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I work about 70 games a year. This happens about twice a year in youth games. I usually prevent it at that level, but last year a freshman team insisted that their coach said to choose to kick. They kickoff in both halves and the coach took full responsibility for it. He thought that if you kicked off in the first half you automatically received in the second.
For clarification:
Excluding the right to defer their choices to the second half, there are 2 choices at the start of the game. The winner gets to choose which of those options to pick from and the loser of the coin toss gets the other option. The two options are:
1. Receive or kick
and
2. pick either goal to defend in the first quarter.
The kick choice should always be included. Example : a very wet day where there should be a lot of turnovers. Both teams want to play defense in the other teams territory to start the game. The only way to guarantee to be on defense is to elect to kick. If you choose a goal, then the other team can elect to kick. The 99.99999999% statistical number quoted earlier isn't enought to omit the kick choice. Do what the rules say to do. Preventive officiating is used to prevent a team from making a mistake. Changing the rules, by not giving the options properly, hurts the teams that knows what they want, when they actually want to kickoff no matter what!
[Edited by SJoldguy on Oct 8th, 2004 at 12:57 AM]
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