Go by a Staples, Office Depot or Office Max. Ask one of the wonderful, caring people that work there to show you the section where they keep the rubber bands. Take one out of the box, put your hand through it so that it's around your wrist. If it's not tight enough, stretch it, twist it once and again, stick your hand through the band.

It works the same way with a cloth or elastic band with hair. No knot or bow needed.

Here endeth the lesson.

Perhaps the IAABOXYZ to the 4th power rule book says something different but that's how the NFHS Rule Book is interpreted by every state and local association I've ever been a member of. Feel free to rule on it as you see fit. But if you come down here, we're going to make you take Daddy's bows out of your hair.

Hot glue, duct tape.......

I recall an NFHS ruling staing that a ribbon was legal if it was the only item used to control the hair, however if there was a rubber or elastic band already in the hair and additionally a ribbon, then the ribbon was purely decorative and illegal.

Also, deecee's ruling that a bow in the hair is a safety hazard is a stretch and probably would be a poor ruling to make during a game.

While You're There, Pick Up Some Halloween Decorations ...
 

Why would I ask to see rubber bands? Rubber bands have elastic properties. I've been talking about non-elastic cloth bands, as allowed by NFHS rule 3-5-4-D (Rubber, cloth, or elastic bands may be used to control hair.)

Go by a Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft, or A. C. Moore Arts and Crafts. Ask one of the wonderful, caring people that work there to show you the section where they keep the ribbons. Now pick out a pretty color ribbon. Take a length of that ribbon and put it around your wrist. Now try to make it stay on your wrist without using a glue gun, staples, or duct tape, and without tying a knot, or a bow, in the ribbon. Please be sure to let me know the the result of your little experiment.

Give Me Down To There, Hair, Shoulder Length Or Longer ...
 

Agreed. I'm sure that there are state, or local, organizations that you have belonged to that have interpreted cloth ribbons tied with a bow to be illegal, but it's not supported by any national rule set that I know of, and certainly not by any NFHS rule, casebook play, or interpretation, that I'm familiar with. So when you come to the Constitution State, we will allow you to wear ribbons tied in a bow in your hair, and the ribbons can be any pretty color that you choose because these are hair control devices, not headbands.

Good debate, lots of fun, reminds me of Jurassic Referee debates. Man, I miss him.

I seem to recall the same interpretation. C'mon Nevadaref, you're the king of archived NFHS interpretations, can't you come up with this one, and bring some closure to this thread.

When Mark Padgett Flies ...
 

Hey Mark Padgett, great post. I hope that the health of your sense of humor matches your physical health. So how's that replacement pig's heart working out? Do you get urges to roll around in the mud? Are you filled with disgust every time you toss a football?

Rule doesn't say ribbon.

It's says a cloth band, for example, a scunchie.

A ribbon is not a cloth band. A ribbon is not a scrunchie.

A bow is not a cloth band. A bow is a head decoration.

Here endeth the lesson. Back to my Ignore list you go.

I'm Hairy High And Low, Don't Ask Me Why, Don't Know ...
 

Somewhat agree. A scrunchy is made of cloth, but it's also elastic. Certainly legal.

Forget the word "ribbon" for now. How will players control their hair with a non-elastic cloth band, as the rule allows, without tying it in a knot, or a bow, which is simply one type of a knot?

Now let's go back to the word "ribbon":

Ribbon (noun) 1. a woven strip or band of fine material, as silk or rayon, varying in width and finished off at the edges, used for ornament, tying, etc.

It is my contention that the word "material" in the definition can mean "cloth", thus a ribbon, made of "cloth", is legal.

Cloth (noun): Synonyms: bolt, calico, cotton, dry goods, goods, material, stuff, synthetics, textiles, tissue, twill, weave, yard goods.

Furthermore: "How to Tie Types of Knots: Whether it be tying shoes, fastening clothing or securing equipment, knots play a significant role in our daily lives; Example: Bow Knot"

Ipso facto (single chicks dig Latin), although a bow (bow knot) can certainly be decorative, it's also utilitarian, being used to knot, tie, or secure, a cloth (material) ribbon in a player's hair, which is a perfectly legal hair control device.

Now, as Nevadaref stated earlier, if a player's hair is already controlled by some other hair control device, such as an elastic band, then an additional bow on top of that would be purely decorative, and thus would be illegal equipment.

Please note that I am not denying BktBallRef's state, or local interpretation, it's just that I cannot find any national justification for his interpretation, and certainly not by any NFHS rule, casebook play, or interpretation, that I'm familiar with.