Beads ...

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Honestly, if you can't officiate this, or worry about what the parents think, you should give it up.

I've been working public school middle school games for almost five years. Here in my little corner of Connecticut middle school coaches are notoriously ignorant regarding equipment rules.

When I walk into a girls game gym and see many, various, illegal, undershirt colors, the hairs on the back of my neck immediately go up because I know that most coaches are going to plead "modesty" and try to talk me out of enforcement. I actually had a coach say that she would put her girls back on the bus and go home if I enforced the rule. Another coach blocked me from future games. It doesn't help that many of my colleagues ignore the rule. I don't ignore, but I will occasionally "compromise" (free pass today, no free pass next game). Never any free passes in a boys game, in my opinion, shoulder and chest "modesty" with sleeveless jerseys doesn't apply to boys.

I've had a few bead problems over the years. Because it's a safety issue, I never "passed", but it's never an easy sell. Players often got emotionally upset, coaches would often sympathize with their players, and occasionally parents would politely question me (usually after the game). While my race (White) was never outwardly mentioned, I always felt that it had something to do with it. What does this old White man know about a young Black woman's hair? Fair question, answer, very little. I always had difficulty telling apart very small metal beads from metallic colored threads embedded in braids. Now, with the new rule, those metallic colored threads embedded in braids are probably legal.

Note: I have questions about ribbons used to tie back hair, for all races. Are ribbons ornamental, or soft hair control devices? The NFHS would say ornamental (illegal), but I disagree and believe ribbons to be legal soft hair control devices. I'm not going to die on this "ribbon" hill.

With this "bead rule", that I agree with for sake of ethnic and racial "diversity of hair trends" (NFHS quote), the NFHS has changed a "cut and dry" rule (no hard hair ornaments) into a subjective rule open to interpretation. How close to the head is "close to the head"?

While high school coaches will figure this new "bead rule" out and share the rule change with their players and parents, Connecticut middle school coaches will continue to be under-informed, as will their players and parents.

For me, if the beads swing around with the hair, it's unsafe and illegal. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, at least until the NFHS or IAABO offer different advice.

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

... concussion headbands ... seems to have more to do with state associations ...

Agree.