Best equiped:Flags, warm ups, secondary jerseys, and bags and watches

[AspireNatlRef]

Mods, fell free to sticky if you think this might help out others than just me... If not, thank you all cause it'll be helpful to me...

OK, well I am looking at getting an overhaul of new stuff... so now I need non-objective opinions!:cool:

What do you folks think is the best in the AR flag arena. I mean, I'll shell out the 400$ for the electronics if its going to make the game that much easier/smoother, but I have found my ARs have always been great (after meeting with them for 30 mins prior to every match) and I have been able to communicate with them with out my arm vibrating for beeping. But maybe technology is picking that up... Of course I want one of the WC radios so I can talk to my ARs without having to go over there... :o

Otherwise, should I go with the Official Sports swivels, or what. I remember starting 10 years ago and having these wooden handled splinter makers. Now have moved to a plastic core which is great, but no swivel.

What are your experiences. What are your recommendations. Plus what is now the standard design. Again 10 years ago it was one red/yellow, but this is Louisiana so just give me the complete lowdown on all things flag related.

Also what are your views on warm ups/ how to show up at games. I know at professional games where I know I'll have a dressing room I am in a sport coat with whatever emblem I am officiating (HS/college/PRO) and then change, but what about tournys and rec games. Should I go with a black/gold USSF warm up from official sports or their 'premier' blue one with USA on the back. Just some info for what the higher ups think we should be doing/having.

Additionally, what is the best secondary/tertiary color to have? I am gold stripe normally, but have a black stripe also (both official sports). What is the next best color to get. Hopefully by the end of the year I'll just get the lot and be done with it (which means having to replace the gold since its been around a few years and adding blue and red).

What about whistle recommendations? I have had a great luck with tornados. Light, easy to carry in my hand (abhor lanyards and hand /ring holders or even the little wrist lanyard... I just keep then thing in my hand and works great), the second one in my pocket (and third one in my bad) have never failed me... unless I dropped them and then there is HELL to pay. Which ones have you found to be the best?

Finally, what bags have you guys found to be the best? I mean I carry 2 sets of AR flags, at least 2 jerseys (more when I get recs from you guys) and doubles of everything else... (apparently my stuff breaks more than most-- overuse since living in New Orleans we are quite short of the Men in Gold (gosh it sounds better being the MIB, Men in Black, but gold makes me look more slender... who knew...)

Thanks for all your input. It will be invaluable to me and others, I am sure...


Aspire NR

P.S. Also, what are your views on the best, most trustworthy watches. I use IronMen, but two on my arm is getting to be a pain. What are some creative solutions to not having my arm covered in rubber....

and just be glad I didn't ask which kind of underwear works best... (laughing at myself):cool:

[nonya]

You have to get all the shirts both long and short sleeve in all the colors. No question about it...being in Louisiana you might want to wait until it gets closer to winter to get all the longs, but you should get all the shorts sleeves now. I am also in a warm climate so what I did was get the professional (more expensive) short sleeves, and the economy (cheaper) long sleeves only because I use the long sleeve maybe 10% of the time and it is a waste of money. If you lived in New England for example, then it would be a different story. Try to rotate your jerseys. You DON'T have to wear Gold ALL the time. In the winter, I try to wear black as much as I can, and in the summer I try to switch to the blue (I hate the red.) That way you can get some life out of all your shirts. One other note-if you do get the economy you may want to consider getting a smaller size as they don't fit as snugly as the professional shirt in some cases.

I don't do OSI warm ups. I use addidas. I do have one OSI polo shirt with the USSF badge on it for meetings and when I do assessments. I have a generic blue blazer and grey pants and an old USSF tie from 20 years ago. I also got a cop badge holder, and stick my USSF badge on that and put in in my jacket pocket. I am not wasting money sewing a badge on a sport jacket I use once or twice a year at most.

On the field, I use three whistles. Two pealess (both Italian from OSI) I stick one in my pocket in case I drop it. I also bring a generic pea whistle to blow for the end of the half and match (players instantly know the difference and sound and instantly know it is the end) OR if I am on a field surronded by other officials using non-pea whistles. Socks-2 pairs with OSI logos (which I hate) and 4 pairs of the Italian cushon stripes, if you do 50-100 games a year you will probably have to reorder 2-3 pairs.

Shoes-I use an all black Adidas all black golf "sport" shoe for everything but hard turf. They are comfortable, have great grip, and are totally waterproof. I stood in a puddle of water for 5 minutes once and didnt get my feet wet at all.

I have two very generic watches from WalMart. Generic Cards, and I use my palm pilot as my record keeper during a match, unless bad weather then I just use paper.

Flags-25 years ago we improvised our flags from metal poles and dowels. Then they went wood with the senior linesman using red and junior in yellow, then the swivel flags. I have used the "beeper" flags, they arent worth the $400. I use the swivel flags, but with a twist. I come to the field with one checkerboard (senior AR) and a solid color (either yellow or orange) for junior AR. If I go down, the checkerboard flag will go in the center. I don't go by AR1 or 2 only because in some cases the AR1 may be a 15 year old in a U-16+ match.

As for underwear-Under Armor all the way, except for when it is really hot.

Hope it helps. It really all depends on your budget. If you have money, you can spend til your hearts content, and it still won't make you a better ref. If your a poor shmuck like me, you have to improvise.

[bluedevils]

On the field, I use three whistles. Two pealess (both Italian from OSI) I stick one in my pocket in case I drop it. I also bring a generic pea whistle to blow for the end of the half and match (players instantly know the difference and sound and instantly know it is the end)

Very interesting. This is the first time I've heard of a ref using a different whistle to indicate the halftime and full-time intervals. Seems like it might work well, but also seems a bit unusual.

[intechpc]

OK so let me try my hand at this. First off the jerseys. As nonya said, you definitely need to get all colors in both short and long sleeve. Definitely get the short sleeve first given your climate. If you can't get both remaining colors right away I'd say get the blue first as I see referees going blue much more often than red.

For flags, there definitely is not one design that is "official". Watch MLS or EPL games and you'll notice the flags even at that level differ from game to game. The most popular seem to be the 4 quadrant flags (2 orange, 2 yellow) which are produced by a number of manufacturers. I can't say that I've seen the OSI USSF in use all that often at pro games, but you do see them a lot with state and regional referees. I don't think you'd go wrong either way. I'd say just make sure whichever you purchase that you get a good case and that replacement flags can be purchased. Everything I've heard about the $400 beeper flags is that they're not worth it.

As far as warm-ups, up to now I've used Addidas basketball warm-ups, the "tear-off" type with the buttons down both legs. However, yesterday I did just order the OSI Official USSF warmup (Red/Blue with USA on the back). Once I get it and have had a chance to use it at the field I'll let you know what I think.

For whistles, I have three different types. I have the Fox-40 Pearle which has a real deep tone, an Acme standard pea whistle which is a nice smooth mid-range tone, and the ever popular Fox-40 Classic with the high-pitched shrill tone. I use the Acme most often as quite often I have adjacent fields that are using Fox 40's. I also use the Pearl a lot in these situations as it is a very unique tone. For a lanyard, I prefere the OSI wrist lanyard, but that's a matter of personal taste. I can't say there is one right answer there.

For a bag, I'd say any neutral colored duffle bag is fine. I have seen the OSI embroidered ones and was less than impressed with their quality. I have a really cool duffle bag that my employer gave me as a gift. It's just long enough to fit the flag in lengthwise, has a side pocket that has all sorts of compartments for my whistles, coins, cards, game sheets, etc. It also has two end pockets, one where I can put my gatorade and the other where I keep miscellaneous items like my air pump, pressure gague, etc. The main compartment is big enough for me to carry 2 pair of shoes, 4 pair of socks, all of my jerseys (I have nine), 3 pair of shorts, my flags, and my warm-ups.

I hope that's helpful for you.

[falcon.7]

It's all about preference. There are some things that are used by all the MLS referees (Fox40, pro jerseys, special warmups), either by design or coincidence. Just find what works for you. I happen to love the USSF Training Suit. At Regionals this year I would come back from games and just go to sleep in it. Unless you are doing MLS or pro games w/assessor, nobody is going to tell you you HAVE to use something.


I wish OSI had a frequent spender club...

[bluedevils]

BAGS - In my experience (two of them), the large USSF bag from OSI -- can't remember the model name/number, sorry -- does not hold up very well. Both units have developed large rips in the bottom of the large end pockets after 2-3 years.

Just about any bag will do, although you may get scolded by fellow refs and/or assessors if you show up with a non-black bag or a black non-OSI bag. When travelling to out-of-town tournaments, I have started using a wheeled suitcase instead of a 'referee bag' since the suitcase is much easier to wheel around than lugging a heavy bag on your shoulder.

[USSF REF]

Very interesting. This is the first time I've heard of a ref using a different whistle to indicate the halftime and full-time intervals. Seems like it might work well, but also seems a bit unusual.

I've noticed that when I blow the whistle that I've used all game in the classic short-short-long pattern, they also know instantly that the time is up. This has never been an issue.

[bluedevils]

I've noticed that when I blow the whistle that I've used all game in the classic short-short-long pattern, they also know instantly that the time is up. This has never been an issue.

Exactly. I don't think it is necessary to use a different whistle at halftime and full-time, but it was very interesting to hear someone actually does this!

My half/full-time is more of a long-short or a long-short-short, depending on what kind of mood I'm in.

[Tarheel Ref]

Welcome to the referee clique and let's do some shopping...

First the bag to carry all your stuff...BLACK BLACK BLACK. You can always tell where the referee area is from the pile of black bags. Mine has no logo which means it was cheaper and is big enough that I could pack and live out of it for a week or two (or carry around all my referee stuff). Having a couple of separated compartments is good for rain/mud gear or just once it's been worn.

WatchES...more than one or two. I carry three of the cheap $5 Wal-mart ones...they last about a year or two before the battery dies. I see a bunch of really expensive watches in our catalogs but never really considered buying one...for the same reason I don't buy expensive sunglasses--'cause I'll break them or lose them.

My favorite whistle is the old-school metal Acme Thunderer with the finger clip. I paid like $15 dollars for it when I was thirteen and first-certified and never used another one since. I have a couple of cheap backups just in case it eventually breaks, but nothing will replace my Thunderer. I can produce a variety of tones and decibels to account for all kinds of situations: hard/loud for serious fouls, soft, slow for just getting people's attention (or that very special "mood" whistle ;)) and all kinds of in-between. Having the finger clip means your whistle is always in exactly the same place and the motion of bringing it to your mouth will become automatic. I also like that it gives me a moment to re-consider what I saw before blowing the whistle, unlike if you carry the whistle in your mouth like some do (????????? choke), or you can bring it to your mouth to prepare for a fast whistle if you see play developing that could need to be stopped quickly.

For shoes, I just bought the $50 diadoras that OSI advertises and they are much better than I thought they would be...about 5 of us had them at a 3v3 tourney I worked last weekend and everybody said about the same as me. Originally planned for them to be a stepping stone to others but for now I'm staying with them. Order 1/2 size bigger than you would get your regular shoes.

As for uniforms, I gotta say you're on your own. You need to have all the colors and sleeve-lengths, but go with what you like. I buy OSI just because it's the clique-ish thing to do and some higher-ups expect it. I'm sure there's other (most likely better) stuff and one day I'd like to find a convention of referee kit manufacturers and compare them all at the same time.

My flags are the mid-90s checkerboard neon wood ones. I cannot bring myself to pay $20 or more for two pieces of fabric, some foam and plastic.

Enjoy your shopping...but it can get expensive.

[Rufusabc]

I'm still confused on the different whistle for half time and full time.....what?

[ref47]

i am a sometimes advocate of two different whistles concept. i have two different whistles on the same wrist lanyard. use one for the kickoffs and end of halfs and the other for match situations. i haven't noticed any reaction from the players. one is softer. the other can be loud and harsh.

[nonya]

Since I started this...

I had an issue once about 15 years ago during an amateur league men's match where it was a tie score, a tough game, multiple cards and yelling but nothing too stressful. I wanted to make sure when I ended the game, everyone knew that it was over, it was done shake hands and walk away. I blew my whistle three short bursts like I always did to end the game and there was confusion, because just as I did it there was a real hard foul. People thought I called the foul, people thought I was carding, some thought the game was over, even my linesmen at the time didnt realize the game was over. My mistake.

My very next game I decided to officiate the entire match with my pealess and the end half time by using my pea whistle. Just something I thought of, I think since that match I had the same situation a dozen times and didn't have a problem. I even had a NISOA assesor of all things acknowledge it and say it was a neat idea. No biggie.

[Emmet Kipengwe]

Nonya,
I will bring something else up from your first post:
"I use my palm pilot as my record keeper during a match, unless bad weather then I just use paper."
I have never seen anyone use a palm pilot on the field! Where do you keep it?

You are a wild man!

[nonya]

I have a real slender one that I put in my shirt pocket. It doesnt bother me at all when I run, or sometimes I will put it in my back pocket with its case. There is a company in England that developed software for it. You can set the timer, input team names and numbers, and then when an event happens like a goal or a card, just whip it out, click on the palm and it records the information for you instantly with the time next to it. When the game is over, you can go home and print out an instant report, or just transfer it right there at the field, you dont have to look at your watch and note the time, it does it for you. For cards, just type in a number and it will ask you what the card is for. There is even a substitution feature that allows you to input in and control who has come into the game already. You can record injuries, and other unusual events. They have a cool feature for doing PKs to determine a winner, and you can even do a coin flip with it. It's funny, it takes less time recording a goal or a card with the palm then it does with paper. My only two concerns with it are weather ( I never bring it out with a chance of rain) and getting hit with a ball, but I never get hit.

Remember you have to keep an accurate record of the match, the laws don't say HOW you have to keep that record.

[Claymore]

Still scratching my head about having two different whistles for half and full time. The only time I carried two on the field (on the lanyard; I always kept another in my pocket as a backup) was at tournament time, so as not to sound like the guy on the next field. Unless you take the time to explain the different whistles to the teams prior to kickoff, no one knows what you're doing.

[nonya]

"Unless you take the time to explain the different whistles to the teams prior to kickoff, no one knows what you're doing."

Nahh...as a matter of fact there have been a number of games I have done where I have changed from a pealess to a pea whistle in the middle of the game because of a conflict on another field and haven't told anyone and the players have thanked me. I never had a problem in 15 years with two different whistles. Players, even in younger matches, are pretty attuned to that.

[Tarheel Ref]

My flags are the mid-90s checkerboard neon wood ones. I cannot bring myself to pay $20 or more for two pieces of fabric, some foam and plastic.

Or $250 for a set that allows me to communicate the same thing with eye contact and hand signals. Not that they're not really cool and I'd really like to try them myself, just not pay for them.

I'm sure it violates some sort of Internet etiquette rule to quote myself, but here goes...

I just saw these on TV...at least one of the linesmen oops ARs was using this exact flag in the Chicago Fire game. That's the only time I've seen others like mine in, well, about ten years.

I know my flag when I see them...'cause there aren't many like them around!

I'm glad someone still thinks they're cool. Or just tight with a buck like me.

[Tarheel Ref]

BAGS - In my experience ... you may get scolded by fellow refs and/or assessors if you show up with a non-black bag or a black non-OSI bag.

Really??? Simply for a non-OSI piece of equipment that doesn't even cross the touch lines? Can't we have any personal choice anymore?

[AspireNatlRef]

Are the new flags with the USSF logo the official flag we are going to have to go to? Just saw them at OSI and wondered if thats where we are going.

Cy

[law5guy]

Are the new flags with the USSF logo the official flag we are going to have to go to? Just saw them at OSI and wondered if thats where we are going.

Cy

if you mean these:
http://officialsports.com/det_1533CL.gif
They have been around a couple years or so.

I imagine that they will have a flag with the new USSF referee logo just in time for Santa. ;)