[Goose]

There are a couple of issues that are beginning to bother me as I add year after year to officiating, and hearing loss is one of them.

Personally, I don't find it the least bit funny or amusing, and believe that it is a problem. The problem with hearing loss is that it is so subtle, that you don't notice it until you notice it, and then it is to late.

Without a doubt, the Fox40 for all the good it has done over the last 17 years, is the main culprit IMO.

I'm still waiting for some official who just happens to be an MD or some enterprising grad student to do a Thesis on this very subject. Personally, I know for a fact that my hearing has been greatly reduced over the years, and seeing that I work mainly in a low noise office, it can only be attributed to officiating. At 48 I should not be constantly saying, "Huh?, What?"

I'm sure most of us have experienced that knife stab in the ear when standing next to a wall and I always wonder how those blasts are effecting my overall hearing. It's gotta effect it in some way. Hey, we're talking 20 years worth of whistling here.

Anyway, I might experiment this year with some plugs of some type. I know I've lost a certain amount of hearing and I'd like to protect what I have left.

With this sparking new interest having thought I was the only one worried about hearing loss, in the upcoming weeks, I think I'll run some db tests using our sound meters. I'm curious to see exactly how many db's the Fox40 is delievering, especially at close range. When I get some results, I'll post them here.


goose