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Be the Referee: Cheer Safety
February 11, 2015
This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains how a safe environment is created for Michigan's competitive cheerleaders.
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 - Cheer Safety - Listen
Cheerleaders – usually at the college level - get in the sports headlines whenever an accident occurs causing a serious injury. In Michigan, the sport of Competitive Cheer doesn’t make the news in that regard.
Why? Because this sport, created by Michigan schools, has built-in safety guidelines for competition, including the proper matting, rules which prohibit dangerous stunts, and safety judges observing the routines, whose responsibility is to detect, record and report safety violations when they occur, and to penalize those who commit them.
This format is exclusive to Michigan and just another way that high school sports take the extra step to make the games our children play as safe as they can possibly be.
Past editions
Feb. 2 - Basketball PA Announcers - Listen
Jan. 26 - Wrestling Health Concerns - Listen
Jan. 19 - Basketball Physical Contact - Listen
Jan. 12 - Video Review Part 2 - Listen
Dec. 29 - Video Review Part 1 - Listen
Dec. 17 - Registration Part 2 - Listen
Dec. 10 - Registration Part 1 - Listen
Dec. 3 - Legacy Program - Listen
Nov. 26 - Sideline Management - Listen
Nov. 19 - 7-Person Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 12 - Blocking Below the Waist - Listen
Nov. 5 - Tournament Selection - Listen
Oct. 29 - Uncatchable Pass - Listen
Oct. 22 - Preparation for Officials - Listen
Oct. 15 - Automatic First Downs - Listen
Oct. 8 - Officials & Injuries - Listen
Oct. 1 - Overtime - Listen
Sept. 25 - Field Goals - Listen
Sept. 18 - Tackle Box - Listen
Sept. 11 - Pass Interference - Listen
Aug. 25 - Targeting - Listen
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Be the Referee: Soccer Rule Change
September 13, 2018
In this week's edition, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis explains a significant change in soccer regarding fouls in the penalty area.
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 – Soccer Rules Change - Listen
There’s a big change in soccer rules this year on plays where a defender denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity within his or her own penalty area.
The penalty has been amended depending on whether or not the referee determines that the defensive player was attempting to play the ball when committing the foul. If so, the defender will receive a yellow card rather than a red card – and a penalty kick will be awarded. This eliminates the previous double jeopardy on the play – a P-K and a red card.
Of course, in those circumstances where there was no attempt to play the ball, the defender is still disqualified. This brings the high school rule in line with college and international rules.
Past editions
September 3: You Make the Call: Face Guarding - Listen
August 30: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
August 23: Football Rules Changes - Listen