Currently, I ref players between the ages of 6 and 18, and
I find it alarming the number of players who line up with
1 or 2 points of a 4 point chinstrap unbuckled. Of course
these kids see Deion Sanders and Ray Lewis do it on Sundays.
It may not be as much an issue for some helmets where the
straps button on both sides of each earhole, but I believe
it is an issue with the type of helmets that have one
button below the the earhole and the other button near the
temple. Clearly, whenever a player does not buckle all four
of the straps of this type of helmet, the mechanical ability
of the helmet to protect a player is undermined.
Many times players forget to buckle up. You tell these
players to do so, they gladly buckle up, and there are no
issues. Other, usually flashy or brash, players
deliberately leave straps unbuckled, and will give you a
hard time when you tell them to buckle up. These players
protest to their coaches who take the side of the players
many times saying that thier kid has been wearing their
helmet like that for years. Some kids even remove the
buckle from the strap ("I can't snap it Mr. Official!")
I'll send the little leaguers off the field until they
straighten out their equipment problem, but HS is a little
different. I always consult with my white hat on the issue
when it arises. Some white hats say it's not a big deal,
some say they don't want to have to confront the coach about
it, but some agree that we need to send the player off or
flag it the next time (which tees off a few coaches, of
course).
I am really NOT this ticky tack about things on the field
unless I believe player safety is at issue. I don't have
anything against flashy palyers, and I honestly don't care
if college or pro players do this.
So, how do the rest of you feel about this? How have you
handled it? What kind of experiences have you had trying to
enforce this?
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