Scattered Pictures ...
 

Yes, sometimes we do. We discuss it with our partner, who also has a pocket whistle, and look to the arrow at the table, maybe having a discussion with the arrow operator. That discussion usually involves remembering the most recent arrow change. If all else fails, and we can't come up with a logical determination, we have a two out of three (me, partner, table) rule, but it usually never makes it that far.

Note: Some of us, those that work Catholic middle school games, are really good at switching pockets. There is no possession arrow at the table for any of these games. It's all on the officials, so some of us are really good at this "mechanic". For those of you that don't work middle school games, there are a lot of held balls to keep track of, especially in a middle school girls game.

Billy I have been to camps across the Midwest and other parts of the country on a regular basis. Not a single time do I remember anyone wearing a belt at a camp game. And the officials have been from all over the country. Even one guy was from Canada and he did not wear a belt. And the camp supervisors never tell us what kind of pants to wear, just tells us that we are to wear full uniforms. Somehow others seem to get the memo.

Oh and I work games across my state, not just in one part. I have not worked with a single partner that has a belt. The only officials I see wearing a belt are those old guys that for some reason never go far as officials or a rookie that has not worked varsity contests. I did not see any State Final officials wearing a belt in the last couple of years and cannot remember when the last time I saw any varsity official on the boys side wearing them.

Expand your view Billy. ;)

Peace

I am telling you what I do. We are the final say anyway. I have had to remind the table several times when we had a held ball and then they realize the crew or me was correct. You are the one that is ultimately going to take the crap, so I take it upon myself to always know. It might also help I do not work girls games and do not have 500 of those a game. ;)

Peace

Hah, my mistake.

1 and 3 seemed reasonable. I didn't even read 4.

How About A Nice Hawaiian Belt ???
 

I have. I agree that belts are an official faux pas just about everywhere except my little corner of Connecticut (not sure about the rest of our beautiful state). Even here, belts are going the way of the dinosaur. I'm going to guess that less than 5% of us wear them, and almost no young officials wear them. I did see a colleague, a grizzled veteran, wear one in a state quarterfinal game last week. When I first started thirty-three years ago, going beltless was seen as a braggart college thing ("Look at me, I'm a college official"), and almost all of us strictly high school officials wore a belt. Over the years, the young whipper snappers who get onto our local board like to emulate the college guys that they see on television, and almost none choose to go with a belt, even though they can.

Bottom line. I've been wearing one for thirty-three years, and I like it. It has absolutely no effect on my rating, ranking, or the number, or level, of games that I am assigned. It has never been mentioned to me as a problem either verbally, or in writing, by my peers, by my interpreter, by my assigner, or at local, and state, high school (not college, I don't attend those) camps. I don't plan on officiating in any other part of the state, or anywhere else, for that matter, and I don't plan moving up to the college ranks. And finally, most importantly, I can. Black belts are allowed here. Belts, or beltless, are a non-issue here. We can no longer wear long sleeved striped shirts, with a bow tie, but we can wear black belts.

Typical high school discussion once I look at the possession arrow at the table and realize that my whistle is in my wrong pocket:

Me (to partner): "Which way do you have the arrow going?"
Partner (after checking his pocket): That way (points)."

If he, and the arrow at the table are the same, and I'm different, I will switch my pocket, unless I definitely remember that I'm right (seldom happens), at which point we will continue our discussion at the table.

How many times does this happen during the high school season? Once. Twice. Maybe a whole season without a mistake by me.

If he has the same direction as me, and the table is different, we will have a discussion at the table to see if we can figure it out (it's usually the crew at the table forgetting to change it after throwin after an intermission).

Typical Catholic middle school discussion (no possession arrow at the table) when my partner is about to go a different direction than my pocket whistle after a held ball, or intermission:

"(Insert sound of crickets chirping here)".

How many times does this happen during the Catholic middle school season? Once a game. Maybe none during a game.

Sir Charles
 

Billy--the official who is talking to Charles Barkley in the Capital One commercial is wearing a belt. Is that you? :D

It's not hard to get an arrow at a table. An empty water bottle will do. Wouldn't start without SOMETHING there.

Didn't you say you never worked the playoffs? It would be one thing if you were the most accomplished official in your area, but according to what you have said here, you have not reached the top level in your area or state. And you are not a college guy that is turning down high school playoffs just to work at a higher level.

Also no one tells people you are not going to wear a black belt or else here. But when you are the only one and you stand out looking like a goof, that is not going to help you if all things are equal. It is simply not encouraged. There is no ban or prohibition as I have stated before. It is like showing up to a game dressed. You might be able to get away with that in certain situations, but it will hurt you if you do it to at the wrong setting.

Peace

I'm a deep wing in college football. They do not teach the backpedal anymore. They prefer to see officials run while looking over a shoulder, like we do in basketball.

At some point you may need to backpedal a few steps, but I never backpedal all the way down the field.

We also start a lot deeper than we used to -- 24 yards off the LOS. Gives us time to read the play and still have a 15 yard cushion most of the time.

I see plenty of officials wearing belts here working JV and freshman games -- and even the odd varsity game. I also know a letter I received recently from the state office reminded me that the proper dress for a game I was going to work included pleated beltless pants, no side panel shirts, all black shoes, and flags were a crew decision (but everyone had to go flag or no-flag).

I just can't imagine why anyone would choose to wear belted pants over pants made specifically for basketball officiating. In 2014 those pants are beltless, pleated, and do not have western style pockets.

Usually the ones I see wearing belts for the most part of rather new officials, or they are the old timers that do not care about a lot of things, let alone what they look like. And those that do not care about what they look like, they do not care about their mechanics or other presentations of themselves either.

Peace

Don't Like It ??? There's The Door ...
 

Agree 100%. A pencil could work also, it has a point, it's easy to change the direction, it's cheap, it's portable, and it's easy to find.

The Catholic middle school league, the entire league, not just some schools, all fifteen schools, that I officiate in doesn't use a possession arrow at the table. My assigner for that league is also on it's board of directors, and he doesn't see the need (ignoring the written rule) for a possession arrow at the table. He expects his officials to keep track of the arrow. He's our assigner. We do what we're told.

We (both officials) are also expected to email the league director (c.c. to the assigner) the scores for all the games that we officiate, as soon as we get home from the assignment. He's our assigner. We do what we're told (I hate this directive).

He also wants us in full high school uniform (no sweats, no sneakers, patched jersey, etc.), sans jacket, for all of our games (even those involving fifth, and sixth graders). He wants us to enforce all fashion police rules. He's our assigner. We do what we're told.

I don't mind helping them figure something out, but frankly, I wouldn't work that ball. It's not hard to find a wood block in the industrial arts area and have an art class paint an arrow on it. An assigner that expects me to track the arrow in a ms girls game is going to, hopefully, have plenty of other officials to work.

Yep.

I do not need middle school games. I do those for the money. If I choose to do them, I do them with what I am comfortable with. If I am not comfortable, I stay home. And this might be the reason why I don't do these games for the most part. Too much compromising on things that should be done a certain way.

Peace