Strange Situations - 9/6

[ProfZodiac]

That's right. I'm starting up this string of threads again, with strange situations that I've encountered and would wonder what others would do in my shoes (besides change them ;)) Here we go:

1. Game 1: I've been feeling pretty crummy all week, especially in the morning. Nausea, no appetite, and stuff like that (you really don't want all the details). What should I do if I have a game to ref under these circumstances?

2. Game 1: Along the same lines, what's a good distance to try to remain from the play? I was kinda sluggish to start, and was worried I was too far from the play.

3. Game 2: The new and improved, BAYS 8v8 format with offside for the U12 littles. Both coached acknowledged that they'd never done anything with offside, and that they hoped to teach the kids based on how I called. Should I do anything different?

4. Game 2: Quickie, this one is. Is it OK to change shirt colors at half-time?

5. Game 3: And it's the situation we never thought would happen, but was done in class. A dog ran, rather meandered, onto the field. Ball was nowhere near him, but it could be soon. I blew the whistle, waited for the handler to come and retrieve the dog, and restarted with a dropped ball. Correct?

[stevieb]

Originally posted by ProfZodiac
That's right. I'm starting up this string of threads again, with strange situations that I've encountered and would wonder what others would do in my shoes (besides change them ;)) Here we go:

1. Game 1: I've been feeling pretty crummy all week, especially in the morning. Nausea, no appetite, and stuff like that (you really don't want all the details). What should I do if I have a game to ref under these circumstances?

Consider turning back the games. I know as a past assignor I hated getting calls the day before that someone can't do a game but for legitimate reasons, such as illness or injury, I'd rather try to find someone healthy to handle the games. Just my opinion.

2. Game 1: Along the same lines, what's a good distance to try to remain from the play? I was kinda sluggish to start, and was worried I was too far from the play.

Generally I've been told in assessments and what I tell new refs in clinics is ~10yds. You get too close to play you lose overall perspective and too far you start losing the ability to see clearly what's going on. Obviously you will sometimes be much farther than that, especially with older ages where they can kick the ball far and run fast, but it's important to close that gap as quickly as possible. Plus being close helps to sell those calls!



Other than perhaps making explanations to the kids on why you made the offside call, at least to begin with, I'd do nothing else. I'm assuming you are running an ironman in which case you are not going to get the "close" ones but when they are first learning offside it will generally be several yards offside instead of inches. At least that's my experience when I've done or watched the U-littles and they are just learning offside.

[B]4. Game 2: Quickie, this one is. Is it OK to change shirt colors at half-time?

I guess I don't see a problem with this (at least at the lower level games you are talking about) but I'd wonder why you would feel you need to.

5. Game 3: And it's the situation we never thought would happen, but was done in class. A dog ran, rather meandered, onto the field. Ball was nowhere near him, but it could be soon. I blew the whistle, waited for the handler to come and retrieve the dog, and restarted with a dropped ball. Correct?

Sounds perfect to me. I'd only caution about blowing the whistle if the dog is not near the play and the attackers are going in towards goal. Or if the ball is being controlled by the defense in their own PA. If possible I'd wait for the ball to be in a somewhat neutral location. If the keeper is holding the ball and I blow the whistle I'll do a one-man drop to the keeper--gets it back to the same condition it was in before the stoppage.

I hope this helps.

[Gary V]

Some strange answers to strange situations ...

Originally posted by ProfZodiac
I've been feeling pretty crummy all week, especially in the morning. Nausea, no appetite, and stuff like that (you really don't want all the details).
Hmmm, maybe you're pregnant.

Along the same lines, what's a good distance to try to remain from the play?
At least far enough away so that if you hurl you won't hit the players.

Is it OK to change shirt colors at half-time?
If you've soiled it by hurling, I think that's a very good idea.

A dog ran, rather meandered, onto the field.
Maybe it was just going to lap ... No, let's not go there.


3. Game 2: The new and improved, BAYS 8v8 format with offside for the U12 littles. Both coached acknowledged that they'd never done anything with offside, and that they hoped to teach the kids based on how I called. Should I do anything different?

OK, now for a serious answer. It's not the referee's job to coach. However, since both coaches asked, if you make several offside calls and it appears that the kids just aren't getting it, you can give them the 7-second $2 offside course. "Hey, guys, to not be offside, you have to keep something between you and the other goal. That could be two of their players, the ball or the half line." Don't go into the complexities of involvement, exceptions on throw-ins, etc. Keep it simple and basic - without offside positioning, there can't be offside. If the coaches want to get into it deeper, that's their job.

I find that at u12 rec, there aren't that many offside calls to make. That's because many teams play with a deep defender or two, who's job it seems to be to check that the 18 yard line doesn't change position during the game. So attackers aren't in an offside position, because they want to be involved in the play. Maybe an over-stated generalization. But with kids who haven't played with offside before, you're likely to find that.

You do have to watch offside in a couple of situations. (1) When the ball remains in or near the PA for a while, and players drift into the offside position. (2) When a ball is cleared out, players begin moving back toward the center of the field, but then there is another change of possession and the ball is sent back to the PA. Some of the attackers might have been slow to move out, and they are now caught in an offside position.

[Scott Zawadzki]

Originally posted by Gary V
Hmmm, maybe you're pregnant.

That might explain Prof's sudden mood changes lately!!! ;)

Scott

[ProfZodiac]

Originally posted by Scott Zawadzki
That might explain Prof's sudden mood changes lately!!! ;)

Scott

Thanks. :rolleyes:

Regarding #4, I was trying to start game 2 quickly, as game 1 ran late. As such, I had neglected to switch my non-game-1-conflicting blue jersey to my non-game-2-conflicting yellow. One team wore blue. Considering I was head and shoulders taller than everybody on the field, it wasn't much of a problem, but I made sure to switch at half.

And regarding #5, the play was at midfield, so it wasn't a real problem, but one team had complete possession, so I felt a little guilty giving the other team a chance at it.

[Statesman]

It's ok to change jerseys at any time so long as the crew remains uniform. I even caught a FIFA ref crew switch from black to blue at halftime on TV. One team was purple -- the view was fine from the field but you couldn't tell the ref from the players through the stadium cam.