NFHS - scorekeeper shirt - issues?
 

Gang-

How is the striped scorekeeper shirt mandate going in your area? In my games Friday and Saturday, scorers failed to wear a shirt. On Friday (I was the R), I made him fold/hang it over his position at the table.

Do any state associations put any 'teeth' behind the rule? I'm all in favor of it being a 'T' on the home team if the scorer doesn't comply, but I'm told we're not at that point yet... it's the stuff like this and hair/equipment stuff (mostly on the girls side) that really bugs me--just puts us in a lousy situation from the start.

Here, if they aren't wearing it, you play the game. Then e-mail the state head of officiating and the school gets a call.

I'll probably just bring a old shirt with me to my varsity games, and let the scorer "borrow" it if he/she doesn't already have one. Then I'll write up an incident report and sent it to the state high school league, and let them take it from there.

My guess is that it won't be a problem for very long.

I don't think we'll ever be lucky enough to have a striped-shirted-scorekeeper at very many games below the varsity level, unfortunately.

I hope it's never an option to give a T for something as stupid as not wearing a stripped shirt.

Here, we play the game and report any issues to our assignor who will report it to the state.

We have schools that are not using them. It is not a major problem but it is not done for some reason. I really do not see the big deal. It makes it easier for us to identify the person in varsity settings when many tables have multiple people located there.

Peace

Heard here that schools not wearing them may be ineligible to host a playoff game. That would be a quick fix.

I know some officials who are taking an extra shirt. Not me.

I really don't care one way or the other, personally, and making a big deal about it isn't how I want to be remembered at the school.

As others, we play the game and report it. No "teeth" here and no big deal IMO. They'll give it a little while before they enforce "something" I suppose.

The Constitution State ...
 

Connecticut: Email to assignment commissioner. He will email the athletic director of the offending school, with a copy going to the state interscholastic sports governing body. What they do with it, I don't know, but I'd guess that it wouldn't be a very harsh punishment. We still have schools without permanently marked coaching boxes, and/or substitute X's at the table.

I've Got Enough Of My Own Laundry To Do ...
 

No Way José!

Agree but...
 

Thanks for all the responses; we are following similar protocal in Nebraska--emailing assignor and/or state, depending on who assigns the game.

I guess my real beef is with the Federation--why write a rule and not put anything behind it? With the hair/headband stuff, we can have the player sit; with non-unsporting situations, we can still issue a T; obviously none of us want to be the bad guy, but like I said in the OP, it just puts us in a lousy position...

I dunno how you're put in a lousy spot...ask if the scorer will be wearing the required stripped shirt. If not, report to the proper authorities. About as simple as it gets without anyone raising an issue.

That is pointless on so many levels for me at least. I am not that "large" so my shirt would not fit many that I have worked with and certainly not yesterday. All these people have to do is go to the local sporting good store and get a cheap shirt and that will take care of most issues.

Peace

Not everything is about the NF. I am sure each state has a policy to handle this or to ignore it based on their member schools or personally situations. And it is silly to penalize a team when in many cases the teams are not responsible for such action. In the playoffs for example it is very possible that no teams are responsible for who is playing. So why create a rule to penalize someone when there would be an inappropriate penalty?

Peace

This isn't the only rule without teeth. By rule, the official scorebook must stay at the table, but there is no penalty... unless it was removed as an unsporting act (See case 2.11.11).

As for the new rule requiring the striped shirt, here is something from the NFHS interpretations for 2012-13:

SITUATION 8: Team A is hosting the contest. The official scorekeeper is wearing a red shirt to match that of the coaching staff of Team A. The referee of the officiating crew asks the scorekeeper to wear a vertically striped garment. The scorekeeper refuses to change his/her garment to honor the request of the official.
RULING: The contest should be played and the situation reported to the school's administration and to the state office.
COMMENT: There is not a penalty associated with this rule. The intent of the rule is to quickly identify the official scorekeeper at the table. (2-11-12)

At our last officials meeting, our trainer indicated a report of concern should be filed with the MHSAA. I imagine other states will handle it differently.

The Yankees and Phillies have vertically striped home jerseys. Would wearing one of them be acceptable? :D

If those teams change their team colors to black and white.

Same. I have had 5 sophmore games and 1 jv game and they have all had the required shirt. Although one older grouchy lady made it known she wasn't happy about it.

I was talking to another scorer out here who is starting her 12'th year (I'm starting my 7'th) and she made the point that when you meet with the table you find out who the official scorer is for the home school.But by the same token when the playoffs start and you start getting out of area crews they won't know who the official scorers are at each school as well as the officials from that area.How many of you go back to schools and see the same official scorer or table crew year after year?

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy ...
 

Great idea. If the officials scorekeeper doesn't have, or refuses to wear, a black and white vertically stripped shirt, then have him sit down. Yeah. That'll teach him.

What teeth could possibly be put into it? A member of the officiating team is failing to abide by the rule. Do we call a T on the referees? The scorekeeper isn't a member of either team so it's not possible to have a penalty.

What cracks me up is that these are people who are being paid (at least in my area) to be the scorers and yet they expect the schools to buy their shirts.

When will someone buy my shirts?

Worked a JH Girls Sectional final last week. The official scorer had on the stripes! :D
So did the timekeeper. :eek: [facepalm]

When you put it on your holiday list perhaps? :p

Just sayin......

My father and I will often buy each other officiating uniforms for Christmas.

Before I made the decision to officiate starting this winter, I had bought a striped shirt for the new rule change... Was the only person in all of our MS games to wear one this fall.

I can't remember if NCAA recommends the timer to wear stripes, but I do seem to recall a number of colleges where the scorer, timer, and maybe shot clock operator wore striped shirts.

Edited to add: We received a statement at tonight's association meeting. For the varsity level, they definitely want the table reminded of the rule, along with notifying the assignor and host AD about the lack of shirt. For sub-varsity, notifying the assignor/AD is not necessary, but it sounds like you can still make the reminder if you really want to do something.

Ive only seen one game where they were not wearing the black white striped garment.

Tell her it is a Versache.

Like a tear away jersey?

Why on earth would we as officials want to get any more involved in what someone at the table is wearing or have to issue a T for something like this?

As someone else stated, it does not put us in an kind of spot and is VERY simple. They have a shirt, great. They don't have it, send an email to your commish/assignor.

And why some people feel the need to bring an extra shirt is also beyond me. One of my partners did this my first game of the year. The table already had the shirt and the extra shirt somehow disappeared. So now the guy lost a shirt because he was trying to do too much.

This reminds me of the guys who will ask kids if sleeves are for medical reasons. Some people just go looking for problems.

I got a 2X you can borrow.

We have it made. Our association also supplies the scorers and timers for almost all our high school games in our coverage area and have for as long as I can remember. We have always had them wear stripes and don't have to worry about a thing.

Am I Right Freddy ???
 

Yeah. Plumbers.

No issues here!
 

Tonight our Association supplied the timer (striped shirt) and the home team supplied the score keeper (striped shirt).

Next to the score keeper on the back of a chair were three other striped shirts in M, L, and XL......just in case I guess. :rolleyes:

I know I am not hanging around to get my shirt if the home team loses a nailbiter and the crowd is hostile. That is just one bad idea.

Shake, Rattle, And Roll ...
 

Then you certainly wouldn't like officiating in Massachusetts.

(Are they still observing the post game handshakes?)

Maybe 50 games in here in Ontario.. haven't seen one scorer wearing one.

I haven't had a problem here in Indiana yet, but I understand that by typing that I have just jinxed myself and every game here on out will feature scorers without them.

Can you occasionally try to post something that's on topic? Is that so hard for you? Really?

I'm Not Always On Topic, But This Time I Was ...
 

Topic (Actually a subtopic): Hanging around on the court after an intense game. 26 Year Gap brought up the topic, not me. Like 26 Year Gap, I am also not a big fan of hanging around on the court (assuming the score is correct) after an intense, or even a ho-hum, game. Our colleagues in Massachusetts have no choice but to do it after every game. I'm sure that the Massachusetts guys have adjusted, but I hope that this protocol doesn't spread south to Connecticut. After approving the score, I'm leaving the court, not picking up my jacket, not filling out pay vouchers, or tax forms, not "shooting the breeze" with the athletic director, etc., and I'm certainly not waiting for my striped shirt.

Doesn't Ontario use FIBA rules? :confused:
Does FIBA also require a striped shirt for the official scorer?

No. High schools in Ontario use NFHS. Everything else ( club/rep teams, college, and university ) play FIBA rules.

FIBA does not require a striped shirt.

Thanks for the clarification. I had thought I heard something some time ago that there was a push to play all Canadian basketball under FIBA rules. Apparently, that was either incorrect or didn't happen.

There was a push towards it. Unfortunately Ontario high schools balked at it. Too cheap to spring for shot clocks. Hopefully soon. I get sick of having to know 2 sets of rules and 3 sets of mechanics ( IAABO, FIBA 2 and 3 official)

At least we are down to two sets of rules now. Community Colleges used to play NCAA rules.

If you call a cab after the game, you have to hang around and wait for it to pick you up, but that wouldn't be on topic, either.

A more pointed question: What the hell does basketball officiating in Massachusetts have to do with a scorekeeper wearing (or not wearing) a shirt?

Follow The Bouncing Ball ...
 

A) jTheUmp, and Rich, posted the idea that some officials may be considering lending striped shirts to the home scorekeepers.

B) 26 Year Gap doesn't like the idea of hanging around to get his shirt if the home team loses a nailbiter and the crowd is hostile.

C) I don't know if the protocol has changed, or not, but Massachusetts officials were, at one time, required to hang around after the game to observe the handshake lines, I believe without the authority to issue technical fouls.

Two Birds, One Stone ...
 

D) Now, Massachusetts officials can do two things after the game has ended, hang around to watch the handshake lines, and get the striped shirt that they may have lent to the home scorekeeper.

I was the R for last Friday night's game and when I went to the table and introduced myself, I asked the young lady keeping the book what she thought about wearing the striped shirt?

She gave me, "The Look." :eek:

We both chuckled.

Now, they wear striped shirts and know, "The Look?" What's next, whistles!? :p

Truth be told, it does make it easier when reporting.