No Lanyard

[TD21]

It's all preference. Some guys do it because it slows down your mechanic, some use it because they don't like a noose around their neck or a whistle bouncing around on their chest when its not in their mouth and other do it because they saw someone else do it and they liked it. It's all preference. I'm tired of hearing it came from the NBA. Most guys in the league wear a lanyard, because that's how they did it when they started and when they moved up. There are some goes who go sans lanyard in the NBA but its not all of them. I go back and forth. Some nights I use a lanyard and some nights I don't. There are pros and cons to each in my opinion. I like no lanyard because I don't like the whistle in my mouth at all times, for a couple of reasons. I don't want it in my mouth when talking and if there is no action in my area I can save my lips from the moist plastic and the chapped lips that comes from it. As for affecting mechanics, once you've got it down it makes no difference. I can spit my whistle out and catch it of drop it into my hand, I don't have to reach up and grab it from my mouth. If you are good with it people don't even notice that you aren't wearing one.So I don't think it has anything looking cool or serving a purpose, its just a preference. I mean if we all started our careers not using a lanyard and then we started seeing people wearing a string around their neck to hold their whistle we might think that looked a little different too.

[blindzebra]

It's about big timing it, nothing more.

The slowing you down thing is a BS...I see it and I see cocky. Everyone I've seen do it does other things to draw attention to themselves on the court too.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by btaylor64

1) I guarantee you in the time it takes you to find your whistle on your lanyard and get it in your mouth, I could have blown the thing at least 3 times by then.

2) A lot of guys back, back, back in the day didn't use lanyards. It was the norm. Or so I was told.

1) I guarantee you that makes zero sense. Nobody with a lanyard has to find their whistle and put it in their mouth. The whistle gets put in their mouth when they start play, exactly the same as somebody who doesn't use a lanyard. And it stays in their mouth, exactly the same as somebody without a lanyard. Ridiculous argument.

2) You were told wrong. I officiated back in the day. The only officials that didn't use lanyards were a few officials in the NBA and the odd (and I mean odd) college official. It was about as far from the norm as you can get. Going back 50 years, lanyards were part of most, if not all, dress codes back then.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

1) I guarantee you that makes zero sense. Nobody with a lanyard has to find their whistle and put it in their mouth. The whistle gets put in their mouth when they start play, exactly the same as somebody who doesn't use a lanyard. And it stays in their mouth, exactly the same as somebody without a lanyard. Ridiculous argument.

2) You were told wrong. I officiated back in the day. The only officials that didn't use lanyards were a few officials in the NBA and the odd (and I mean odd) college official. It was about as far from the norm as you can get. Going back 50 years, lanyards were part of most, if not all, dress codes back then.

#1 is silly - I have my whistle in my mouth just as much as a lanyard-less person does. Where a hand/finger whistle helps is in a sport where it isn't crucial to carry the whistle in the mouth, like football or hockey.

I don't get the fascination with it, actually. Little has really changed in the 20 years (I know, JR, I'm a youngster) I've been working: collar to v-neck, neck lanyard to smitty, pea whistle to Fox 40, pleated pants, patent shoes (for some).

The only advantage to no lanyard is not having something for some chucklehead to grab onto running on or off the floor. I eliminate that by putting the whistle inside my shirt for pregame, halftime, and postgame and pulling it out only when I'm working.

Tried the noose and Dolfin this year. Hate the noose, I may as well have someone choke me. Love the sound the Dolfin makes but hate the fact I can't tell which side is up without looking at it. Back to the Fox 40 and smitty.

[tomegun]

Originally Posted by btaylor64

It's just a preference thing.

I personally never use one. I would rather not choke myself or scratch my neck all night. I also feel like I am in more control with the whistle in my hand. I guarantee you in the time it takes you to find your whistle on your lanyard and get it in your mouth, I could have blown the thing at least 3 times by then. It is as easy for me to go sans lanyard as it is for you to go with a lanyard. Just a preference which adds to your style.

Let me ask you a question:

Why would you want to go with a lanyard?

Alot of guys back, back, back in the day didn't use lanyards. It was the norm. Or so I was told.

You shouldn't let your (obvious) desire to make it into the D-league and NBA cloud your thoughts. Have you officiated enough games to say that a lanyard will scratch your neck? That doesn't even sound right.
Like others have said, this doesn't give you a patient whistle and truth be told most guys don't even know how to properly give signals with the whistle in their hands.
We could race to see and I would have my whistle in my mouth just as quickly as you would.
Typical youngster - you are worried about a preference that adds to your style before you even have a full varsity schedule unless I'm mistaken. Style over substance is the norm for younger people, but it should be the other way around. Don't get me wrong, I like style just as much as the next person/official, but you have to have the fundamentals down first.

[btaylor64]

Originally Posted by tomegun

You shouldn't let your (obvious) desire to make it into the D-league and NBA cloud your thoughts. Have you officiated enough games to say that a lanyard will scratch your neck? That doesn't even sound right.
Like others have said, this doesn't give you a patient whistle and truth be told most guys don't even know how to properly give signals with the whistle in their hands.
We could race to see and I would have my whistle in my mouth just as quickly as you would.
Typical youngster - you are worried about a preference that adds to your style before you even have a full varsity schedule unless I'm mistaken. Style over substance is the norm for younger people, but it should be the other way around. Don't get me wrong, I like style just as much as the next person/official, but you have to have the fundamentals down first.

You are mistaken. No big deal though. I was making a small little joke about lanyards.

I would like to think my fundamentals have developed quite well. Maybe they haven't since I don't wear a lanyard

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by btaylor64

It's just a preference thing.

I personally never use one. I would rather not choke myself or scratch my neck all night. I also feel like I am in more control with the whistle in my hand. I guarantee you in the time it takes you to find your whistle on your lanyard and get it in your mouth, I could have blown the thing at least 3 times by then. It is as easy for me to go sans lanyard as it is for you to go with a lanyard. Just a preference which adds to your style.

Let me ask you a question:

Why would you want to go with a lanyard?

Alot of guys back, back, back in the day didn't use lanyards. It was the norm. Or so I was told.

"I guarantee you in the time it takes you to find your whistle on your lanyard and get it in your mouth, I could have blown the thing at least 3 times by then"

It's in my mouth, why would it be out during play? Regarding speed blowing,blowing your whistle three times isn't necessarily a good thing.

When you say just a preference that adds to your 'style' What made you switch? Where do you put it on a jump if you're the R? Obviously you've become comfortable with it and it works for you which is all that counts but something tells me you want to imitate the 'big dawgs'

[billyc8037]

I was taught to keep the whistle in my mouth at all times during "live" ball situations. The lanyard is a convenience in order to help keep a part of your equipment "at-the-ready". Some guys prefer the "cushion" on their whistle. I stay with the regular Fox40 and a single strand lanyard that attaches to the loop on my shirt. I've tried the Fox "mini" but prefer the larger original model. (it accommodates my big mouth better)