Another first for me!
 

Today, I suspended a match. First for me. To make a very long story short, my R2 removed the student scorekeeper during a HS match and the home coach took great exception to how the R2 addressed the scorekeeper. He wanted the R2 removed from the match and refused to play if the R2 stayed.

I told him that there was no rule basis for me removing the R2 from the match and if we continued the match, he was going to stay. But if the visiting coach agreed, we could suspend the match and let the conference decide how to proceed going forward.

The visiting coach talked to her players and they agreed. So we stopped play, left the building, and I called the assignor as soon as I got in my car.

Crazy situation for me.

Ha! I had a coach leave the court and forfeit a match a while ago.

Refusal to play when directed to do so by the first referee means that the match shall be forfeited (not may, shall). Rule 1.5.2.a . Unless I am missing something, there was no basis for "suspending" the match and it should have been forfeited by the home team.

1) They were never directed to play. I gave them the choice to play with both officials present, or to suspend the match. They chose the latter.

2) My mentor (a very accomplished D1 official) said that he would actually would have tried to convince the R2 to leave and then finish the match with one official.

I can't imagine a scenario where I would suggest to a partner that he/she should leave the contest unless it's because he/she should be going to the hospital.

That was exactly my feeling, too. Kind of destroys the concept that we're a team. Also feels like I would be caving in to a coach's demands, and I really don't like that idea at all. But I have to acknowledge that it might be the best thing for the kids.

Rarely is the "best thing for the kids" to continue playing a contest when the adults are acting like idiots.

Scholastic sports are part of the overall education experience. The last thing we need to be teaching students is that lousy behavior by the adults is, "no big deal, play on."

The best learning environment for the kids is demonstrating that this behavior has consequences.