[QUOTE="Law5, post: 37435166, member: 58130] I could never remember which one was for kicking and which one was for tripping. I think the one that was least popular was flapping your arms like a bird starting to take off for dangerous play.[/QUOTE] When I first started my NFHS career way back in the fall of 1999, they had eliminated the hand signals for fouls that year so I never mad to memorize them. Then they brought them back for a couple of seasons. During those revived seasons, the only foul signals that I could remember were handling and pushing so every direct free kick foul became pushing even if it was for something like tripping or kicking.
I have one announcer at a HS I have been officiating with for years. He always comes to us before the game to get our names so he can announce them over the PA at the start. I ain't too keen on making it THAT easy for the crowd to know who I am so I always just game him names like Mike Dean, Mark Clattenburg, Jon Moss etc... He had no idea who these guys were, but after a few games he figured out I was changing my name each time and I told him why and he didn't care. So now it is a ritual every time I go these he walks up and asks "Who are you going to be tonight?"
"some" of us used to give the name of our then SRA, who was not very popular with the troops. He did not do high school games. At my school's basketball games, the announcer just says, "Tonight's officials are members of the Portland Basketball Officials Association."
Some comments: 1. Gotta love the old all-black uniforms with white collars and cuffs. 2. I don't think that I ever saw anyone ever use signal 16 for a "dead ball." 3. Is it me or do the signals look like people trying to guide planes in for a landing?
In addition to reffing soccer, I ref FIRST Robotics Competition. For a year or two they tried to have us doing signals for fouls. Another part of the competition is that they play dance songs over the PA when there is a delay or break. We made up the "Referee's Macarana" using the signals. Sadly (or maybe fortunately) I don't remember the signals any more.
I saw pictures from a Lego Robotics competition that the school I teach at went to. The referees were wearing the old thin pinstripe soccer ref jerseys. It's not just soccer ref that refuse to buy new jerseys that wear those old things!
Two summers ago (2017), I had a game with three refs all wearing different jerseys. As the center, I had the thick pinstripe, one AR had the thin pinstripe, and the other branch new AR had the new non=pinstripe.
A couple years ago U13B, the center decided we would wear black. Black was the only color of the old jerseys I didn't have, so I opened the package of the new black. He had the old black and said "You don't have this black? You do know we are supposed to match, right?" I said the new was the only black I had. The other AR then showed up and said "We're wearing black? I got that." He then pulled out the old, old pinstripe black. I thought the center was going to have a stroke.
On a chilly morning last April (local USYSA rec), our long sleeves were actually needed for once... I had thick and Bob had his usual pinstripes. A new 19 yr old Grade 9 AR showed up sporting a NISOA jersey... no, he did not ref college... he felt the NISOA jerseys "just looked better" than the USSF ones, so he had bought those instead...
I once did a game where all three referees were wearing different badges! I was in Massachusetts for a grad school reunion and a friend arranged a referee assignment. I was wearing my Oregon high school badge. AR1 had a Massachusetts high school badge. AR2 was wearing a NISOA badge.
I had the 3 different types of shirt before as well. It was a HS VB game I was in the middle wearing the new semi stripe shirt. AR1 had the old single stripe shirt and AR2 had the 2 stripe. No one blinked an eye. As for badges, During one of the Disney Showcase games a couple of years ago, I had the middle with my USSF badge, AR2 was a Chinese FIFA AR and AR1 was a National AR from Poland. My 40 sadly also had the USSF badge . It would be great if I had a Canadian or someone else as a 4th.
HS Signals: 1) Missouri still uses them. I remember about a third of the time. Offside is an easy one for the fans. 2) They took out the flapping on Dangerous Play. 3 I never even noticed #16 Dead Ball before!
For FRC (the high school level) they bought head refs the yellow and black pinstripes back when they were the accepted soccer uniform. Someone in the organization structure is affiliated with soccer. When the pinstripes went out, they got us yellow and black panel shirts that look kind of like bowling shirts. The referees (not the head refs) wear black and white stripes. Head refs used to wear them too. Our friendly game announcers call us zebras, but the head ref is the big banana.
At a tournament years ago in the early 2000s, I did a game with officials from Canada but they were wearing Quebec badges. Does each Canadian province get its own badge?
We used to. That changed 5-8 years ago and now we all wear a standard CSA badge (unless national referee, then they get a colourful version of that badge). Small-sided referees in Ontario wear a provincial badge, and I believe that some parts of Quebec have a separate badge for referees under the age of 18.
WI does not use the signals anymore, but when I am up in the sticks I will still use the "Offside" signal to help all the football parents that are disappointed their kids decided to play soccer...
Our HS association uses what I guess is the old "dead ball" signal, at least on subs. AR1/R1 hides flag and shows the "hold on" hand so the rest of the crew and players know "we're still subbing" and they haven't missed the "ready" signal. AR2/R2 mirrors especially if the restart is on their side. When subs are complete, drop hand and signal "ready" (AR flags visible or R1/2 palm up).
HS game white vs green. I call a white attacker for kicking an opponent's ankles around midfield and he just loses it and starts yelling at me. I try to explain that he's kicked the ankle of his opponent but he's not hearing me, and still yelling. I let him pause. Me[Quietly] "I need you to calm down." Player[Yelling] "I am calm!" [Even softer] "No you're not, you're yelling at me." [visibly calms significantly] "I'm doing better." "I understand you're upset, but I can't have you continuing to yell at me" Until that moment, I was sure he was going to get a caution at some point but we finished out with no more issues.
Mostly because I don't like what I get from dissent cautions, which is not enough. I'd much rather get in their heads to modify behavior than brandish a yellow that will only result in more yelling. There wasn't anything personal or provocative about the dissent, it was just public. Additionally, I don't trust high school coaches to calm down players. I've seen way too many players barely look at the coach after a caution before they are at midfield ready to sub back in.
I feel like I have Social lurker and FlytheW on opposite shoulders like the little devil and angel talking into each ear when I deal with dissent like that. Some games I listen to one, some I listen to the other.... i'm not consistent enough.