Officiating Post COVID-19 ???

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Interesting how all the virus/social distancing virtue-signaling from the media has ceased in the wake of these protests. It’s almost as though it was, at minimum, overblown from the start. I see no reason why we can’t go back to normal including having basketball this winter. If someone chooses not to officiate, that is their prerogative I fully support.

(And before someone gets mad, I support the peaceful protests. Just think the irony is funny.)

I've seen plenty of mention of how the protests and Covid-19 safety protocols do not mix well and we may well be seeing new outbreaks because of this. I guess we're watching and listening to different media sources.

I plan on visiting my father's for Father's Day, so I'll be getting tested and self-quarantining the week before I go b/c I can't afford to be asymptomatic and give my diabetic and cancer surviving father the virus.

My local assignor sent out a feeler about working at the local AAU venue starting in July. I told him I don't trust that they will keep the facility sanitized to Covid-19 safety standards. Said if I were to work, I would be arriving dressed 10 or 15 minutes before game time, working two straight games, then immediately leaving.

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[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Raymond

I've seen plenty of mention of how the protests and Covid-19 safety protocols do not mix well and we may well be seeing new outbreaks because of this. I guess we're watching and listening to different media sources.

I plan on visiting my father's for Father's Day, so I'll be getting tested and self-quarantining the week before I go b/c I can't afford to be asymptomatic and give my diabetic and cancer surviving father the virus.

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We must be, because all the doomsdayers I heard lecture us with the "if it saves even one life" nonsense don't seem to care anymore about social distancing.

You are free to choose how to live your life, and I respect you for considering your father. Not going to hear me tell you otherwise.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by SC Official

We must be, because all the doomsdayers I heard lecture us with the "if it saves even one life" nonsense don't seem to care anymore about social distancing.



You are free to choose how to live your life, and I respect you for considering your father. Not going to hear me tell you otherwise.

Washington Post, New York Times, National Review, NBC News, Boston.com, CNN, and Fox News have addressed it so far. Those appear to be media organizations on both sides of the aisle.

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[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

I plan on visiting my father's for Father's Day, so I'll be getting tested and self-quarantining the week before I go b/c I can't afford to be asymptomatic and give my diabetic and cancer surviving father the virus.

You're a good son, and your Dad should be proud to have raised a son like you.

[BillyMac]

[BillyMac]

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

You're a good son, and your Dad should be proud to have raised a son like you.

Thanks... He's also showing some signs of dementia so he probably won't even remember it a month afterwards (no joke).

Back to the subject at hand, I know this upcoming high School season things are going have to be done differently as far as pre-game expectations for venues that don't have proper locker rooms for us. There are way too many unsanitary, cramped, and poorly ventilated changing rooms we are expected to utilize. I know I'll be advocating for 30 minutes prior showtime for varsity games, already dressed except for sneakers, and not going back to a cramp space breathing on each other at halftime.

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[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

There are way too many unsanitary, cramped, and poorly ventilated changing rooms we are expected to utilize. I know I'll be advocating for 30 minutes prior showtime for varsity games, already dressed except for sneakers, and not going back to a cramp space breathing on each other at halftime.

Sounds reasonable.

I'm a big advocate of showing a "professional look" for interscholastic games, especially for games at the high school level, but under these corona virus circumstances, I'm 100% all in for get in, get out, and get paid.

Also, no pregame coaches captains meetings.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

... several years ago, during a really nasty flu season, I had a partner who, after coaches and captains hand-shaking, took a small bottle of hand sanitizer out of his warm-up jacket pocket and cleaned his hands. I guess he was years ahead of his time.

It sure would be nice if we had a vaccine by then.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Raymond

My local assignor sent out a feeler about working at the local AAU venue starting in July. I told him I don't trust that they will keep the facility sanitized to Covid-19 safety standards. Said if I were to work, I would be arriving dressed 10 or 15 minutes before game time, working two straight games, then immediately leaving.

My biggest concern would not be not with the facility and how well it has been sanitized. My biggest concern would be handling my whistle a countless number of times throughout the game intermingled with handling the ball countless numbers of times throughout the game....a ball which will be handled by countless numbers of others (players, partners, coaches, etc.), some of which will also be handling their whistles or mouthguards. That, to me, seems like a far more likely of an avenue of transmission than a doorknob that isn't properly sanitized.

There are ways to avoid all of that, but I'm not sure it would be practical on a large scale, but it is worth considering. We could change our protocols to simply not handle the ball, ever. In reality, there is only one moment in a game where it is really necessary for us to actually handle the ball....the opening toss. We could change the rule to just give it to the visitors. At all other times, the only reason we handle the ball is to control the action. But, that can actually be done, if we want, with the whistle and/or verbally.

Soccer more or less already does this. This wouldn't necessarily eliminate all opportunities for transmission but it would remove what is, in my opinion, one of the biggest opportunities within the game.

The other potential issue is the actual blowing of the whistle. Surely, blasting air through the whistle, which often has a fair amount of saliva, is bound to aerosolize some of that saliva, creating the equivalent of a small sneeze. The only way to eliminate that is to move away from a whistle. An electronic, hand triggered, whistle may be the future. I've never heard one, but someone above mentioned they were not a very good proxy for a real one, but they could certainly be made better if the demand is there.


I've actually done a game, many years ago, when I had pink eye, which, while not fatal, is very contagious through contact. It was a fairly informal volunteer church youth league and I was to work solo. I was ready to cancel but they didn't have someone else to do it. The league director and I came up with the idea that I could do the game without making ANY contact with anything. All the players, coaches, and several parents that were present were presented with the situation and agreed to proceed. The players were directed to never throw/hand me the ball and if they did, I'd dodge it. I'd blow the whistle when needed and I'd direct them what to do with the ball. As an extra precaution, even though I wasn't touching anything aside from my own whistle, I washed my hands on every timeout/intermission. I think one of the coaches did the opening toss.

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

. . . The other potential issue is the actual blowing of the whistle . . .

Those involved with training have dedicated a good amount of effort teaching officials techniques to avoid hasty, impulsive whistles. Without having one of those electronic, push-button whistle devices to experiment with personally, I'm wondering if such would impact favored whistle discipline. Would their use initiate a habit of impulsive whistle use that would need to be moderated? Or would the "patient whistle" be something more natural with these new-fangled finger operated gizmos? Time will tell, if they ever do become commonplace.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Freddy

Those involved with training have dedicated a good amount of effort teaching officials techniques to avoid hasty, impulsive whistles. Without having one of those electronic, push-button whistle devices to experiment with personally, I'm wondering if such would impact favored whistle discipline. Would their use initiate a habit of impulsive whistle use that would need to be moderated? Or would the "patient whistle" be something more natural with these new-fangled finger operated gizmos? Time will tell, if they ever do become commonplace.

Good questions. I suppose it could be either.