Wet-weather officiating

[Rich]

I am working a varsity game tonight as the white hat. I just finished printing off five copies of the pregame sheet I plan on using tonight with my crew, but one thing the sheet doesn't cover is wet-weather officiating.

How do you guys handle a wet field and wet footballs? Do you carry towel(s) to your games? If so, what size, color, thickness? Do you have more than one with you on the field (does anyone but the umpire carry one)? Do you bring more than one and keep extras on the sidelines? Or do you rely on game management to have towels available for use?

Any feedback in the next few hours would be appreciated, although I'm sure this is knowledge I will be able to take forward.

Hoping for a dry evening and a smooth game,

Rich

[MD Longhorn]

The only wet varsity games I've worked so far were as chain crew, but for each of them, when we walked into the locker room there was a stack of white towels ready for us. If memory served, only the umpire brought one out for use on the ball. In one game, the sixth man brought out three more in a bag the U had brought expressly for that purpose, and switched them out with U as the towels got drenched.

[FBullock]

We typically rely on the teams for towels to keep the ball dry. Depending on the umpire, so carry there own to the game. I've worked with U that were a towel out on all games. They say they keep the sweet, dew, etc. off the balls.

As for anybody else wearing a towel, never done that. If it's raining we rotate balls in even more than usually. Worked a college game about 6 years ago that we went thru 7 balls in the first half, took those into the locker room, had the school run them thru the dryer and when thru 6 new balls plus those 7 in the second half. AND we were on astro turf.

You always want to make sure that your ball boys have towels as well. There teams should supply them. If they want dry balls, they have a responsiblity.

Bottom line, do the best you can, rotate balls alot, and try to not to fall and get your knickers muddy. Have a little fun and the first guy that falls on his A*& gets to pay for the sodas after the game.

[SWFLguy]

A long time umpire here: I never brought a towel to
games back in CNY. Teams always provided them.
When I got down here, I found that the U is expected
to bring one, which I do. I hate seeing some umpires
with long scuzzy looking towels tucked into their pants.
I use a smaller white towel, large enough for wiping
off the sweat and dew or ocaissional drizzle.
In a really rainy game, I'd expect the teams would
be involved with rotating dry balls onto the field.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally posted by FBullock
Have a little fun and the first guy that falls on his A*& gets to pay for the sodas after the game.

Can you imagine if this guy also had the first flag, and an inadvertant whistle?

He'd forfeit his game fee and then some!

[Warrenkicker]

Be very careful with your throws. Just what you don't want to do is get a clean dry ball and then roll it on the field before it is played with.

You might also make it very clear to each team's head coach that the better his runners are with giving the ball to the nearest official instead of leaving it on the ground could save you some work as well as having a better ball for them to play with.

If it is raining U shouldn't put ball on ground until snapper comes up to LOS and keep it under the towel out of the rain.

[Ed Hickland]

Rainy weather my umpire has four towels, one for each quarter. We take two on the field, he keeps one and wraps the other in the plastic bag where we keep our jackets.

If the field is soaked the ball is moved for a playable lie. Teams are allowed to shuttle balls in during a series if they so desire.