What do you keep in your bag?
 

I apologize if this has been discussed or is a weird question. I had a long drive after our game last night, and I was thinking of all the times I've learned of a new thing that needs to be in my bag. Usually I realize it should be in there when I don't have it and need it (i.e. baby powder, deodorant, rule book, extra whistle, etc.) I'm just curious if any of you have anything in your bag that you recommend for young officials to make sure they have. Thanks, in advance, for your input.

FYI, here's my inventory:
Extra whistle
Chap stick
Towel
Rule book
Baby powder
Deodorant
Hand sanitizer (I'm a germaphobe)
Water bottle
Watch (for the table if they don't have something for timeouts/DQ sub time)

In addition to your list sans baby powder:

Pre-game binder.

Full backup uniform/shoes.

Towel for "D" (shower).

Clean underwear.

A pacifier and swaddle blanket for coaches and players.

No baby powder? :D

Let them chafe.

In addition to above
Pre-wrap and athletic tape
Athletic trainer scissors
Gum or mints
Pen
Moleskin
Band Aids

I stopped carrying a bunch of extra crap a few years ago.

I carry a small bag of whistles and a small bag that has rule books and a magnetic court board.

I have a toiletry bag and a towel for those schools in the prehistoric area who can't be bothered to provide one for me.

Typically I carry that and what I wear and that's it.

A watch for the table? Not a chance. May as well carry a possession arrow while I'm at it.

My must haves in addition to the above, for both softball and basketball, are:
*extra shoelaces
*body spray (gotta smell good)
*lysol for my shoes (chest protector and shin guards)
*extra socks


I wish I had a cool signature

It's hit and miss with showers, much less towels, in the areas I work.

Same here. There are several smaller schools where we don't have a bathroom at all. No sink, toilet, or shower. We have to use a public restroom or a locker room when the kids vacate. Most of the bigger, newer schools have dedicated officials rooms near the court with everything we need.

what he said


I wish I had a cool signature

Never, ever, ever had a HS provide towels to officials. We're happy if we have access to a shower that actually dispenses hot water.

I'm kind of with Rich. I do put an extra uniform / shoes in a separate bag in the car. That way I don't have to carry it everywhere. I've never needed anything from it, but I have lent it out to partners.

Water? Baby Powder? Watch? No way.

Add ibuprofen, contact saline solution and a small sewing kit to the above list.

I never go anywhere without my spare possession arrow….

Water bottle. I've been to places that don't have a concession stand (MS games) and had no water so I threw it in. Baby powder to prevent undercarriage chaffage, and the watch has come in handy when HS kids are doing the table so that they don't need their phone (pet peeve). It all weighs a grand total of maybe 12 ounces, takes up zero room, and has come in handy. To each their own, I suppose.

I like the sewing kit idea. Also like the extra uni in the car, ibuprofen. Thanks for the input, guys.

3 Different Shirts (Stripes, Panels, and OHSAA Monogramed)
2 Pair of Pants
All my Compression Gear
Bag of Whistles and Lanyards
Toiletry Bag
Towel
Shoes (Nike Air Max 14)
Bag of Life Saver Mints
Rule and Case Book

There's a dirty joke in there somewhere.....I'll leave that to Padgett. :o

LOL definitely

*ohhh lol !

I keep two of everything uniform wise at least except for shoes or a jacket and towel. I keep extra shoes in the car.

Then I carry stuff to use after I take a shower, everything from lotion to deodorant just in case I have to go somewhere after a game.

Peace

I usually have a body in my bag. Oh I am sorry I thought we were talking about my family business. My apologies. :p

MTD, Sr.

MTD, the other thread is the one about "whacking a coach" . . .;)

Gum!!! Anyone else chew gum while they officiate? I can't not do it now!

Same situation for me. Not too many luxuries where we work.

What I really carry in my basketball officiating bag.
 

When I was still officiating college basketball, a typical Saturday with a college game in the afternoon and a high school game in the evening I did not use a hanging bag but I carried two bags (one college and one high school) and each bag contained the following:

1) Warm up jacket.

2) Two shirts.

3) Two pairs of pants.

4) Two Ultimate Belts.

5) Two pair of shoes; yes, I owned four pair of officiating shoes that I rotated through the season (they were high tops).

6) Two pair of black socks and two pair of white socks.

7) Two pair of tie-up ankle wraps.

8) Two sets of officiating underwear; each set consisting of: i) one pair of white jockey shorts; ii) one white v-neck under shirt; and ii) one pair of black compression shorts.

9) One large towel for sweaty face at half time.

10) Two bath towels, one wash cloth, and one old worn out bath towel to stand on after a shower.

11) One pair of shower shoes.

12) One dop kit containing: soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, tooth brush, tooth paste, mouthwash, razor, shaving cream, and hair brush (yes, I did have hair at one time).

13) One bottle for drinking water.

14) One bottle of prescription grade Motrin and one bottle of over-the-counter Motrin.

15) At least six each of Mini-Fox 40s and regular Fox 40s; and at least a half a dozen each of both Smitty lanyards and regular lanyards.

16) At least two pairs of extra shoe laces.

17) At least two wet bags.

18) One bottle of shoe polish and one can of lanolin shoe spray shine.

I also had one briefcase that I would use for both high school and college games which contained all NFHS, NCAA Men's and Women's, FIBA, and NBA rules books, casebooks, illustrated rules books, mechanics manuals, Referee Magazine, and any other related materials with regard to the latest interpretations.

And yes the bag was big enough to hold a body if I need to dispose of a coach that I had whacked, :p.


Today:

Items (1, 2, and 3) go into a hanging bag. Items (4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) are reduced by 50%. Items (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17) are still in the bag. No need for Item (18); I just make sure the shoes are well shined. I still take the briefcase. And I never forget to pack my unloader brace for my right knee; in fact, that is the first thing that goes into my bag when I start to pack for a game.

And most importantly: Except for JrHS doubleheaders, I rarely officiate two games in one day.

MTD, Sr.

Don't Want My Pants To Fall Down ...
 

I keep an extra set of black suspenders in my bag. Better to be safe than sorry.

Billy:

I thought you kept an extra belt in your bag.

MTD, Sr.

Is this supposed to be blue font?


I wish I had a cool signature

No toilet paper? That's risky😃

Extra shirt

Shoes/shoe polish

Gum

Maybe a small snack or two, bag of peanuts or pack of crackers (especially if I have a DH)

Extra whistle (which usually goes onto the court with me for AP purposes)

Deodorant

Why Do Fireman Wear Red Suspenders ???
 

IAABO (International) doesn't allow us to wear belts anymore. That's why I switched to black suspenders.

How did I miss your post announcing this?

My mind was blown when an older official showed me his AP trick while reffing some collegiate summer league this past summer. I modified it a bit, but I'm annoyed with myself that I had never come across it before then.

Keep chapstick in off hand if throwing the tip. Put the chapstick in the pocket of the direction the ball should go at next AP (when facing scorers table).

I felt like such a rookie for not knowing about it before then. Is this a universally known trick?

You'll feel like a vet when you're able to keep track without switching something between pockets.

I had never heard of that before. Then again, I just use my memory/brain. :)

Feel glad. That "trick" is idiotic.

I trusted myself until I was so sure of myself one time and gave an emphatic "White ball!!" Then I looked at the possession arrow and it was red's ball. That was the end of that for me.

Just curious on your thoughts of why?

Probably only something other officials notice, but it's seems both distracting and clumsy when watching another official fumble around with their pocket.

For goodness sakes -- at least ONE official is facing the arrow. If you make sure it's set properly at the beginning of the game and make sure it's changed after each AP and at halftime, it's going to be right.

So the official facing the table takes a quick glance and points the right direction.

No whistle, Chap Stick, or other doodad required.

The more you officiate the more everything will come together. After a couple years you'll glance at the table/scoreboard without even thinking about it to make sure it was switched.

Until then, I'm of the opinion it's a decent option for officials who are overwhelmed by all the information they are trying to retain. It's a good idea to not make it a habit as it'll take you longer to progress as an official. As far as table awareness goes, the end goal is to keep track of arrow/points going up/fouls/time without it being a nuisance.

Agreed with Rich and Dad.

Now, I do agree that if you are just starting, you have more important things to work on / remember. Or, if you are working three or more JH games in a row (with 17 held balls each), it's hard to remember.

But, any single HS game beyond an official's say, second year -- you can remember which way it should go -- and know if the arrow is wrong or if you "mis-remembered."

Rich:

I couldn't have said it better myself.

MTD, Sr.

I'm a bit more Spartan.

Two shirts.
Warm-up jacket.
Pants.
Compression shorts.
Wicking undershirt.
Towel.
Two black whistles & lanyards.
One pink whistle & lanyard.
One black pair of shoes.
Rule/case book.
IAABO Pre-game conference card.
My own pre-game conference card (for games completely below the rim).
Shampoo or body wash.

Red/yellow cards (whoops... wrong bag).

Totally agree. We have so much other stuff to concentrate on then trying to remember to switch the chap stick, or whistle from pocket to pocket when there are at least 2 people at the table responsible for it.

I'd take a whistle for the AP arrow and would wonder if I actually moved it to the other pocket.

I think the mental energy required to train oneself to move the chapstick/whistle/rubberband from one side to another is better spent training oneself to watch the arrow change after each AP throw in.

As well as checking scoreboard to ensure the Team Fouls change after each foul. Game management stuff that shows assignors you're into all aspects of the game, not just running up and down the court blowing your whistle.

Well said... I'm going to have to agree.

I also never look at the scoreboard. I usually do not have the perspective for that direction. I just try to remember who we gave the ball to last and go from there. I usually time stamp it in my mind as well. That has worked much better than anything.

Peace

I put a safety pin in my bag a few years ago. In a pinch it can work for a few different things:

- mending a broken button on pants
-pulling a shoelace through a hole (frayed lace)
- releasing fluid from a blister
- picking the door lock to the AD's office where you dress, because they forget that you have to get in there to change
- poking your eye out after a game for the partner who wants to review in detail every rule that might have been called into question during the last 75 minutes.

I will always know what the time is, what the general score differential is, where the team fouls are, watch to see if points are added after PC foul, and look at the arrow after having an AP throw-in but watching the team fouls to make sure they change after every one seems a little over-the-top. What's case for why this is important?

I take at least two of everything just in case a partner(s) forgot something. This includes two jackets. Luckily I've never had to lend someone a pair of shoes because that's disgusting.

Ibuprofen for old people who whine everything hurts.

Pen

Extra rule books to throw at coaches

So you need a crutch to determine something that many of the top officials can do on their own?

Peace

Hmm, maybe to prevent any correctable errors, but that's just me.

I've corrected the scoreboard on TFs at least 4-5 times this season so far. Saturday I actually had a scoreboard without TF indicators. I knew the TFs in my head and confirmed them at least once each quarter. I was never wrong either.

That is how many of us started. Many clocks did not have all the information with TF, timeouts or even possession arrow. Just the time and the score and the bonus light in some cases. There were places that did not even have the light on the scoreboard in certain gyms. You have to be in-tune to the game or you would have some serious mistakes.

Peace

Crutch? What am I using as a crutch?

I was wondering the same thing.

If you have to rely on a device or something in your pocket to determine only one aspect of the game when you use your memory or being in-tune to the game to not make a mistake, that is a crutch to me.

Peace

Now, Belts Are Only Allowed In My Little Corner Of Connecticut ...
 

https://forum.officiating.com/basket...tml#post967642

https://forum.officiating.com/basket...tml#post966409

Yeah. That's right. We're a bunch of rebels here in our little corner of Connecticut. We're not going to allow a bunch of IAABO International bureaucrats dictate how we hold up our pants. And if I want to roll up a pack of cigarettes in the sleeve of my black and white striped jersey when I officiate, then I'll just go ahead and do that.

Did you even read the post? I quoted it above for ease of use, but he clearly does not say he uses anything you could call a crutch.

It looks to me like you have a total of zero rebels. ;)

I can think of a few devices you use.

When In Rome ...
 

Just my opinion that, obviously, won't work for everyone on this Forum.

I believe that it's just as easy for me to "remember" to switch the whistle in my pocket, as it is to remember who had the last arrow. In fact, after doing the whistle pocket switch since they introduced the arrow (we teach all our rookie officials this procedure), it has actually become second nature (automatic) to me to make the switch. I really don't have to think about it. Plus, we have three different ways to figure out a questionable arrow: the table (arrow, scorebooks), our pocket whistles, and our memories of the most recent alternating possession.

When working Catholic middle school girls junior varsity (fifth, sixth grade)games, there is no way that I'm going to remember all the arrow switches without the "crutch" of the pocket whistle, plus this league doesn't require an arrow at the table, not even a switching pencil point.

Then, again, I'm sure that this won't work, or may be a waste of time, for many Forum members, especially those with really good memories, and those that work with really good table crews.

Vive la difference (pardon my French).

Like I said earlier, for me, it makes more sense to expend the mental energy learning to look at the arrow after each throw in than to learn to dig in my pockets after each throw in.

Note: none of this applies to wreck games and such that have no arrow at the table.

I am still getting used to it, but it works well for me. Rec ball on Sunday didn't have an arrow and the JV game I did earlier this week had an awful table. It's nice to be able to just pat my pocket and not have to second guess myself. Obviously in a varsity contest, it's not necessary but I am getting the feeling that some might think less of me for using something that gives me peace of mind as a still growing official. Like I've said before, I'm here to learn and I appreciate the input, both condescending and constructive.

I should note that while I think it's something officials should work to move past, I don't think of this as a major issue; particularly in subvarsity games where a table can be hit or miss.