Be the Referee: Swim Turn Judges
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
November 8, 2022
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 – Swim Turn Judges - Listen
Did you know the officials in swimming do more than make sure everyone dives in at the same time?
Each race has a turn judge who is positioned in line with the end wall. Their job is to make sure each swimmer is executing the proper stroke during his or her turn.
For example, if you are swimming the individual medley and are in the backstroke lap, you must turn while using the backstroke. You can’t go into the breaststroke while turning. If you do, the turn judge will signal to the referee by placing one hand overhead with an open palm, and then report it to the referee after the conclusion of the race.
The referee will then decide if the turn was legal or if the swimmer should be disqualified.
Previous Editions:
Oct. 25: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
Oct. 18: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 11: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
Oct. 11: Safety in End Zone - Listen
Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change - 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