Newbie chain clip question

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by With_Two_Flakes

That slight disagreement we had about the tea is long forgotten, so happy to help out our American cousins across the pond.....

You're aware, I trust, that Jug is Canadian, and so in only a degenerate sense an "American."

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by PocketSidewalk

If the stakes were accidentally moved, wouldn't you have to know the yard line where the chain was clipped if you needed to return the stakes to their previous positions?


I guess I should clarify my reason for asking: Some fellow officials suggested making your own clip instead of purchasing a clip with a yard line indicator on it (like the disc or slider types). There reasoning was that the linesman doesn't have time to be twisting the dial every time the chains move. But if the clip doesn't have a mechanism for recording which yard line it was on, then someone has to keep up with that.

Ah - I see now. I use a real clip (slider), so didn't get your intent. In fact, if you use the proper equipment, the issue you're asking about isn't an issue.

[With_Two_Flakes]

Originally Posted by mbyron

You're aware, I trust, that Jug is Canadian...

Thanks for the heads-up! My apologies to JugglingReferee....

[Reffing Rev.]

Originally Posted by FBullock

I carry a small piece of bright yellow & a piece of red electrical tape on the vynil folder I keep my penalty card in. We have some chains that are orange & I'll use the red tape on those. I have options. It's a great conversation starter with the chain crew as well.

On the rare occassions I get to work HL anymore if the chain is not marked, I just mark it with the nearest available athletic tape and then I tell the box man to tell me "under 5" I hate turning my back on the field, my partners can tell me when a box isn't showing the correct down (We flash the correct down at HL until he gets it fixed), and if the box man can tell me we're under five I don't need to be looking for a piece of tape or a colored zip tie and miss that late substitution or what ever else might accidentally happen.

On our Friday night crew our HL usually is checking the equipment and we've gotten dinged twice for him having his head turned away from the field, and I agree it looks unprofessional. Just my 2 cents.

[With_Two_Flakes]

Originally Posted by Reffing Rev.

....I tell the box man to tell me "under 5"

A good idea and if you are doing games where you get usually get pretty good guys on the chains a workable one. if you are working lower level games and you get a crew who dont want to be there (I once had 3 kids who were on the chains as a punishment for misbehaviour in class) then its somewhat less workable.

I hate turning my back on the field, my partners can tell me when a box isn't showing the correct down (We flash the correct down at HL until he gets it fixed)

We do similar over here in the UK - it is the LJ responsibility to let the HL know. We use the uncatchable pass signal to indicate the box is wrong.

.....miss that late substitution or what ever else might accidentally happen.

If I'm HL and I have counting responsibilities then I'll look for the short/long mark before I count the team.

...we've gotten dinged twice for him having his head turned away from the field, and I agree it looks unprofessional. Just my 2 cents.

I've been officiating for over 25 years, so I now do a lot of assessing.
I would certainly ding him if he looks round to see where the front stake is at the end of a play.
I would certainly ding him if he looks round to check the down number.
I would certainly ding him if he looks for the short/long mark when the snap is immenent or looks for it after he'd done his player count.
I would certainly ding him if he is one of those HL's who are constantly turning around when setting new first downs and can't run them while facing the field.

But I'd consider it harsh to ding him for a 1 second glance at the short/long mark. That smacks of an assessor who follows assessment advice notes such as "ding the HL for turning round" too literally without understanding what is actually intended.

[JugglingReferee]

Get the downxbox to verbalize the down. "2 on the box" whenever the HL needs to know...

And nw about the Tea thing. Yes I'm Cdn. We don't drink tea, we drink beer.

[With_Two_Flakes]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

We don't drink tea, we drink beer.

As I know only too well and I have had the hangovers to prove it...

I was working a few years ago on an Air Traffic Control project with a couple of ex-RCAF radar engineers who were on secondment to our office in the UK.

[PocketSidewalk]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I think my question has been answered.

[movingthechains]

Originally Posted by With_Two_Flakes

I'm on the same page as Mike L. Nowadays I prefer the fabric clip with the slider as I too have had a plastic disk type trodden on and broken. I like to carry a spare lightweight home-made clip just in case. I bought the cheapest doglead I could find and simply cut off the clip part, discarded the rest of the lead.

A related tip I would give you about working the HL position is about zip ties.



I have my local area guys carry a zip tie for emergency chain repair. I keep one inside the band of every one of my hats. I might forget to put a zip tie in my pocket, but I'm unlikely to forget my hat!

Maybe once a season you'll have a chain set break on you. Panic ensues....
You walk up and fix it in seconds with a zip tie.

In addition, I use a coloured zip tie (I find that yellow is the most visible) for the halfway mark on the chain as atletic tape can get dirty and be less visible. That way the HL can let your White Hat know before the snap whether we are short - i.e. 5yd penalty marched against the D gives us a new 1st down or long (5 ain't enough).

I carry a spare key ring in my pants, it is approx the same size as a chain link. Zip ties work as well.