Whistles....Whistles....Whistles???

[imaref]

Just looking for the perfect whistle to use when most use FOX 40 in a multiple tournament.....multi courts....multiple whistles.....

Any chance you use a different sounding whistle to curtail some of the confusion for the players and your R2? If so.....what kind...what sound, and where did you purchase it?

[MCBear]

Other options are the Acme Tornado - it has a different pitch/tone from the Fox 40. Another is the Molton WH-1 - it is a goose-neck whistle, pealess like both the Tornado and Fox-40, but has a different tone/pitch from either of the two already mentioned. You can get them at any vb supply store.

[Retrozetti]

Originally Posted by imaref

Just looking for the perfect whistle to use when most use FOX 40 in a multiple tournament.....multi courts....multiple whistles.....

Any chance you use a different sounding whistle to curtail some of the confusion for the players and your R2? If so.....what kind...what sound, and where did you purchase it?

I have a "potpourri" of whistles... why so many? 2 reasons: a) when I'm in multiple-court facilities, I'll switch whistles so that mine sounds uniquely different from the other courts so as to reduce confusion by the players... many officials use the Fox40 and the Fox40mini, so I avoid those, b) in USAV my support crew sometimes doesn't have a whistle for their R2, so I loan them one of mine. Having that said, the kids are usually concerned about how many mouths have already used the whistle I'm loaning them, so I ask them if they know the TV show "Monk." They smile and say Yes, and then I tell them I'm a lot like Monk... then I pull out my bag of whistles, ALL individually ziplock-bagged, and ALL have been pre-washed in rubbing alcohol... I do this to every whistle I loan out, because I also think it's gross to loan out a used whistle. They are very relieved, and they actually will even use the whistle during their R2 duties (you USAV officials know how hard it is to get your 16-year-old girl R2 to blow that whistle).

OK, but my whistle experience (ranked in priority of favorites I use):
1. Dolfin (Molten) - Loud, distinct sound with slight dissonance in tone. Rarely used by other officials, and every official I've talked to that use it LOVE it.
2. Drop-Down (Mikasa) - Distinct, 3-tone sound. Concerns: Too much or too little air blown in dramatically weakens & alters the tone down to possibly no tone at all, pressure placed on the whistle (slightly biting on the mouthpiece) alters, weakens and possible kills the tone completely, tone is not very loud and will be drowned out in multi-court facility (I was R2, the players on the court "and I" couldn't hear the R1's whistle, so play continued after he blew it dead "many times", even after I told him 3 times that I can't hear his whistle at all...ugh!), after a few matches, it becomes a bit heavy in the mouth, AND used at an all-day or mutiple-day tournament, saliva collects at the bottom of the whistle and sprays up at your face & chin every time you blow the whistle. So, why do I rank it #2? Because it's great for 1-court, 2-3 match settings... the tone is great without deafening yourself nor the players.
3. Fox40mini - Piercing tone, perfect for multiple-court facility. Concern: everyone uses Fox40 or Fox40mini, so your whistle WILL sound like every other court, and it can/will confused players, and I'd hate to issue a point to a team simply because the opposing team stopped play because they thought it was "your" whistle that stopped play.
4. Fox40 - Same comments as #3 Fox40mini, just less piercing, but absolutely acceptable loudness.
5. Tornado (Acme) - Great sound, multiple-tone, good whistle, not used often by officials, so reduced whistle-confusion by players. Concern: I've experienced, and heard from other officials, that it takes a little more air to create sound.
6. Fox40 with protector (chew guard) - This IS the Fox40, it just has a soft plastic/rubber chew cover around the area your teeth make contact. I avoid this whistle because it causes my mouth and jaw to remain slightly more open, which causes my jaw to become sore quickly, and with my mouth and jaw being open slightly more, it's caused me to blow the whistle slightly incorrectly which has caused the sound to be reduced, altered, and sounding hesitant or mis-blown (is that a word?).

Well, there you have it... my collection and my input. But whatever whistle(s) you choose... I bought all mine at www.roofsportswear.com and I always tell other officials that I'm buying stuff so that we make one BIG order to qualify for free shipping... oh, and it's in California, so for us in Illinois we don't pay tax either.

[TimTaylor]

Fox40 mini-CMG is what I use for volleyball - standard Fox40 CMG for basketball...

[refnrev]

Me, too, Toolman. Excellent choices and good taste on your part!

[jkumpire]

Great whistle, it is much different than the Fox 40, and it will get your job done.

Buy it, today, or yesterday.

[Back In The Saddle]

The Fox Pearl was notably missing from these lists. Lower tone, distinct from the Fox40.

[MCBear]

BITS, the Pearl is what I used to use, but I found that there were times that it did not have enough carrying power to be heard during a spirited match. So, I switched to the Fox-40 Classic and have never had a problem or complaint about not being able to be heard when I "toot" it. However, as always, YMMV.

[jkumpire]

That is why you should get a Dolfin and use it. I am the only guy in my area that uses one, though another guy uses another Molten whitsle with a long plastic piece on the bottom that gives off a very different sound as well. I have not seen the model other than his, so I don't know much about it.

But, if everyone around is using a Fox 40, or some version of it, it will do both your partner and your teams good to have a different whistle sound, esp. in a loud gym or one with multiple courts.

One other whistle I use, in quiet gyms however, is the lower pitched Fox whistle for hockey officials. It has a pea, and you have to have a lot of air to use it and be heard, but it has a very different sound, and does get people's attention.