I am old school and it is one of the things that when I am evaluating an official I will pick like a scab if he/she is not using a lanyard. It looks professional. Nothing looks as goofy as an official trying to give his signals while trying to old a whistle in one hand.

I do not by the excuse that it slows one thought process down. Practice slowing your thought process down is what slows one's thought process down.

I officiated for 46 years, 34 years at the collegiate level and always used a lanyard. I am no Joe DeRosa but I can officiate that long at the collegiate level using a lanyard then any one can.

My rant is over. Time for me to go to bed. Have a good one everyone.

MTD, Sr.

Who said they do that? Most tuck it in the waistband and do so unobtrusively.

Can't Teach An Old Dog ...
 

I've been using a long noose lanyard for forty years. One year I tried one of those short Smitty lanyards that attach to the little "hoops" on one's jersey. After many years of slightly tugging habitually on my long noose lanyard with no problems, I broke off all the little lanyard "hoops" on all of my jerseys. Went right back to the long noose lanyards, had no other choice with all of my jerseys having missing "hoops". Never tried them again.

Anybody remember Mark Padgett's First Rule Of Officiating?

Why would one need an excuse? It's not like they are late to a game or missed an assignment. It's a personal preference. And if that is the method they use to slow down, then that is THEIR method. Folks show their age and/or inflexibility when they think their methods and thought processes are the only valid methods and thought processes. No one here can speak to the operation of someone else's mind.

Inflexible ???
 

Hey. On a good day I can almost touch my toes.

100% Correct ...
 

Agree. How can anyone argue with that?

Sooo, on bad days you can touch your toes? Hmmm.:p

Correct.

When you practice and get good it shouldn’t look goofy at all. Joey Crawford used to put his whistle in his pocket sometimes but every signal can be done correctly with the whistle tucked in your hand somewhere.

RED!!! I totally agree with ya doesn’t look sloppy ...some just can’t multitask with a whistle in hand and fingers to give #foul to table and some just don’t want to without a lanyard no biggie and some LUV the lanyard short or long called spice of life. Personally it’s my first full year going lanyard free and I can hold Fox40 and relay # to table easy and during TO or whenever we have a break tuck it away in my rear left pocket 🙋🏼*♂️🏀 either way it’s personal preference...kinda like patent leather shine shoes 🏀 does one make a offical look sloppy versus the other ? Personally I like patent leather but that’s my preference...my 2cents

Foul on #55?

Tucked between the thumb and index finger. I am not dexterous, so I can't do it smoothly, so I don't do the no-lanyard thing.

Thin part of the whistle goes between index and middle fingers, big part hidden behind fingers when looking from scorekeeper side.

*if I am envisioning this as you stated, then it looks like your hand will form a "Vulcan" sign...'live long & prosper" type of spock sign, as you've described it.

I always use a lanyard. The reason is more because I am simply use to having it on. I officiate multiple different sports that use a whistle and almost every one has an exception that we have a whistle and lanyard. I can't image doing a swim meet, volleyball, or other sport without a lanyard whistle.

I can just image doing a volleyball match while holding my whistle in my hand and having to bring it up to blow it for a call. That would not go over well.

Personally I plan on still using a lanyard.

e