Illegal Numbers

[bainsey]

Middle school doubleheader today. Our association has made it clear to us how to deal with middle schools who have an illegal uni or two: use tape and do what you can to get the kids into the game legally. Some still have old uniforms with old, wrong numbers. (Youth games, they could wear three digits for all I care.)

Today, I'm the R for game 1, girls' game. The book has the home team's roster numbers 1-14, INCLUSIVE. I look up at the kids warming up, and there they are: numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9. Someone ordered brand new uniforms for both girls' and boys' teams, and went international.

The girls' home coach played college ball, and wasn't happy with the school's snafu. ("I told them!") I wondered aloud how to tape up number 6-9, but the coach asked whether they can just give them last year's uniforms for those four. Easy solution.

Between games, the principal comes to our room (nurse's office) and asks if we can "let this go, just this once" for the boys' game. ("I'm a hockey guy; I didn't know.") Being around long enough to know what "just this once" really means, I explain we can't allow the unis without taping them, so they may as well just use some old ones, thereby saving any future crews this issue. Besides, the boys' coach (one of my son's teachers) was also in disbelief with the school. (As we know, the responsibility of these numbers is on the head coach.)

After the game, the principal thanked me for letting them know after game one. He realized there would be more frustration to find out five or six games into the season. ("How come the others let it go?") This uniform stuff is a posterial pain, but sweeping it under the rug only makes it worse. If you have to deal with it, just get it done.