line judge duties

[WilliamK]

Hi,
First time ever posting question. But have followed forum for along time. Had a weird situation in my daughters VB game over weekend. Daughter plays D-2 VB just happened to be playing host team with their ens soccer players line judging tournament.
1. Our girl prepars to jump serve about 6 or 7 feet behind line
2. line judge steps behind server about 3 or 4 feet about 10 feet from back line
3. girl serves about 2 or 3 volleys go by ref blows whistle
4. line judge is waving flag
5. he says girls crossed line by a 1/4 inch
6. ref awards point to other team we lose 25-23

I have no problem with the line judge calling foot faults, but in that situation should'nt the Up Ref be looking for that infraction. I have a hard time believing the line judge could see that from where he was! If he had said she was over by 3 or 4 inches, but to say he could see 1/4 inch seems a little farfetched to me! If there are any VB refs that can offer some insight to this? Who has this call in this situation or was this handled correctly. Just seemed to have everyone shocked by the 1/4 inch reference when he was about 10 feet behind line!

[BlitzkriegBob]

Welcome to the board William!

When I am the R1 (Up Ref as you referenced), I typically tell my line judges that if a foot fault is obvious, I will be able to call it. I also tell them that if it is close, I will look at them, and if they are giving me a foot fault signal then I will call it, if not then I will assume it was a legal serve. So if the server was over the line by 3 or 4 inches then I wouldn't really need a LJ to signal it (though I also always tell me to give the signal anyway). You say that she was over the line by 1/4-inch, but a server does not need to over the line, merely touching the line at the moment of contact of serve for a foot fault to occur.

Now if a line judge signaled a foot fault on a serve that I am not sure about, then I am going with their call. Let's say that rather than over the line, her big toe is touching the line, then obviously it is close and who is to say that my judgment from up on the stand is better than a LJ who is much closer to the server? It doesn't matter if the score is 0-0 or 24-23, a foot fault is a foot fault. The only thing I would fault the LJ for, and that I would hopefully get a chance to tell him at the first opportunity, is to not say anything, but to merely signal the infraction. Even with that, it sounds to me as though the situation was handled correctly.

[WilliamK]

Thanks, thats what I needed to know.

Everyone just thought it was sorta odd that he volunteered 1/4". Like you said if he would have just said she was over and left it at that I don't think anyone would have had a problem with the call.

Thanks again

William

[TimTaylor]

What I find interesting is how the line judge could clearly see that minor of a violation from a position behind the server as you described. When I'm the R1, I tell the line judges if they have to move back because the server starts close to their side of the court, that I will be responsible for the foot fault call.

[WilliamK]

That is what had everyone confused. Not that the line judge made the call, but where he was when he made the call. That was the Coach's complaint that the R1 should have made the call because of the location of the line judge. the 1/4 ' reference seemed a little odd to everyone

Thanks
William

[PaREF]

For the second year in a row I attended an NCAA line judge clinic so that I can line judge in some D1 matches. In the video it is clearly stated that when a line judge moves behind the server the R1 is responsible for calling foot faults on the end line since the line judge is in no position to do so.

However, the line judge still is in position to call a foot fault if the server is contacting the floor outside the boundaries of the side line.

[WilliamK]

He was very clear when this happened he was referring to the back line. Oh well... the girls got over it quickly. Just a game, the girls played well and had fun.