Although I haven't worked in almost 10 years, I did have quite a bit of officiating experience in hoops and am now considering trying my hand in football. I've read some other newbie posts, but I think the on-field stuff will come. What I need to know is basically equipment oriented.

You Texas and Southern guys know its hot to start the season. I'll start with the mesh shirt and pro-mesh cap. But I sweat a lot, and my golf caps are ruined after 2 or 3 rounds. Is there a good way to keep those mesh caps clean without destroying them? What's the expected life of the pro mesh cap? Finally, when it cools in late October, do I need to get a wool cap to wear on colder nights?

Next question is flags. While I was at Texas A&M, I did some flag football intramural ref work. I used old flags my dad used years ago while working football. They were just yellow material my mom cut and sewed in a heavy washer for the weight. I don't have the flags anymore, and don't necessarily need to be as thrift as my parents needed to be back then, but is it worth it to make my own flags? I ask because I'd like to have two flags that work well for the back judge position (long throw) and for a line judge or referee postion (short, but accurate, throw). So, I guess, the question is: what makes a flag go far, and are there any flags on the market that work well for that, or any flags that are great for short and accurate tosses? Sorry if I've made too big a deal out of flags.

Finally, those sweat bands with the down indicator look pretty cool. I know my dad used rubber bands. Is this essential for all crew members to keep track of downs?

I don't know much about the mesh hats but I will answer the other questions.

Honigs has two types of flags that you can buy. (See here: http://www.honigs.com/browse_products.asp?Cat=2&Sub=34 ) I own one of each, I keep the smaller one in my back pocket and the deep flag in my belt. This method seems to work fine for me. The deepflag in my belt is my primary and the one in my back pocket is when I have to throw it up straight in the air. Both are accurate but the deep flag can be thrown further.

As for the down indicators you should get one, everyone on the crew should keep track of downs. They also make two different types. (See here: http://www.honigs.com/browse_products.asp?Cat=2&Sub=34 ) I have the one with the smaller band(f81), it is better because that big one will give you a more akward tan. :) It's only 4 bucks so I would just get that because it looks a lot more professional than rubberbands.

I use the flag with the ball weight tucked into the front of my pants as the primary flag, even when I officiate at all positions. You may need to chuck the flag a long way at any position (the R or U sometimes need to lob a flag in on kick/punt returns). I use a center weight flag as a backup, and if I need call a second penalty. It's happened twice in seven years. The second flag is stuffed all the way into my back pocket.

All crewmembers need to keep track of the down, so get a down indicator. If you are R or U, wear a second down indicator on the other hand, so you can remember where the ball is snapped between the hash marks and return it to the proper spot after an incomplete pass.

If you don't want to be the laughing stock of your association, you buy proper flags. They are cheap, they work and contain no metal.

I have heard of associations that have banned the use of any metal weights in flags due to the risk of injury if it was to hit a player in the eye (it has happened, you know).

As I was told when I started, there is one thing that can always be perfect, and that is your uniform.

Good luck!!

Yeah, I agree with buying the good stuff from the sporting goods dealers. Ya don't want to get in trouble using homemade stuff. A flag in someone's eye could cost you more than just a tonguelashing from your supervisor/assignor. It could cost you your living.

REPLY: Back when I started (too many years ago!) I had a friend who made a home-made flag. Believe it or not, back then people used to use a golf ball as a weight. Well, my friend must have been ahead of his time. Realizing that a golf ball could cause injury, he chose instead to weight his flag with a Super Ball. Worked fine until he needed to throw it a good distance on a hard field. Boing...boing...boing...it went bouncing down the field. Fans, players, and his crew, were hysterical laughing. Thank God it wasn't a spot foul! Team would have had 3rd and 65 !!!