Officiate Michigan Day Goes Virtual for 2021
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 3, 2021
The first two Officiate Michigan Day events in 2013 and 2018 gave hundreds of Michigan game officials opportunities to come together for education and camaraderie, something tough to replicate for an Officiate Michigan Day III to be hosted virtually this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But a series of 26 views posted to the MHSAA's YouTube feed this week instead already have been watched nearly 1,400 times, with the ability to reach hundreds more dedicated to honing their craft.
As in years past, these OMD videos offer speakers and panel discussions and address general officiating topics and also sport-specific subjects. Below is the first of those 26 videos, addressing associations and helping officials reach their goals. Or, click for the playlist in its entirety: Officiate Michigan Day.
Be the Referee: 40-Second Play Clock
August 29, 2019
This week, MHSAA Assistant Director Brent Rice explains the change in football to a 40-second play clock.
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 - 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
One of the rules changes in high school football this year involves timing between downs.
All varsity games will be played with a 40-second play clock that begins after the conclusion of the previous play, with exceptions for things like timeouts, penalties, measurements and at the start of a period – when a 25-second count will be used.
In experiments in Michigan over the past few seasons, the 40-second play clock proved to improve the pace of play and consistency between plays because it is not dependent on the referee’s subjective signal. And while some schools may choose to purchase visible play clocks for their fields, it is not required. The Back Judge, who has the primary responsibility for the play clock, will signal at 10 seconds and count the last five seconds.