Photo Finish: “A race or finish in which contestants are so close that a photograph of them as they cross the finish line has to be examined to determine the winner.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary To properly adjudicate a race where competitors…
In 1995 I served as the Fourth-Class Training Director at the United States Air Force Academy. In that role, I was the editor for Contrails, the handbook issued to basic cadets upon arrival. The “Basics” were required to memorize large…
One of my guilty pleasures is watching cooking shows. If I could go back in a time machine, I might consider attending culinary school and then opening a bed and breakfast. I’m not saying I’d beat Bobbly Flay, but I…
It’s interesting how we can sometimes review a play’s description on paper and quickly and confidently decide how we’d officiate the action, but when we see the same play on the football field, it takes us by surprise and we…
Aristotle’s quote, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts” is fitting when describing wing “connectedness.” If wings do not communicate and connect, and worse, if wings compete with each other on the field, the two independent wings…
The general instructions for football line-to-gain crews is in the Game Resources section. This document provides good foundational information to brief the chain crews. Here are a few other items to consider: Equipment I recommend you purchase the cloth clip…
I dislike the axiom, “What we permit, we promote.” That saying implies officiating is a binary endeavor. It suggests if we allow a player to “get away” with a word or act, we are somehow promoting it. We study the…
K12 free kicks the ball from the K-40. The HL throws a flag at the R-20 when R10 blocks K55 below the waist. R33 picks up the grounded kick at the R-5 and is downed at the R-12. The HL…
Remember, we’re interacting with teenagers on the football field. We can’t expect them to exhibit the same self-control as fully-developed adults. They may not know how to properly resolve conflict. Their coaches yell at them after they get manhandled by…
Dealing with coaches is one of the most essential officiating abilities. I had the privilege of observing one of my mentors, Mark VanGampleare, expertly communicate with coaches. I’ve also dialogued with Randy Campbell, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Football Officials…
