwing bottles to players- substitutes visit with me in the box marked off at halfway, I walk up to touchline with them and wait for them to give me their player pass once their player is off. 10 subs total per half, plus near that during OT periods.- THIS is the main contributor ( I think) and the main point: I watch play behind the Referee. I was constantly moving from one end of my little 10 yard box to the other as play ebbed and flowed, keeping an eye on the little angels behind play. (they were angels by the way) So there ya go. One approach and data point. I didn't just stand there and look pretty, some certainly do. 1.4 miles was as much a surprise to me as you.
I have three bags. One with my college stuff, one for USSF and one for high school, always packed and in my car. Also own about 20 of the black/white fifty cent flip coins. Get a chuckle when they call heads.