Quote:
Originally posted by JugglingReferee
Quote:
Originally posted by ref18
Hey mike, i just have a question, how does ur association handle the defensive restrictions that are in place for the novice and atom teams(the no zone rule). I find that rule to be a pain in the ***, and never bother enforcing it. I'm just wondering who should enforce it, the official, or the convenor.
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The official stance is that we don't. We will not have a game interrupting whistle to deal with this. If it is obvious to us, or the other coach brings it up, at the next convenient stoppage in play, we will bring it up to the offending coach.
How about you guys? How do you deal with it?
P.S.: the other team, that won, was the Hamilton Wildcats. 
[Edited by JugglingReferee on Jan 27th, 2004 at 08:00 PM]
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While I don't coach kids in leagues with those kind of restrictions (e.g., no zones), I have in the past, and I have numerous friends who still do. It is a SIGNIFICANT problem when you are trying to abide by the rules with your team, and another team ignores the rules with impunity. Teams that play zones when there is a specific league rule against it are CHEATING. For the officials to ignore it encourages cheating and bad sportsmanship, while at the same time it leads the non-offending coaches into fits of indignation and sometimes rage.
PLEASE, if you are officiating in a league with such rules, ENFORCE the rules! That is why you are there. This is not the same a long 3 seconds where no advantage is gained. Failure to call illegal defenses gives the offending team a
clear advantage gained through their unethical intent. This really is a big deal, much bigger than virtually any other single thing that might be overlooked during a game. It is an
intentional violation by the coach and should not be tolerated. Issue a warning, then a "T". The coach is cheating!
How can kids learn respect for the rules, or for the officials for that matter, when something so key to the way they are being taught is ignored?
Sorry for the rant, but this is one of my major hot buttons!