Belts Really???
 

OK, I know this comes down to personal preference but do officials that where pants with a belt realize how dumb and almost unprofessional it looks? Spend the extra 10 bucks or so and get the beltless pants. It looks so much better and doesn't look like you are a ref in the movie hoosiers. (great movie though) Am I the only one who feels this way? I had a HS Varsity game last night, it was in a different association and both guys had belts on. To make it even worse the buckles were huge. I just don't get it. Any thoughts on this? IF you do wear a belt what is your reason for not getting the sansabelt type of pants?

Are you from Texas? Just wondering with the big buckle thing. :D

Not here. Beltless slacks are reuired by the NCHSAA.

You just had to start this conversation again? :D

JustAnotherRef will be by soon to tell you it does not matter.

Peace

No
 

Not texas, Pennsylvania. The place I was at last night was more of a country town. Could smell the cows as I entered the place. Anyway, I know a lot of people say it doesn't matter, but I just think belts look silly on a ref. I wish all associations would ban belts!

It does not matter.

Rut was right.

Until it does.

So you dump on them and then want a reasonable discussion? Good luck. :D

In my last association, it wasn't unusual to wear belts. I did a varsity game with the president of the local association, and he was wearing a belt.

Here, in this association, I wouldn't dream of it.

I hope Bob comes around with a lock. This conversation went around and around not 10 days ago. No reason to go through it again.

Leaving shortly for games tonight. Business to attend to on the way. Gonna put my stuff (belt included) on a hanger. Will change on the way somewhere, possibly in the truck.

Just don't have a blarge. :D

Hope the state police doesn't roll up at the wrong time. :eek:

Have a good game!

Serious questions: Do the schools not provide you with a place to change? Are you working varsity games? If so, do you arrive early to watch some of the preliminary game?

There would always be someplace we could change, I suppose, but most of the time we just go into a coach's office. Privacy would be an issue most places.

Varsity and everything below.

If there are preliminary games, usually the same crew does all of them. If it is a tournament, or if they do have locals do the JV, we may or may not sit and watch.

How's the weather in Penn. today? :D

And, it comes down to what is acceptable in your area.

It has just been discussed. If it's an issue with one (or a few) officials in your area, talk to them (or have someone else do it).

This what I think of when partner shows up with a belt.


http://www.charleyeckman.com/images/AZ47.jpg

To each their own. I know looks matter and first impressions count, but some of the sharpest looking refs I've had for partners couldn't referee a dog sled race and other guys wearing belts were some of the best partners I've had. It's one of those things that does not matter to me and does not seem to matter in the two associations I work in.

That's the whole point........you walk out on the court and start with an F and have to work your way up with a belt.

Hey, a guy can have a mullet too, his choice how he wants to be perceived.

Just better to dress the part.

Here in FL, nobody [almost] wears belted slacks. In VT, it was about half/half. I had both. If the crew had belted, I wore belted. If the crew wore beltless, I wore beltless. To be honest, there was more concern about glasses than belts up there. Here in FL, there are a number of guys wearing glasses and they don't only get poor contests. Same with shoes, if the crew has patent leather, I wear those. If they don't, I wear the others. If there is a split, I am in the majority.

Just No Belted Pants Without A Belt ...
 

Here in my little corner of Connecticut, we have a choice of wearing belted, or beltless, pants. Nobody is encouraged, or discouraged from either. Connecticut is a very liberal state.

Watching the 1984 NCAA Final between Georgetown and Houston and the officials are wearing collared shirts, administering the FT from the C, and the L is doing a weird back and forth across the lane thing.

But they are NOT wearing belts. This is for those who suggest that the beltless look is a cyclical and arbitrary phenomenon. At LEAST 28 years since NCAA officials wore belts. Something to think about.

It's also been quite a few years since NCAA used 2 officials, but in high school it's still quite prevalent. What's one got to do with the other?

I started in 1987. I've never worn belted pants.

I did see some highlights on ESPN today of the 1976 Indiana team. 2-person crews and everyone wore a belt. I guess the question is -- when did beltless pants become commonplace?

It has been a number of years since I wore a shirt with a collar, but the last year that the OhioHSAA allowed either the collar or collarless shirt to be worn as long as the entire crew wore the same type of shirt was years ago and I would take both types of shirts even though no one was wearing shirts with collars anymore until I did the championship game in a girls' H.S. varsity Christmas holliday tournament and my partner had only shirts with collars because he thought the collarless shirts didn't look good and he wasn't about to buy any of them until he was required to wear them. We wore shirts with collars that night.

MTD, Sr.

It's all the rage
 

Just thought of something, WE should stage a throw back uni night...yeah that would be great..I just wouldn't be able to choose between belted and the patch pocket BIKE. Course, I think I still got my RecSpecs!! Anyway it would def look better than some of these uni combos the NBA and even NFL (Denver Broncos for one..aggghhh) have been coming up with.

The last year I remember wearing a shirt with a collar is in my first year which was back in 1996-1997. Many veterans had both and we would wear the V-neck if he had the same shirt in our bags. I did not even buy an actual basketball collared shirt, but used my football shirt (which had a pocket) that I would use the rare time if someone did not have the collared shirt. That was also the same year the beltless pants were becoming very popular as most guys did not use a belt in their pants anymore. I am sure the trend was changing before then, but I remember this as it was a constant conversation as to what we would wear before every game. I think the NF also changed some language at that time which opened up this can of worms.

Peace

For me the last big change was "pleats" or "flat front". I carried both in the 2002-03 season (and had one partner make fun of me for trying to match him). I've worn nothing but pleated pants since 2003-04.

Similar situation with me. Not sure of the year, but I stopped wearing flat front pants either the same time or right before.

Peace

There you go. If you drive a truck to the game you can wear a belt. If the truck has big mud flaps, you can wear a big buckle. :)

The point I was making was very clear if you don't leave out the sentene before the part you decided to quote. "This is for those who suggest that the beltless look is a cyclical and arbitrary phenomenon."

And 2 person crews in HS is entirely about $$$. So, yes, what does one have to do with the other?

I don't think the two compare. Two vs. three officials is almost always due to the monetary reasons. We have no control over this. Belted vs. sans a belt is something the officiating community has control over. And from what I've seen and read, it's a near unanimous adaptation of sans a belt save for some parts in Louisiana (or so it seems).

There are other similarly isolated areas where it's accepted (at least until about 3 seasons ago).

Similarly isolated?? What does that mean? Oh, you mean like Connecticut.

Nope, I was thinking of my previous locale. I've never even so much as seen Connecticut soil from across a river.

Still doesn't mean it isn't isolated compared to the rest of the nation. I'd venture to say if we took a poll (YES a poll! :D), the overall majority would say that sansabelt is either mandated or de facto mandated.

Up north in VT, it was about 50/50 on the belt front. That was 2 years ago. There were guys who used belted that worked state finals. People get more grief using the gray shirts than belts.

Yep, and my previous association, where the local board president would wear a belt, was in the same state as my current group, where we get very direct instructions that belted pants aren't acceptable at the high school level.