I searched through the archives and found a couple of folks who mention wearing fitbits while refereeing. Most talk about using it for the distance tracking, but some say that they use the timer function as their secondary watch. But these posts were all old, and there are new devices out. Reading the online reviews and online manuals for the new Fitbit Charge 2 and the Fitbit Blaze, it seems like their stopwatch and countdown timer features are somewhat clunky (after all, that wasn't exactly what these devices were designed for). Does anybody have any recent experience with these things and using them as timers? How quickly can you get to them to start/stop them during the game? On the plus side, it does seem like they have a vibrate feature when the countdown timer ends. Thoughts?
My question (and apologies if I'm hijacking your thread) is what's the purpose of the Fitbit for you - is it to really work as a secondary watch, or do you want it for some other purpose (like fitness tracking) and "good enough" as a timer would work? For example, I use a Garmin Forerunner 235 as my secondary watch. I start it at the beginning of the game and let it run until the end, and I look at it before and after halftime so I have a mental timestamp on when the second half started. From an accuracy standpoint, it doesn't replace my primary watch, and if my primary went out, I would probably fly by an AR and do a quick time sync, but it's certainly good enough to be close enough in that scenario, and I get other things from it I care about (HR monitoring, mileage, movement patterns). I haven't seen any of these fitness trackers that would be just as good as a game-oriented watch - but as a secondary watch, maybe that's ok?
You're not at all threadjacking....good questions. I currently wear two standard Timex watches. Nothing fancy. One I keep running and the other I use to keep track of stoppages. I guess the point of the question is this....is the timer good enough to replace one of the watches? And that would allow me to have the fitness data that comes with it as a bonus. If the answer is 'no,' then I would stick with my standard watches. I don't want to have to remember numbers and do mental math. My birthday is coming up, and the woman to whom I am related to by marriage wants to get me one of these devices. I don't know how much I would use it during my normal life, so I am trying to justify another use for it (reffing).
I got a good deal on new Garmin Forerunner 10 ($50). The GPS and stopwatch work together, so it's good for a backup timer. The battery will get me through two 80 minute HS games if I stop it at halftime.
As I posted here before, I use a Android Wear Smartwatch with a referee app on it and it's very accurate and easy to use. The battery will get me through 2 full games with GPS on. The Referee App is better than the Spintso referee watch in my opinion and the pro version has a baked in tracking feature. Additionally it can keep track of the score plus it records all the games you've done in the past. As a back up I use an Adidas referee watch.
I wore a fitbit as a secondary watch. It's primary function was for fitness tracking, but it has a clock so in case my primary watch died it serves a function. The timer function is clunky and I wouldn't try to dual - timer along with my sprintso, it's just basically a digital watch with a fitness tracker built in. Recently got apple watch so this year that will be my secondary watch.
I wear my Garmin vivofit as a second watch. It's backup if I stop and forget to restart my watch. I also write the start and end times in my book - hopefully calculating the proper time for a half.
Oh man, the one time I had to actually fall back on that it didn't work out so well. One of the more embarrassing incidents of my undistinguished career. And I just remembered the reason I had to fall back on my AR that one time was that I had loaned my second watch to my knucklehead son, who had shown up to ref on the next field without his.
I have purchased the FitBit Charge II for just that reason. uses the HR monitor and distance with tracking. Use the stopwatch function as a running timer to just be a back up. Who cares if it is clunky, it is just a back up. You start it and let it go. Even clunky can handle that.
I had a game last fall where I had stopped my watch and forgotten to restart it so I jogged over to one of my ARs and looked at his. Problem was his watch was counting down and I assumed it was counting up. I ended up having to bring the teams back out onto the field for 1 1/2 minutes to finish the first half.
It would be easier if they were knuckleheads when younger and got their heads on right as teenagers. It would have a much smaller effect on my wallet...
Back on topic I got a Fitbit Blaze last summer. At first I was hesitant to use it for games. I would only wear it on the line. As I became more and more comfortable, I started to wear it all the time. Now, it is no big deal. I wear it all the time, and have not had any problems. It all comes down to comfort and personal preference.
So do you not wear a watch at all then? Or communication devices? Or carry flags or whistles? May want to check law 5 again to see permitted equipment for an official and compare those to what players can wear
Under Law 5, section 4: Referee’s equipment Compulsory equipment: • Whistle(s) • Watch(es) • Red and yellow cards • Notebook (or other means of keeping a record of the match) Other equipment Referees may be permitted to use: • Equipment for communicating with other match officials – buzzer/beep flags, headsets etc…. • EPTS or other fitness monitoring equipment • Vanishing spray
I have made players take off their fitbit before. Low level adult league. While there is a 'health/medical' element to the device, I did not figure that overrode their 'dangerous to self or others' properties.
Why do referees need one during a match?!? They don't need one just like you and I don't need one, but they want to know how much ground they covered during a match.
Good grief. Referees are not challenging for the ball, so there is no concern with getting someone else's fingers caught under whatever you have on your wrist. Players cannot wear a fitbit for the same reason they are not permitted to wear a watch. Referees are permitted to wear multiple watches, if one of them also happens to be a fitbit that does not make it improper equipment.
Exactly. Like I explained in a previous post, my Fitbit is my watch. If a player want to track fitness data, then they can wear something under their jersey, i.e. heart-rate monitor, etc. Or, they could wear a wristband over it.