[Sleeper]

I use a chain clip for high school contests, but not for Jr. High. Our Jr. High games are three-man crews and normally have student chain crews. I am doing good to make sure they are marking correctly without worrying about a clip.

As far as managing the crew, I work HL on my varsity crew and some for sub-varsity. I had only one varsity occasion when I had to get on a crew and a couple of sub-varsity. Sometimes, you have to be stern without being condescending. If it gets too bad, just tell the home coach that the crew isn't doing their job and you need a replacement. I had to do that once and the coach had a "counseling" session with them and fixed the problem.

Regardless, remember that, ultimately, you are there to do a job, not to be their friend. If you want a clip, tell them they are to use a clip. Period, no debate. Good idea to escalate to the white hat next, then the AD. Sometimes you have to be firm. Luckily, the "lifer" crews I had this year were all pretty good.