NO ONLINE MEETING TODAY
With all the videos, photos, and announcements we’ve been putting into the Sunday newsletter lately, there’s really no need for an online meeting. Just make sure you are keeping up to date with the latest information so that we go into the post-season with all officials, coaches, and administrators on the same page!
Believe it or not, we only have a few weeks left in the regular season before post-season begins!! Let’s make it a positive and great experience for all the players, coaches, teams, and ourselves by sticking to the principles we adhere to in GKCOA: be a great mentor, be a great mentee, and always strive to improve every single match!!
HOW’S YOUR NET CHAIN?
When was the last time you laid out your net chain and actually measured it to see if it’s the right length? If you have a few minutes this week and have a tape measure or yardstick, try measuring the length of your chain to see if it’s really 7′ 4 1/8″ long. You might be surprised! Net chain manufacturers sometimes make mistakes or there’s some referees who say that chains actually stretch out over the course of time. When we tell a coach that they need to adjust the net for the rest of the season, let’s make sure we give them accurate information.
THE OFFICIALS DRAFT
On Wed., Oct. 9, the MSHSAA volleyball districts officials draft will take place at Blue Springs South at 7:00pm. All of the district tournament managers from all four classes of all the districts in northwest Missouri will be present to select referees and line judges for the tournaments that begin on Mon., Oct. 28.
A total of 87 officials signed up, and the vast majority are GKCOA members again this year. David Thompson and Don Gard will be present at the draft. They will not be part of the drafting, but they will merely give information to the tournament managers regarding officials that they might not know very well. They will not offer any recommendations to the tournament managers. After the referees get drafted, the GKCOA will help fill in any remaining line judging positions.
So, beginning that night, you may start getting phone calls or emails from tournament managers asking you to work districts on various nights. Remember, those initial contacts are NOT CONTRACTS. You will be sent an official contract through the MSHSAA website. You must accept that contract in order to be paid.
Also, if your post-season availability has changed in any way since you sent in the form, you MUST contact the MSHSAA office directly before the draft Wednesday to make sure it is up to date. If you decline a post-season contract, that is not considered very kindly by MSHSAA and might impact any future post-season selections.
Selections for sectionals and state will be made by the MSHSAA office, and you will be contacted directly from them if you are selected. GOOD LUCK!!
GKCOA CENTER LINE VIDEO
In case you missed it earlier in the season, Don Sleet has put this great video together about center line violations. If you haven’t seen it yet, please take about six minutes out of your life to do so…it’s worth it!
THE IMPORTANCE OF SIGNAL 14:
What’s Signal 14, you ask? Well, as you can see above, it’s the Begin Serve signal. We all do this signal at least 100 times every match, so it’s easy to get a little lackadaisical about the proper signal. Sometimes we give the signal first, then whistle or maybe whistle, but just slightly shake our hand and don’t give the full signal. It doesn’t seem like a big deal to have to signal like it shows above every single time, right?
Well, imagine if you are a player in serve receive, and the referee whistles in a loud gym and only shakes his/her hand where only the server can see it. The receiving team might not know that the authorization for serve was given in that loud environment, and they get aced because of it. The fault actually lies with the first referee for not giving a proper signal that both sides can see.
Also, there are many deaf volleyball players out there that rely on that signal because they can’t hear the whistle.
Lastly, it’s important to whistle first, then signal because a coach can call timeout or request a sub all the way up until the authorization of service. Oftentimes, the whistle determines the end of that time period a coach has to make those requests. So, if you wait until during or after the signal to whistle, you’re just making it harder on yourself (and particularly on your second referee) to determine EXACTLY when and if the coach made the request in time.
So, please make sure we whistle first, then give the entire signal as shown above so that players on both sides of the net can see it.
NET VIOLATION PROTOCOL
When the R2 signals a net (or center line) violation, remember the R2 whistles and then gives the net violation signal (or center line violation signal, if applicable) FIRST, then the point is awarded by the R1. The referees in this video do a very good job of following the appropriate signal sequence:
The sequence for R2 is: whistle, signal net violation, give the player number to the R1, then mimic the point signal from the R1. If there is a center line violation, it is not necessary to indicate the player number of the violator.
The sequence for R1 is: award the point after R2 gives you the player number, then display the player number to the appropriate bench. The R1 does not mimic the net violation signal from the R2.
Remember, if the R1 initiates the net violation call, the signal sequence is normal: point signal, then net violation signal and the R2 mimics.
If you forgot how to display the player numbers properly, check out pages 96-97 in the NFHS Case Book/Officials Manual.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK! LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY SITUATIONS OR QUESTIONS! ken.corum@nkcschools.org or put a message in the drop box (link at the top of this page)
DR. KEN CORUM 