Line Judge horror stories

[Andy]

I didn't want to hijack the Line Judges post, so I will start a new one.

Since it appears that most areas use players for line judges, at least in HS ball, anybody got any good stories about line judges? I have two that have happened over the years

1. Freshman player from the home team working lines for a JV match, first few line calls that she had to make were a bit delayed and tenative. I called her over during a time out and encouraged her to stay focused on the match and try to be more decisive with her calls. After that, I watched her very closely to try to avoid any issues. On the next few calls on her line, I noticed her glancing up at the scoreboard very quickly prior to making her call. On any close call, she was deciding which call, in or out, would benefit her team! Once I figured this out, I had a quick discussion with the home coach and that LJ was replaced.

2. This happened last year. I have a Freshman or JV player doing lines for a match. Every time I look in her direction, I notice that she is talking out loud. She is not talking to anyone in particular, just talking. She is handling the LJ duties okay, but I'm still trying to figure out what's going on. After a time, she turns her head and I see a quick flash of something on her ear. She has her bluetooth headset under her hair and has been talking on her cell phone for the entire time! She was directed to remove the headset and suspend her conversation until after the match.

Any other good stories.......

[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by Andy

On any close call, she was deciding which call, in or out, would benefit her team!

As R1, can you simply overrule the line judge if you're sure her call is wrong?

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Scrapper1

As R1, can you simply overrule the line judge if you're sure her call is wrong?

Which call, the one on the bluetooth?

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

Which call, the one on the bluetooth?

That's BITS-speak for 'yes' (the answer to your question).

[BuggBob]

The Line judges were Varsity boys football players. The entire team arrived from the practice field about two minutes before game time, stomp into the stands. The head football coach (who is also the AD) then directs two boys to do lines and the rest the pay attention and support the girls. Not these boys just got off the practice field and were covered in mud and grass, which is falling off onto the court -- BIG chunks of mud! During time outs the line judges would shoot baskets with the volleyball. The baskets were folded up out of the way, but that did not prevent the line judges and several other boys from the stands from starting a game of "horse". The line judges' judgment was clearly biased in favor of their team, except if the home player was an ex-girlfriend.

[OmniSpiker]

I've got so much horror stories, volleyball can overtake Halloween for horror..

The R1 didn't see it.
The R2 didn't see it.
Neither of the line judges saw it.

So after a few moments lapses...

R2 calls ball in. As was in the case, the R2 blocked the view of the line judge but was standin in the opposite side of the standard.
Line Judge calls ball out.

R1 then goes with Line Judge's call.

Okay, we just make up in and out calls from this point. The whole time seemed like the entire helpful parents were all calling in, in, in.

[OmniSpiker]

How about the time where the served ball was going close, close, close to the line judge...who then proceeded to stick her foot in abouts over the court to make contact with the ball...Everybody was yelling In, Out...I was yelling Replay! R1 then proceeds to call the ball Out...

Is it too hard to get a simple replay?

[OmniSpiker]

These line judges stood in the service area...R1 calls for service. Low and behold, the server bops one in the back of the head.... What do they do move a few steps away out of the service area and then line judge from that position...Why can't they just switch over to the other corners????

[jkumpire]

My first year of VB I was doing a JV/Varsity match. Big crowd, lots of people. I am up in the JV game. Parents are the LJ's, everything is fine. Then one of the LJ's call a ball down, which I totally agreed with. Some ying yang in the crowd goes off. No big deal.

Well this guy doesn't shut up, and my LJ i sstarting to get upset. So i tunred around and said: "Buddy you got two choices, either shut up and sit, or you will be ejected. Your choice." He of course, chose option 3, and I ran his rear end.

Three points later, we have a TO, the LJ comes over, and says: "Thanks for throwing that guy out. He's a parent of one of the kids playing on the team, and all he does is yell at his kid, the coaches, and even other team parents. "

So I threw a player's dad out at a home match for his kid, for yelling at another player's parent.

[tjohannsen]

Originally Posted by Andy

I didn't want to hijack the Line Judges post, so I will start a new one.

Since it appears that most areas use players for line judges, at least in HS ball, anybody got any good stories about line judges? I have two that have happened over the years

1. Freshman player from the home team working lines for a JV match, first few line calls that she had to make were a bit delayed and tenative. I called her over during a time out and encouraged her to stay focused on the match and try to be more decisive with her calls. After that, I watched her very closely to try to avoid any issues. On the next few calls on her line, I noticed her glancing up at the scoreboard very quickly prior to making her call. On any close call, she was deciding which call, in or out, would benefit her team! Once I figured this out, I had a quick discussion with the home coach and that LJ was replaced.

2. This happened last year. I have a Freshman or JV player doing lines for a match. Every time I look in her direction, I notice that she is talking out loud. She is not talking to anyone in particular, just talking. She is handling the LJ duties okay, but I'm still trying to figure out what's going on. After a time, she turns her head and I see a quick flash of something on her ear. She has her bluetooth headset under her hair and has been talking on her cell phone for the entire time! She was directed to remove the headset and suspend her conversation until after the match.

Any other good stories.......

Last night I spent quite a bit of time with two parents doing lines for the first time. (This was a soph. match) I tend to take more time than others, because it usually pays off. As the warmup was nearing completion, a former assistant sticks his nose and pimps me about the time I was taking and letting me know he would be one of my LJ's during the varsity match.

Needless to say I abbreviated my presentation, still covering the basics. Of course I regretted my brevity early on when he was calling an outball out by snapping his flag high and quick, and then he shot the flag straight down as if he changed his mind. I was blocked out on the call and thought it would have been out, but.... he made me have to hold my call for a few seconds so I could get info elswhere.

www vbofficiating.com check it out!