I don't see how/why some of the NBA guys don't use a lanyard at all.

It depends for me. I usually wear the noose, however sometimes I wear the Fox40 break-a-way and sometimes I wear a smitty. It just depends on whatever I feel like that night.

I've used my back-up whistle before. I had a whistle come to the end of its' life one game and it crack, so I used my spare.

I'm going to wear a smitty. I don't want anything around my neck like the noose. To me they look goofy and uncomfortable!

__________________________________________________ _____

Let's see... knowing you that only left you with about 35 different ones to choose from@:D

:) That's right Bob!

I don't like anything around my neck, hence I wear the traditional smitty clip on the shirt loop. I also take my whistle off instinctively at the end of a game (if we're done) just in case someone wants to grab it. Absolute worse case scenario there is if someone were to grab my lanyard and it didn't break off (very unlikely), I could get away by removing my shirt. Again, that's extremely unlikely, but if I had a lanyard around my neck, I couldn't get away. I know some of those are break-aways, but why take the chance? I certainly see the benefit of the noose over the old style neck lanyards, but not over the smitty, unless you don't have a loop on the shirt.

I keep a spare whistle in my jacket, but if we are only doing one game, the jacket is taken back to the room at half, so I'd have to trot back. I get two new whistles every year and rotate them and in hundreds of games have never needed a spare. I do, however, remember working with a guy my first year that said he broke several whistles by biting too hard. I've got teeth marks in mine, but nothing has broken yet. If you have broken even one whistle, then I'd recommend a spare on you.

And what if your assignor sneaks in on you?

What if your assignor just so happens to visit the forum ?

Hehe, are you the assigner for refTN? That would be really funny (but not for refTN) :D

I used to hate guys in rec ball with the whistle in their hand. They would start to raise their hand to their mouth and then put it down. [Do I call that or not?] But I assume you just keep the whistle in your mouth during live ball situations.

Yes I keep it in my mouth at all times during a live ball. I guess the rec was just trying to have a patient whistle, haha.

I had one go bad on me this season in the first few min's of a college game.

By chance I had a friend who was at the game who knew where our locker room was so I got his attention at the 1st time out and he ran and got my back up for me.

It seamed like forever till the next time out when I could replace my bad one.( it worked but had the worst sounding screech I have ever heard). Every call that I had the fans yelled at me to get a new whistle... It wasn't fun but I got threw it.

I now carry a spare with me on the court while I work!!!

I don't do rec league games or play in them. More aggravation than they are worth. Some assignors present them as 'opportunities'. I would rather run in a cow pasture barefoot.

I need to try that one day.:cool:

Would it help become a better official?