The local AD assigned me to a junior high school game last week with a local college kid as my partner. (The son of one of the local teachers.)

I'm standing on the court when my partner shows up 5 minutes before game time and walks across the court towards me. I could not believe my eyes!

He had on white sneakers, grey sweat pants, a zebra shirt with a turtle neck shirt, an outsized wristwatch, a sea shell necklace, three "cancer bracelets" and a circular earring in his ear. (I had just finshed telling one girl to take a hard barrette out of her hair.) He had played on the local high school team two years ago that won a state title so he has seem plenty of basketball officials.

I told him that he had to take it all off before he could ref with me. His response was: "Your kidding me right!"
He decided that he would only take off the wrist watch and said again: "Your kidding me right!". I went back into the locker room and tried calling the AD on my cell but she had already left for the day.

I went back out on the court and told him one of us was not going to ref the game and seeing as I was the patched official he should go home and that I would work the game solo.

At which point he left and I did the game by myself.

The next day I called the local AD and told her what had happened. My partner (and his mother) had alread met with the AD. The AD proceeded to tell me that I did not have the authority to send him off the floor; and besides: "he needed the money for college and had always wanted to be a ref". I offered to sit with him and point him in the right direction but she said that she would have a talk with him before he does another game. She also said that she has me working with him again next week. Every other game I have ever done for her I have worked with another patched official.

The AD gives me about 15 games a year, which I enjoy doing because both the middle school and high schools are only a mile from my home. My regular assigner would typically be sending me an hour out of town for the same money.

What should I do? Let it go and run the risk of another pre-game confrontation with this kid or take a stand and refuse to work with him and run risk of losing 15 games next season?

In Michigan, we are not allowed to work with an "un-patched " partner for NFHS games. One of us must go, or the patched official is punished.

If we did not have that rule, I would work the game in accordance with my agreement.
mick

I wonder if the insurance company that provides catastrophic onsurance coverage for the school knows that she is using unpatched officials for her games.

Sounds to me that your assignor needs to get it together! Too bad you were put in that position to have to tell the "newbie" how to grow up. If this person really wants to be an official, he should get started the correct way....first, check the attitude...then conform with appropriate attire.

In Wisconsin, games at the middle school/junior high up to high school freshmen, JV and Varsity all require a minimum of two "registered" officials before the game can even begin!

Sounds to me this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Aren't there insurance liabilities caused by assigning "non-patched" people to work these games? Lots of other issues here too!

Good luck....you did right in my book!

wl

Around here, junior high schools who are members of the IESA only require one patched official. But they always hire two. They just do that as a last minute thing or if an official would happen to get hurt on the court...something of that nature.

NOT THE OLD MR. T STARTER KIT
 

I see officials with rope chains..rings on damn near all there fingers..and once with an ear ring....Some officials just don't care about there appearance...Just the check!

Re: NOT THE OLD MR. T STARTER KIT
 

I don't see them in our area. If our guys wear anything like that, they're taking a chance on being suspended if caught- and they know it. We issue conduct rules at the start of each year and we take them seriously. Our insurance also does not allow us to referee with "unpatched" officials either, fwiw.

If it were me, I'd tell the AD that if he shows up not in proper uniform next game, he'll be working it alone. I understand it's a fun and convenient place to work, but you have to consider that if this is the way they're running their program, do you want to be affiliated with it?

I think this is the appropriate response. The AD doesn't seem to take professionalism too seriously if she would be willing to let an unpatched official even appear that way to work. Her condoning of this guy's appearance and her willingness to allow him to work (obviously untrained) is a knock by her on officials in general. Kind of the, well anybody can do it, mentality. I'd be wary of working for her personally.

Also, with regard to the kid, obviously nobody told him what to do, so maybe you could have been a little less confrontational (of course I wasn't there). Explain to him how officials should dress and why they shouldn't wear jewelery (the fact that you told a player to take some off is reason enough for consistency), and offer to help out. I don't know what type of attitude the kid had, but you could have been more positive with him and established yourself as sort of a mentor to him rather than acting standoffish and alienating him. I doubt he'll show up the same way next week, do the game and try to mend fences. If he truly wants to be an official, he'll make the effort to improve.

Seems to me that Padgett's standard response is very appropriate here. TO the partner who won't take off jewelry, "My insurance won't cover the liability suit if a player gets hurt, so I won't work the game if you have that stuff on." Then go home and call insurance people. Get final ruling, and then call AD and say, "I won't work with that stuff on the floor if he shows up with it again, because of insurance. And if this is how you want your games run, I won't work any more of them at all."

Period.

I went to a Pac-10 men's game last night (Oregon State at Washington) and one of the three officials had a gold chain on. Most of the time you couldn't see it, but sometimes it was visible and obvious because of the glare. Very tacky, IMHO.

Z

1. bling bling
n. synonym for expensive, often flashy jewelry sported mostly by African American hip-hop artists and <U>middle class Caucasian adolescents</U>.


mick :)

middle school game. This sounds like a step up from around here.

I once had a partner with one of those big cubic zirconias in his ear. Lucky for him the assignor showed up half way through the game for a quick peek at the officiating. At half time, the official was instructed to remove the earring by the assignor and I don't think I've seen him ref again with it in.

BTW we are allowed to wear gold chains, but they are to be kept underneath our shirts. I personally don't wear anything like that off the court, so I'm not worried about having to take it off when I officiate.

Liability?
 

What does having a "patch" has to do with liability of the school? Unless there is some organization that is setting some type of standards, not sure how liability is going to be greater by an unlicensed official that officiates a basketball game. I could see having a license might give the official more insurance from some liability, but not sure how this gives the school more liability? If that is the case than anyone that assigns an AAU game must have a licensed official at every game? So what if a college official is working a game. Are primary college officials not qualified to work AAU or Men's League games?

I guess I do not understand what having a license has to do with liability?

Peace

I would think that somewhere in the insurance policy it would refer to qualified or certified officials.

I know that my insurance doesn't cover me if I work with a "non-patched" official.

Although, I've seen referees who haven't yet put their patch on their shirt, does that mean I'm not covered if I work with them???;)

In what insurance policy? The NF insurance policy? The NASO insurance policy? The ACME insurance policy? I have never seen an insurance policy that I have that is affected by who I work with or not.

It sounds like we are all jumping to some big conclusions here. Who said this individual was not licensed? All we know is that this individual showed up not wearing the proper uniform. It does not mean they are not licensed to work games. Maybe no one sat this guy down and showed him the ropes.

Peace

Jeff,
It was stated in the orginal post that the kid is unlicensed in his state. One needn't jump to conclusions if one has read the original post.
I know in Iowa, at the middle school level, only one of the officials has to be licensed by the state. At the high school level, all officials need to be licensed.

The post does not say for sure the person was licensed or not. He makes a comment about working in the past with licensed officials, but no where does it say for sure this person was not licensed. It is really not that hard to come to that conclusion by the dress of this official, but it is not clear. I did not read him say the AD said this official was not licensed with anyone.

Peace

He said he was "unpatched," which in the cotext of the post indicates he is unlicensed. he didn't say how he knew, but he did say it. We're not making assumptions here, other than in the accuracy of his post (which is always the case when responding to various situations posted here.)

I'm not too concerned about personal liability insurance, per se'....just that I believe school districts could risk legal liability issues should there be injuries. I'm not an attorney, but with everyone looking to file legal action whenever something happens....I think the AD or assignor...or school district should get a legal opinion about the district's responsibility on risk management and personal injury liabilities.

Heck, if I get injured, my state association has insurance coverage on me which is part of the state registration fee. Your personal health insurance should cover what's left over.

My point earlier in this thread was that the AD didn't seem to care much about who got hired, what type of risk the district could be put in....let alone any other liability issues that could be connected...etc., etc.

Too many loose ends in this operation. Think I'd look to work games in a more organized situation! JMHO...:D

wl

Officials Snitching On There Partners To Athletic Directors!
 

I am not about to begin snitching on my partner to any Athletic Directors! If an official practices wearing jewelry to a game it is just a matter of time before he/she get's nailed!

I believe this is covered in my provincial association's insurance policy. We don't use the NF or the NASO or the ACME insurance policy, we have our own.

How would <b>you</b> be liable if you are working with a partner that is unlicensed? How would you know if you are working with an unlicensed official for sure? Are you supposed to give each other your social security before stepping onto the court?

Peace

The way things work up here, every game is assigned by an assignor. In the locations I work, we have 2. One for high school games, one for everything else. These assignors only assign licensed officials. I know that if I'm working a game assigned by an assignor, that I'm going to have a licensed official as a partner.

That does not explain how <b>you</b> would be held liable for something you did not assign?

Peace

I'm not exactly getting what you're trying to say.

But to explain, I believe it is written into the policy that we have to work with a certified official in order for coverage to apply. If we don't work with a certified official than I don't think we're covered in the case of an accident.

Now I don't have the policy in front of me, but I believe that's what it states.

I thought you said that you (the partner) would be held liable if you work with an official that is not licensed if something happened. My question is why would you be penalized or not covered if you were working with an individual that you did not know was licensed or not? You are not the assignor, so why would you get in more trouble when you do not decide who you are working with? I realize you say the assignor would not do that, but I am sure it is not impossible for someone to slip through the cracks. Not sure how you would know for sure as a fellow official unless the person showed you all their information (assuming that it is accurate) that they had a license. I just do not know how that is your responsibility considering you do not assign the game.

Peace

As far as I know, I haven't worked with a partner who wasn't certified, and I don't ineted to do any games with one any time soon.

I feel bad :(Everyone talking about not working with un certified officials). I am not "certified", and cannot get "certified" untill I am 18, however, I can still call Jr.High games.

If you area ssigned your jr Hi games under your association, you are "certified" for those games, and whatever insurance your association carries, covers you.

Jeff -- Around here, both refs are liable for everything. Insurance covers the liability if both refs are working within the restrictions set by the insurance company. If not, neither ref is covered. So if I worked with this guy, and something happened, and we were sued, we'd both be liable, not just him.

In Iowa, high school students can be licensed to work junior high games.

In Texas, you have to be a memeber of TASO in order to call a game. Each Chapter's Assisgnor assigns the game. There is no way an AD could give a game to anybody off the street. That said, I have seen intermeral and rec league officials dressed like that but never an official in any interschool contest dressed this way.

pretty much when these kids sign up for rec ball their parents sign a waiver. does that not carry any weight? maybe this is something i should be but so far i have not really been concerned about being sued. should i change my thoughts on this?

rec, ms, hs, aau, aybt, mayb, .....

Un Certified Officials!
 

How will you know if a official is certified or not? Do you ask he/she to show you some proof during your pre-game conference?

Waivers generally mean nothing if a good lawyer is involved . . .

Now, I agree with JRut on this one - it shouldn't matter who your partner is, your insurance should cover you. However, whether successful or not, an injured player's lawyer is going to sue everyone involved in the game, and let the chips fall where they may. As such, he may try to show that the 'licensed' official is liable for working with an unlicensed official.

I work with many different partners, especially when officiating younger-aged games. I cannot verify that all these “partners” are NFHS (state)-certified. I do not believe that it should be my responsibility. The schools, who are members of the state association (WIAA) are directed to only hire certified officials and must have two officials in order for the game to be played.

Yes, we do live in a very litigious society; however, I sincerely doubt a rationale-thinking group of people (Jury) or judge could find any certified official culpable of negligence for working with a “non-certified” partner, especially given the abovementioned state policies.

Of course, I am aware of some nearly unbelieveable court settlements. Anyone for some HOT coffee? :rolleyes:

1) If they have a state patch on their shirt or not.
2) When you get you schedule and you see who you partener is, you can look on this piece of paper and it will tell you if this official is certified or not.

Not completely accurate, in that most officials in my area don't wear the state patch. I can assume everyone I work with is certified, since the state has ruled that any school who uses an uncertified official forfeits the contest. IOW, it's the schools responsibility; and if someone wants to sue me for an injury in one of my games, working with a certified partner won't bail me out.

Maybe you'll still be held liable (probably your partner and you together) but if you've conformed to the requirements of your insurance carrier, they will cover your loss. THAT's what we're talking about here.

I don't know how we got off the "bling" subject, but my two cents is that I wear no jewelry, including my wedding band. If we ask the players to forego it, I will too. That's just a left-over from a league that I was lucky enough to work a few years ago that stressed no jewelry for anybody.

Does a watch count? I wear my watch, but that's it. As far as accessories go, that is.

Why would you wear a watch on the court? Worried about how long the game is taking? :confused: A watch is a major no-no.

I wear my wedding ring, but only because it is a major pain to take off. I haven't heard any problems with it, but it's also relatively subdued.
A watch is just a target for a coach. No need for it, the only clock that matters on the court moves backwards and doesn't sync with your watch. Leave it in the locker room.

Chuck is right. You should not ever wear a watch. The only sport you should wear a watch when working football. A watch in a football game is a tool to help you officiate the game. It has no purpose in a basketball game.

Peace

Answer is obvious
 

The answer about liability/responsibility is rather simple. Isn't it?

The officials are responsible for conduct of the game. And, you don't become an official by acquiring a game assignment. You become an official for high school athletics by taking and passing the NFHS Part II test.

A college freshman/sophmore blinged out and wearing sweats is likely not certified. A derelict off the street is likely not certified either. So for my mind it is not a far stretch to say that if I work with someone that is not certified, I am the only one that is responsible, and therefore liable, for the conduct of the game. I am now responsible for the derelict's (or other future society dropout's) method of conducting the game - his calls, his lack of calls, the collisions that happen in his primary area, the fights that will ensue... All my responsibility/liability.

There is no way I would work a high school varsity match with such a derelict. Perhaps a Junior high or lesser but I don't think I would work even a JV match that I didn't know the other official had taken the NFHS test (perhaps not passed but at least taken). Sweats maybe for the lower levels. Jewelry - NO WAY.

You want to work? You come properly prepared, in the correct uniform, and at a proper time. If you don't know the correct answer for those three items, then you don't belong here. I can help you later, and I would be happy to help you, but right now I've got to work this game and I'm working it alone.

I'm glad I know that now. :)

Re: Answer is obvious
 

Actually that is not the case for everyone. To get a license in Illinois they do not give out the Part 2 Exam. They get the Part 1 Exam. And it is not just passing a test to get a license. We have to get a criminal background check. We have to send a copy of a State ID or Driver's License with a picture on it. And finally you need 3 references to verify (school representative, coach or officials) that you have good character or they know you to be an acceptable person to officiate high school sports in Illinois.

Anyone that decides to officiate is responsible for their behavior. You are covered for your actions, not everyone else's actions that officiate. My insurance covers me and my actions, not my partner's actions. If you are working with someone that is not licensed, they are responsible if they get sued and they have no insurance to cover their behavior.

I agree that it would not be ideal, but you are telling me you would walk off and not fulfill your contract or obligation because a partner has a necklace on? For the record this was a middle school game, not a varsity game.

Well there are a lot of things that I would consider not properly dressed, but I am not walking off a game because a partner is not wearing what I feel is the improper uniform. Unless I assigned the game, I would not do much of anything. If I have a contract, the contract binds me to work the game, not decide what my partners do or what they wear.

Peace

Dork partner
 

No Jeff,
and if you showed up looking like that I wouldn't work with you either.

That may be alright for YMCA games where the kids aren't even in uniforms - in which case I might be in shorts also. But it is inappropriate for an organized contest.

Certification is surely different for different locations. I'm glad you can pass the Part I test and that you don't have a criminal background. Show up at one of my games in sweats and bling 5 minutes for game time and prove it to me.

I think you are sorely mistaken about liability and I hope that you never find out that you really are. I'm not a lawyer but for me it is extremely simple to follow the line of responsibility and say that one of the officials is trained and certified, and that particular official allowed someone else who is not trained, and who is not certified to officiate. Therefore, the trained official is ultimately responsible. I think even the simplest of lawyers would also say the assigner has some responsibility for making the assignment.

For you to say that you could pick anyone out of the stands and say "Yeah, come on down and officiate with me. Here's a whistle. I hope your home owner's insurance is good because I'm not covering your butt and your bad calls. You're on your own. When the situations get thick, you're still on your own." And those statements, or that situation, and you would be beyond responsibility for the overall contest is ridiculous. Nothing you can say, will absolve you of your responsibility.

Ooh and Jeff, I always get a really jolly laugh out of your confrontational posts and that you sign off with "Peace." Yeah same to you. Good luck. You're on your own.

Anyone that decides to officiate is responsible for their behavior. You are covered for your actions, not everyone else's actions that officiate. My insurance covers me and my actions, not my partner's actions. If you are working with someone that is not licensed, they are responsible if they get sued and they have no insurance to cover their behavior.

[/B][/QUOTE]We have to list all of our officials with our insurance carrier. There is a specific coda in our policy stating that our coverage for any official working with a non-insured or non-certified official is void. Iow, if I work with an uninsured official, my insurance is void. Our policy specifically says that. Policies are different, Jeff. Just because your policy says certain things does not mean that all policies will say the same thing. Obviously, our insurance coverage is different than your's.

We issue a dress code to all of our officials too. If they don't follow our dress code, they don't officiate.

[Edited by Jurassic Referee on Jan 17th, 2005 at 04:49 PM]

Re: Dork partner
 

I can only speak for the insurance I have. I looked at the exclusions in the policy that I hold. It says nothing about my partner being licensed or not. It only talks about the covered party, which would be me or anyone else that holds the policy. It does not see anything that about who you work with or who you do not work with. I think what I am asking you is very legitimate. How are you going to be held responsible or not covered in insurance when you have no responsibility for who you work with? Even if I show up in the proper uniform does not mean I have a license or not. There are people where I live that have a license for a long time and all of a sudden to not pay their dues or fulfill the requirements to maintain their license (attending rules meetings, attending clinics every 3 years, passing the Part 1 Exam every year). And my state has a website so that we can verify people that are licensed. But that requirement is only for IHSA Member teams, not AAU or Rec. ball or any youth league that applies. No where in the insurance does it put that kind of requirement that licensed officials work games.

I do not pick them. I go to the site and whoever is there I work with. They might not even be the same people that were on my original contract. All I know is the person I am working with has patches and is allowed to work this game. I might say something later to an assignor if I find out or know that someone is not licensed. I cannot verify that until I get home or near a computer. But I do work the game. It is also not like there have never been mistakes at our office either where something is not listed properly on our website.

What did I say to you that was confrontational? I asked you a question for understanding when officials are not the people that decide who works the games. Asking you a question is confrontational? You are talking about an issue in an insurance policy (I hold one too) that I have never seen. I work with insurance in my regular job and I have never heard of such an issue where an unsuspecting individual would know the type of coverage another individual and would be liable for the actions of another human being and they are in the same place. I would understand if an assignor was liable or the school, they have something to do with the official being there. A fellow official is just there doing their job. If I work for a contractor to do one aspect of a job and another person is hired to do another job for the same contractor, why would I be responsible if I am unaware of the expertise or licenses of the contractor that I did not personally hire?

BTW, the "Peace" is just a salutation. It does not mean what it did in the 1960s when people were smoking weed and snorting LSD and acid. It is just a way to say goodbye. It is very commonly used amongst people that are used to current pop culture. It has nothing to do with a war or opposition to the government. It is just salutation.

<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008_ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_6_111.gif' alt='' border=0></a>

No Jewelry Here!
 

I wear my jewelry to my games and then I take everything off, including my wedding ring. I am a firm believer that our appearance is so important. I worked with a official just the other day who wore glasses and the first call that he made some folks in the stands started making fun of his glasses. If I worked with a guy who wore a watch I probably would wonder if he has a game afterwards and needs to monitor the time. Remember everyone there are "EYES IN THE SKY" and you never know who is in the stands. So take notice and govern yourselfs accordingly!

Well I do not work for one assignor or association. There is not just a list I or anyone can look at and guarantee everyone they work with is licensed. If we work with someone we know to not be licensed, we can contact the IHSA Office if we are working a HS game. If we are not working a HS game, there is no one to contact. As stated earlier, the IESA only requires one IHSA licensed at there game. If there was an insurance issue with that, I am sure that would not be in writing. But that policy seems more for "quality" purposes, not liability issues. If that was the case almost every assignment and official that works those games would be up for liability issues.

I cannot prevent another official from officiating a game. I can report them to the State or an assignor. But if someone shows up outside of the normal uniform, I cannot prevent them on my own from them finishing the game. I would have to bite the bullet and get through it.

Peace

That was kinda my point, Jeff. There's many different insurance policies out there being used by many different officials groups in many different states. Different officials groups set different policies too on who their members are allowed to officiate with. The laws may vary from state to state also,I think. All any of us can really say with any certainty is what our own insurance plan happens to cover. In this thread, we probably shouldn't be giving anybody outside of our own state or group any advice about what their insurance coverage actually covers. The only really smart thing to do, imo, is to get in touch with our respective insurance providers and let them answer any questions about our own coverage.

I've over-reacted.

Jeff you are arguing different things. Liability and insurance coverage are not the same thing. Having insurance coverage does not remove liability. Insurance coverage just means that (perhaps, if they want to and can't find a legal escape) the insurance company will pay for losses if you are found liable for malfeasance. It does not remove your responsibility for proper conduct of the contest.

The uniform, in a great way, says you are certified and capable to the casual observer. And the lack of a uniform, disregard for timeliness, and disregard for the safety of the contest (the reason for not allowing jewelry) strongly says the opposite; that person is not qualified, not certified, and not capable. Of course these are just appearances - he maybe certified and a dork.

I contend, strongly, that if an official allows someone with this blatant disregard, to participate in the game, that official is liable for the actions of his "disregarding" partner. If it is obvious to the public, it is going to be obvious to a lawyer too.

As an official, you're wearing a necklace, keep it in your shirt. Wedding band, no biggie. I may chastise you for something as stupid and unimportant as a necklace and embarrass that person into removing it. But the blatant disregard of this college student, to work an organized JH game, I would not tolerate. I'm sure you've got 9th graders in Chicago that stuff the ball and play a highly physical game just like here. I'm thinking safety and capability to work the game are important.

I'm done.

Nevermind the fact that you can be sued even if not ultimately liable. You may have substantial legal costs if sued even if you are found not liable and not judgement is found against you. When someone is hurt and they decide to su, they file suit against anyone they can think of...not just those that may really be at fault (if any).

I think you meant this to be tongue-in-cheek, but we have one league here (Independent School League) and we go "patch-less" for these games and we are all patched officials. For all other HS games, we wear the patch.

That's not quite true, Rut. When I officiated soccer, I wore a watch and in most cases, I wore 2. One for the official time (set to run down to zero each half) and one for the length of the game (running time).

I do not work Soccer, so that does not count. :D

Peace

I keep hearing about this patch thingee. Is it something officials wear when they're trying to get curb their addiction to refereeing? :D

Yeah....I don't understand this patch thing either. In Wisconsin we go with the "clean shirt". It's hard to remember how long ago it was when our state association would send us the state patch when we registered and paid our fees. The patch would change colors each year and we would have to either remove old one and replace with current one....or just buy a new shirt to put the current patch on. The patch was required to be sewn on the left sleeve. It must have been about 20-25 years ago that we did that. Thank god we don't do that anymore...didn't have velcro back then. I got pretty good at sewing....my wife thought it would be a great way for me to learn how to do those "minor" repair jobs....like when you blow the seam out of your pants???

"Patches?" .... "We don't need no stink'n Patches!" ;)

wl

[Edited by imaref on Jan 18th, 2005 at 11:35 AM]

I think there are a lot of states that require their officials to wear a patch when they officiate. In Illinois we are required to wear an IHSA patch on our left sleeve for all high school games. I know other states have similar requirements for their high school officials as well. At least when I see pictures in Referee Magazine, I see all kinds of patches in all different places on the uniform.

Peace

I think you are completely missing my point. This is not who could be liable or who is not liable. I do not understand how an insurance company can hold an official responsible for knowing the status of another official. And how someone comes to a game does not tip me off as to if that person has a license or not. I have never seen anyone come to a game the way it was described in this post. But I have worked with officials that never had a license and dressed like everyone else that worked basketball games. If you know just by looking at people, then you need to set up a 900 number and start making the big bucks. Because I do not know how you can figure it out just by what someone looks like.

Peace

Oregon is the first state I've worked in that requires me to wear a patch. I worked in New York, New Mexico and California without having to wear patches there. We wear them on our referee shirt here in Oregon, not on the jacket. We have to use velcro or something else that's temporary to attach the patch with because you get a new one that's dated every year.

Smitty, just sew them on. Then next year before you sew on the new one, you clip the threads of the old one. NBD

That's why you have to trust your assignor.

If that is what is written into the policy, then it is up to the assignor to be sure that everyone is working with certified officials so that the coverage is in force. If your assignor screwed up and scheduled you with someone that wasn't, then you'd probably have to come back and sue them for allowing your coverage to be voided out.

I didn't buy any extra patches, so I need the velcro to move the patch from one shirt to the other. Seemed to make sense when I started last year. I think men think of the least amount of work necessary to get by. :)

But then you've got to sew on the velcro! Doesn't seem like that much less work.

Yeah I know, I had a feeling you'd catch me on that one. Actually my wife has to sew on the velcro. If I did it, I'd probably have to move back to a state that didn't require patches. ;)

Yeah, but you can get velcro that can be ironed on instead of sewed on.

And it's much easier to ask "Honey, can you iron this on for me?" than it is to ask "Honey, can you sew this on for me?"

;)

In Colorado, I wore a patch. There it ment that you passed the requirements to join IAABO. Rules and Floor test. You can work without the patch but you cannot do a Varsity game without one. Here in Texas I wear no patches whatsoever. Kind of makes you feel naked.

I try to wear a clean shirt whenever I officiate as well. It makes me look better and it doesn't smell quite so bad. :)

OverAndBack....

I knew it was just a matter of time that someone would pick-up on the "clean shirt" term!!!

phewww....:rolleyes:

wl

I sew (actually, I pay someone to sew) the vecro strip on the shirt. On the patch, I use self-adhesive velcro. As long as you let it sit under pressure for a day or two when it is applied it holds very well.

I have 6-7 shirts and don't feel like buying that many patches. The velcro-patch attachment takes no more than a minute.

Hmmmmm. I thought that the only thing needed to join IAABO was a mirror. You breathe on it. If the mirror fogs up, you pass and you're now a qualified IAABO official. :D

Speaking of patches and uniforms, where do you put the US flag on your shirt? Also, is it required?

Sleeve or middle back collar?

thump....

In Wisconsin officials choosing to place an American flag (no larger than 2" x 3") on their shirt must sew it on the left sleeve (three to four inches above the elbow). Officials that choose to display a flag on their shirt must display the flag in the same manner. (ie: your crew all wear or none wear.)

wl

p.s. This thread sure changes subject to subject.... :confused:

[Edited by imaref on Jan 18th, 2005 at 09:24 PM]

At least it's still on topic with the basketball forum ;)

Yea, usually by page 6 we're off on the physics of the outer planets, or French naval history or something.

Who want's to talk about French belly buttons? That's weird.