- 02:52 AM
- 11/22/09
| Name: | matt pettigrew |
|---|---|
| Member since: | February 23, 2009 |
| Last visit: | October 05, 2009 |
pettym has posted 0 links and 3 comments to SportsFilter and 0 links and 0 comments to the Locker Room.
As a multiple sport official for over 15 years now, there does come a time in a game where the fans are start to take the game away from what it is. The game is there for the participants, not the fans (at the grass roots level of course). I have had players come up to me on more than one occasion and request to have fans removed because it was detracting from the game. I have asked people to leave from games ranging to 8 year old kids playing hockey up to the college level. When the fan was removed from the college game, there was a standing ovation. It can be that bad at times. If Mr. Briggs has been officiating for over 10 years, he has thick skin. Something caused him to gas the whole crowed. I have heard of it happening before and I am sure it will happen again. The fans should be there to support the teams and players, not to vent their frustration and something they have no control over. When fans are in good spirits, it makes the game more enjoyable for all involved.
posted by pettym at 11:57 AM on June 17
As an official myself, the 'art' of officiating is being refined as it ages. It used to be common place to jump on the boards to get out of the way. Now, we are teaching refs to avoid that at all costs. As soon as your skates leave the ice you lose the advantage of solid base. One good check while you're on the boards can put you into the players bench or can end up much worse - broken arms and legs are not unheard of. As you get to the higher levels of hockey, players learn that the linesmen are in basically the same spot every time and they in turn learn to avoid that spot - a puck shot into a linesman is not a puck that clears the zone. We officials still have to keep our head up for the panic plays but most of the time we can have faith in the players. In my 11 years of officiating I have suffered a concussion, a broken foot, many "tattoos" and coutless other bumps, bruises, and cuts but that is just part of the game. Players skate though most of that so we officials do as well.
Referee's are lucky in that their positioning is much more fluid than a linesman has to be. Linesmen have to be on their line to make the call whereas the refs move to get a better vantage point throughout the game.
posted by pettym at 01:08 PM on February 23
Too dainty to hit
Having coached and refereed women's hockey at the college level, the game of women's hockey is extremely different from that of the men's. From an officiating standpoint, introducing hitting would make calling a game much easier. I have worked with many refs who have no idea what at a rubout is compared to a bodycheck. But introduction now would have interesting implications. At what level could the girls start hitting? Will all levels adopt it at once or will they just allow it as they move up. Once a girl from the year they allowed hitting made it to the national level, would all the women already playing a that level have to start hitting? I think that the implimentation would be the hardest part. As for the size aspect, size doesn't really matter; there is a certain respect in the game and there are rules to help keep it safe. At the 14 and under age for boys, you will get kids who are 6'2" playing against kids that are 5'. Rarely does one of the smaller kids leave the game hurt and if he does, it is almost always due to the nature of the play and not the size of the player.
Adding hitting may put a fwe more people in the stands but as the game is now, it is very entertaining if you undertand the sport. But, that said, most people don't understand Men's hockey let alone women's. =/