Be the Referee: Swim Finishing Touch
September 19, 2019
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis explains a new rule in swimming that allows for more flexibility when determining when a competitor has finished a race.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment - Swimming Finishing Touch - Listen
There’s a swimmer-friendly rules change being made in that sport this season. The definition of a legal finish has been changed to allow a competitor to touch any part of the finish end of the lane.
Previously, a swimmer had to contact the touch pad for a legal finish. The touch rule has also been changed to apply during relay races – where prior to this season only the final swimmer had to touch the finish end of the pool.
While the changes may provide some flexibility for swimmers, it does put additional responsibility on lane judges and back-up hand timers to be ready for those occurrences when a swimmer does not contact the touch pad.
Sept. 12: Curbing Gamesmanship By Substitution - Listen
Sept. 5: Football Safety Rules Changes - Listen
Aug. 29: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
Be the Referee: Hockey Equipment
January 24, 2019
This week, MHSAA assistant director Brent Rice discusses the need to monitor the proper wearing of the ice hockey neck guard.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Required Hockey Equipment - Listen
A number of sports require certain equipment be worn, and be worn unaltered. In ice hockey, one such piece of equipment is the neck guard.
This is something not very well understood. And it’s not just that some players try to either not wear the neck guard or alter it – resulting in a team warning if caught – but that upwards of half of the neck guards on the ice on any given night of high school play are actually altered. Common alterations are putting tape around the guards, removing padding and wearing the donut style way below the collar bone.
Coaches, officials, players, parents and administrators have to treat this risk management issue more seriously than they are now to make the game as safe as it can possibly be.
Past editions
January 17: You Make the Call: 10-Second Clock - Listen
January 10: Tripping in Hockey - Listen
January 3: Sliding in Basketball - Listen
December 27: Stalling in Wrestling - Listen
December 20: Basketball: You Make the Call - Listen
December 13: Basketball Uniform Safety - Listen
December 6: Coaching Box Expansion - Listen
November 29: Video Review, Part 2 - Listen
November 22: Video Review, Part 1 - Listen
November 15: You Make the Call - Sleeper Play - Listen
November 8: 7-Person Football Crews - Listen
November 1: Overtime Differences - Listen
October 25: Trickery & Communication - Listen
October 18: Punts & Missed Field Goals - Listen
October 11: What Officials Don't Do - Listen
October 4: Always 1st-and-Goal - Listen
September 27: Unique Kickoff Option - Listen
September 20: Uncatchable Pass - Listen
September 13: Soccer Rules Change - Listen
September 6: You Make the Call: Face Guarding - Listen
August 30: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
August 23: Football Rules Changes - Listen