Tweet tweet tweet...

[jsblanton]

I have noticed in several NCAA games that the officials use several whistle blasts to help them SELL a call. I have been told this is not an accepted practice for high school refs so I use one strong sharp blast to call all fouls and violations. Has anyone else been told this by their senior partners, assignors, or evaluators? College refs (on TV) seem to do it quite a bit. Any thoughts? (I am not judging, it's just an observation)

[tomegun]

If you did a game with me, I would have more important things to worry about. I'm often amazed at how things like this are scrutinized so much at the high school level (college too) yet there are so many officials who should use their game fees to buy a clue!

Edit: that came out wrong. I'm not saying you would make me worry about other things. I'm saying that there are more important things to worry about than how many times someone blows a whistle. What annoys me is officials blowing the whistle to communicate everything like subs, fouls, subs, violations, subs, out of bounds and...subs. It kind of de-values the whistle when it is used for everything.

[jsblanton]

My evaluator also wants a whistle for any and all subs. I tend to agree with tomegun. But...I guess I'll give him a whistle for subs, if that's what he wants.

[JRutledge]

This has little or nothing to do with college verse high school officiating. Maybe this is not acceptable at the high school level where you live, but not necessarily in every place. Now I was told early on not to do this, but I have not heard it addressed much since that time. I have seen mostly high school officials do this than anyone. I guess it just means everyone does not have the same perspective.

Peace

[BillyMac]

I officiated at a deaf school tournament yesterday. Sometimes I felt like a lung was going to come flying out of my Fox 40.

[crazy voyager]

Originally Posted by jsblanton

My evaluator also wants a whistle for any and all subs. I tend to agree with tomegun. But...I guess I'll give him a whistle for subs, if that's what he wants.

The procedure here is to always use a whistle for subs since that informs everyone something is happening before the ball comes in play. It also makes your partner aware of this so that (s)he doesn't start the play before the substitutaions are done.
When it comes to using several tweets I do it sometimes, but I try to do it sparingly. One good signal is usually enough, but it has happened that I do several tweets, mostly on offensive fouls or travelling violations where I can have a tweet for stop the clock and another for no points. But this probably isn't nessesary either, nobody cares though (except for Alan Richardson, he's the only one I've heard commenting on this).

[tomegun]

Crazy Voyager, why isn't it good enough to have a loud horn go off to let everyone know there are subs or something is happening?

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by tomegun

Crazy Voyager, why isn't it good enough to have a loud horn go off to let everyone know there are subs or something is happening?

When I do some MS/Fresh/Rec level ball.....we could wait forever on that "loud horn" at some venues...... hence I too will then blow the whistle for subs.

Only time I consciously blow the whistle more than once is when there is a struggle/scrum/jump ball situation as I want everyone to stop wrestling before it gets MORE ugly!

[eg-italy]

Originally Posted by tomegun

Crazy Voyager, why isn't it good enough to have a loud horn go off to let everyone know there are subs or something is happening?

That's one of the worst FIBA mechanics. A whistle to kill play, the horn from the table, another whistle for granting a time out or a substitution. Just annoying, especially in "quiet situations" such as when the official goes to report a foul and the table sounds the horn for a sub: why a whistle? There's the horn, one or more players ready to come in, what else can it be?

We should keep in mind that the whistle sound is displeasing. Any whistle after the first is much more displeasing. No tweet-tweet-tweet, ever.

[Larks]

I've fallen into the one whistle blast hit for foul, two for violations like travel / carry / double dribble etc.

One whistle for subs only if I am the traffic cop

One whistle putting ball in play if we've had a delay for some reason - subs taking longer, discussion at table or whatever.

Scrum on floor - jump ball - LOTS of whistles.

Speaking of whistles -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYgrhk7xoME

[Junker]

Originally Posted by Larks

I've fallen into the one whistle blast hit for foul, two for violations like travel / carry / double dribble etc.

One whistle for subs only if I am the traffic cop

One whistle putting ball in play if we've had a delay for some reason - subs taking longer, discussion at table or whatever.

Scrum on floor - jump ball - LOTS of whistles.

Speaking of whistles -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYgrhk7xoME

I'm in the same boat as Larks, although in a lower level game last year I did call a 4 "tweet" travel, mostly for my own amusement and my partners. I just couldn't stop myself from giving a couple extra.

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by Larks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYgrhk7xoME

Interesting.

Chuck, why don't you get rid of that old collar shirt already?

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by tomegun

Crazy Voyager, why isn't it good enough to have a loud horn go off to let everyone know there are subs or something is happening?

In 3-man I've definitely gone away from hitting my whistle for subs on free throws. I will hit the whistle on non-free throws if I'm the table-side New Lead and a horn hasn't gone off by the time I'm ready to pass the subs off to the "C". But on free throws I'm not hitting the whistle unless the Lead isn't paying attention or if it's the last free throw (made, of course) and the horn is slow.

In 2-man I will hit the whistle more often. Most times it's b/c the sub is having trouble locating an official to wave them in.

[Bearfanmike20]

Originally Posted by Larks

I've fallen into the one whistle blast hit for foul, two for violations like travel / carry / double dribble etc.

One whistle for subs only if I am the traffic cop

One whistle putting ball in play if we've had a delay for some reason - subs taking longer, discussion at table or whatever.

Scrum on floor - jump ball - LOTS of whistles.

Speaking of whistles -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYgrhk7xoME

I think that was my partner a week ago.

[oldschool]

Our state has a POE of whistling in subs. They feel you should respond to the whistle not the horn. The double whistle is not recommended.