Shaking hands, Part II.
 

I read this article in the Canadian edition of the Huffington Post this afternoon:

Hockey Calgary Outlaws Post-Game Handshakes With Referees

MTD, Sr.

This is why we just get off the court when the game is over. This post-game glad handing has no benefit.

Adam:

I agree with you that shaking hands with the players can be a problem and I like to get out of Dodge as quickly as possible. But....

I can remember a time in the early days of women's college basketball: the early 1970s, and after the game all of the players and both head coaches (there were no such things as assistant coaches back then) would line up to shake the hands with both officials and tell them for officiating their came, :eek:. Can you see a head coach today telling an official that. ROTFLMTO!!

MTD, Sr.

Feels Good to Vent
 

I ref soccer in the spring and fall, and I avoid the post-game handshakes completely. I've had a coaches try and chew me out after the game. Most don't, but the occasional sore loser isn't worth the risk.

From a personal stand point, there ain't nothing more two-faced than a guy saying "Great Job" after complaining after every call for 90 minutes.

The key part is at 1:19. Even professional refs deal with it.

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I think the "Why" is the more important part. This year the soccer assignors don't have enough bodies to throw at the games since more and more kids don't want to ref anymore.

As most of you know, in Mass., we are required to do it by the MIAA.

And yes, it's absurd. If you skip this, you're supposed to fill out a form justifying it.

*required to do so?!

yes. Do a search. It's old news.

I discount any official that hangs around after the game to shake hands, acknowledge the table or coaches, observe the handshake line, chase the ball, etc.

Unless you're in Massachusetts.

I lived in Mass...
 

...for two seasons and had to do this. Arguably the most-pointless 30-60 seconds of my day, each night I was on a HS game. It doesn't help that the state is still 2-person for regular season varsity so you're bound to miss a few calls.

About 40 percent of the games in Western Mass. are three-person now (some schools are all 3-person, both boys and girls), and obviously the whole state tournament.

Not sure what the regular-season status of 3-person is in the rest of the state though.

As for the handshake, like I said ... ridiculous. I don't even stick around for it after most kids games anymore.

I'd have a standard form ready to go at the end of every game. I suppose "because it's stupid" isn't really a valid reason, though.

When I'm doing a set of games on a Saturday with either no locker room or not enough time between games, I sometimes get stuck with well intentioned young kids coming up to shake my hand. In the interest of sportsmanship, I shake back, but it's uncomfortable, especially since invariably it's only the winning team that comes over (funny how that works that way).

HS games I don't do it. The time for that is during pre-game introductions. After the game my objective is to become invisible as quickly as possible.


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Neat trick. I go for the disappearing act.