Be the Referee: Clarifying Takedowns
February 28, 2020
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis explains new clarifications to the takedown rule for high school wrestling.
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 - Clarifying Takedowns - Listen
One of the rules changes in high school wrestling this year clarifies the definition of a takedown. This rule change eliminates some confusion from last year.
The high school rule is not the college rule that if the hands touch the mat, you immediately score a takedown. To be consistent in high school, whenever the hand touches the mat they are considered supporting points.
By removal of this "majority of the wrestler's weight" criteria, the need is eliminated for the official to make a judgmental call on weight bearing extremities.
In addition, the application of the new rule on "supporting points" becomes consistent throughout the rulebook, not just on or around the 28-foot circle.
Past editions
Feb. 20: Basketball Officials Manual - Listen
Feb. 13: Held Ball or Traveling - Listen
Feb. 6: Hockey Rules Chart - Listen
Jan. 30: Cheer Safety - Listen
Jan. 23: Goaltending - Listen
Jan. 16: Wrestling Tie-Breaker - Listen
Jan. 9: Pregame Meeting - Listen
Dec. 19: Alternating Possession - Listen
Dec. 12: Ratings - Listen
Dec. 5: Video Review Success - Listen
Nov. 28: More Injury Time - Listen
Nov. 21: Football Review - Listen
Nov. 14: Sideline Safety - Listen
Nov. 7: Officials Playlist - Listen
Oct. 31: Most Important Line - Listen
Oct. 24: Automatic 1st Downs - Listen
Oct. 17: Catch Momentum - Listen
Oct. 10: Golf Rules Changes - Listen
Oct. 3: No Tackle Box - Listen
Sept. 26: You Make the Overtime Call - Listen
Sept. 19: Swimming Finishing Touch - Listen
Sept. 12: Curbing Gamesmanship By Substitution - Listen
Sept. 5: Football Safety Rules Changes - Listen
Aug. 29: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
Be the Referee: Swimming Touchpads
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
February 14, 2023
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 Touchpads - Listen
We are in the pool today, nearing the end of our 100-yard freestyle race. To finish a race and record a time, a swimmer can either touch the touchpad or the finish end – i.e., the wall around the touchpad.
If the touchpad is contacted and a time recorded – great! That’s all the officials need.
But what happens if I hit the touchpad and the time doesn’t stop? Or if I touch the wall just above the touchpad? In these instances, the officials go to a backup timer. And the backup time for that swimmer will be used as the race time.
The backup timer operates for all races, but is only used in the event of a touchpad malfunction or a swimmer hitting the finish end. A majority of the time, it’s not even needed. But it’s good to have for instances like these.
Previous Editions:
Feb. 7: In or Out-of-Bounds in Wrestling - Listen
Jan. 31: Over the Back - Listen
Jan. 24: Competitive Cheer Judges - Listen
Jan. 17: More Lines - Listen
Jan. 10: On the Line - Listen
Jan. 3: Basketball Measurements - Listen
Dec. 13: Pregame Dunks - Listen
Dec. 6: Gymnastics Judges - Listen
Nov. 22: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 15: Back Row Illegal Blocker - Listen
Nov. 8: Swim Turn Judges - Listen
Nov. 1: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
Oct. 25: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 18: 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