'Cause The Players Gonna Play, Play, Play, Play, Play (Taylor Swift) ...
 

Great answer.

At an NCAA Women's camp: "Don't do anything that the players can't do - palm the ball while you're waiting to give it to the thrower, wear a beard, wear jewelry - including your wedding ring . . ."

While it might be strange...I can't imagine there's a rule in the NCAAW book against players having beards

And I was certain that comment was coming, from someone. Still, the underlying principle has served me well.
Another example of the application of that principle is that I used to be able to easily clear the net, when it got hung up on the rim, by jumping up and hitting it with my hand. After negative comments, that I was "showing up the players" I no longer do that, but ask that a player clear the net, by jumping or hitting it with the ball.

Because I do so much mentoring, and teaching/training of younger/less experienced officials, I stress that our goal is to remove, do away with, eliminate any thing that a supervisor/evaluator may find objectionable. It is an extension or practical application of that principle. In other terms, it is the "when in Rome . . ." idea.

I get what you're saying. Were those comments though coming from assignors/evaluators?

Got Arthritis ???
 

For me, the good old days. Now, where are my keys?

I wear my wedding ring. I don't see how rules governing the players has anything to do with me. They are also not allowed to wear a whistle around their neck.

True!!

Also, slightly off topic...but I've seen NFL quarterbacks play with their wedding rings on. I would never play a sport with a ring on...but I have no problem with officials wearing theirs.

Players can palm the ball.

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I wear a beard in the offseason, and keep clean shaven once the season (football, basketball, or baseball) starts. Which basically means I get to have the beard in June, July and the first half of August (I don't work summer baseball), and for a couple of weeks between seasons.

Used to wear a beard in my first years of doing football, until a few of the "guys I look up to" gave me the "I'm not saying you need to get rid of the beard, but..." talk.

As for wedding rings... I take mine off if I remember to do so before i get out of my car. Not because anyone around here cares, I do it because my ring is a bit loose on my finger and I don't want to accidentally lose it during a basketball (or worse, football) game.

Only some, particularly on the women's side as was the focus of the camp he was referring to.

I once heard that same thing and it was in the context of not appearing to be showing them up with something many men can do but many women can't.

Without a wedding ring, and facial hair; you may get more attention than you want from high school moms...

What assignor really cares about a wedding ring?

I take my wedding ring off because when I watch games in person, I always get distracted by the wedding rings of officials working the game. So I do it purely for my own personal reasons.

I worn goatees a few times for HS games. One time a college supervisor who had just hired me was in attendance and he made it clear I better never do that for one of his games. :o

So that brings up the other thing about wearing facial hair at HS games, you never know who might be watching. If you have college aspirations, working HS games sans facial hair may be the prudent business decision.

The difference is that at the HS level assigners are looking for officials (not enough officials). At the college level, they are choosing officials (too many officials).

It's similar to the "all black shoes" argument. It doesn't affect how you call the game, but it might affect your ability to get a chance to call the game.

:confused: