Be the Referee: Officials Reports

March 23, 2017

In this week's final "Be the Referee" of the 2016-17 school year, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains how officials report to the MHSAA office and schools when they experience a situation outside the norm, and the importance of those reports.

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 – Officials Reports - Listen

One of the ways officials provide feedback on the games they work is through an online Officials Report form process, where officials provide the MHSAA Office and the schools involved follow-up information whenever odd or unusual things take place.

The form can be used to report praise for a school, and it can also be used for concerns – everything form a sportsmanship concern to an equipment or facility problem which might need some further attention. The form is also used on those few occasions where ejections from games occur. Schools which receive no negative officials reports are annually sent a congratulatory letter from the MHSAA, and last year, over 250 schools were so recognized.

    Past editions
    March 16: Under the Bus - Listen
    March 9: Hockey Hits - Listen
    March 2: Deciding the Game - Listen
    Feb. 23: Pitch Counts - Listen
    Feb. 16: Recruiting Officials - Listen
    Feb. 9: Ejections - Listen
    Feb. 2: Wrestling & Technology - Listen
    Jan. 26: Post Play - Listen
    Jan. 19: Ice Hockey Overtime - Listen
    Jan. 12: Free Throw Change - Listen
    Jan. 5: Ratings - Listen
    Dec. 22: Video Review - Part 2 - Listen
    Dec. 15: Video Review - Part 1 - Listen
    Dec. 8: Registration - Part 2 - Listen
    Dec. 1: Registration - Part 1 - Listen
    Nov. 24: You Make the Call - Sleeper Play - Listen
    Nov. 17: Automatic 1st Downs - Listen
    Nov. 10: Uncatchable Pass - Listen
    Nov. 3: The Goal Line - Listen
    Oct. 27: Help Us Retain Officials - Listen
    Oct. 20: Point After Touchdown - Listen
    Oct. 13: Untimed Down - Listen
    Oct. 6: Soccer Penalty Kick Change - Listen
    Sept. 29: Preparation for Officials - Listen
    Sept 22: You Make the Call: Returning Kickoffs - Listen
    Sept. 15: Concussions - Listen
    Sept 8: Equipment Covering the Knees - Listen
    Sept. 1: Play Clock Experiment - Listen
    Aug. 25: Clipping in the Free Blocking Zone - Listen

    Be the Referee: Libero

    By Paige Winne
    MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

    September 17, 2024

    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 – Libero - Listen

    In volleyball, a libero is a defensive player who plays in the back row. It’s a fairly new position, as it was introduced in 1998 – and the libero plays by some unique rules:

    ► The libero wears a different color jersey from the rest of the team – so they are easily identifiable. Only one libero can be designated for each set of a match.

    ► The libero can serve, but can't perform an overhead set in front of the attack line, or complete an attack if the ball is above the net.

    ► The libero is never allowed to rotate to the front line.

    ► The libero is the first line of defense, often passing to the setter and covering open spaces.

    ► The libero can be replaced without restriction – but in the event of an injury, can only be replaced by the player the libero originally replaced.

    Previous 2024-25 Editions

    Sept. 10: Cross Country Uniforms - Listen
    Sept. 3: Soccer Handling - Listen
    Aug. 24: Football Holding - Listen

    PHOTO Livonia Franklin libero Mckenna Moore (1) defends during her team's match against Livonia Churchill this season. (Photo by Douglas Bargerstock.)