Be the Referee: The Survey Says
November 2, 2017
In this week's edition, assistant director Mark Uyl explains how a recently completed national survey will assist in the recruitment of officials.
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 – The Survey Says - Listen
Over the years, the officiating industry has really struggled with the fact that there’s been very little data out there to really understand who officials are. This kind of data would be very helpful as the MHSAA continues to recruit, retain and train our officials.
The National Association of Sports Officials just conducted a national survey in which nearly 20,000 amateur sports officials responded about who they are, their education level and where they’re from. It’s some of this national data that will now allow us to make better decisions as we continue to recruit and keep the officiating ranks in Michigan strong.
Past editions
October 26: Helmet Comes Off - Listen
October 19: Goal Line Rules - Listen
October 12: No 1st-Year Fee - Listen
October 5: Athletic Empty Nesters - Listen
September 28: Misunderstood Football Rules: Kicking - Listen
September 21: Preparation for Officials - Listen
September 14: Always Stay Registered - Listen
September 7: Other Football Rules Changes - Listen
August 31: Pop-Up Onside Kicks - Listen
August 24: Blindside Blocks - Listen
Be the Referee: Trickery & Communication
October 24, 2018
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis explains a key piece of communication that takes place between football referees and coaches during pregame.
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 – Trickery & Communication - Listen
One of the long-time strategies in the game of football is deception. It has lots of other names, and most often goes these days by the name of trickery. Catching an opponent off-guard can break a game wide open. But catching the officiating crew off-guard is something you don’t want to have happen or else your big play may be blown dead inadvertently.
That’s why during the pre-game meeting the officiating crew has with each head coach, one of the questions that will be asked is – “Coach, do you have any trick plays we should be watching for?” And coaches, who are usually tight lipped about a lot of their strategies, will be very open and describe in detail anything fancy that’s in the playbook for that game.
This type of communication gets coaches and officials on the same page and ensures that when trickery comes visiting, only the opponents are surprised.
Past editions
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