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Giving Chilly Weather the Cold Shoulder

Much has changed since Dec. 31, 1967. When the crew scheduled to work the NFL championship game awoke in Green Bay, Wis., that morning, they knew they were woefully unprepared for air temperatures that would dip to minus-15. A last-minute trip to a sporting goods store allowed the officials to buy long underwear, gloves and other apparel they hadn’t packed. Still, they shivered and quaked as the wind whipped through Lambeau Field in a game that has become known as the Ice Bowl.

A modern-day official may similarly get caught short due to changing weather conditions. But the effectiveness and variety of cold-weather clothing is far superior to that available to the Ice Bowl crew.

The development of such materials as polypropelene and Gore-Tex allow today’s officials to stay warm while avoiding the bulkiness of old-fashioned foul weather gear. In addition to dressing properly, officials can repel the chill by following some simple guidelines, culled from a variety of medical and apparel-related sources.

• Pregame. Before you take the field, do more than the usual amount of stretching and warming up. The increased blood flow will better prepare you for activity in cold weather and help prevent muscle pulls. Reduce activity or stop if you start to sweat.

• Dress in layers. If you wear some type of long underwear, wear an insulated top as well. Dressing in layers will allow you to remove or add garments when the weather or game conditions change. Avoid cotton garments because the material absorbs moisture. That eliminates insulation and increases heat loss from the skin. Choose garments made of material that allows perspiration to be wicked away from the skin.

• Cover your head. A hat may be part of the standard uniform for your sport, but it won’t help keep you warm. The type of head covering sold by officiating supply companies is light-weight enough to allow for the hat but constructed of a material that will keep your head warm.

• Replenish fluids. Most people think drinking water only helps prevent dehydration in hot weather. The truth is, you need to replace fluids lost in your breath and from sweat.

• Don’t get overheated. Spending an entire halftime period in a heated shed or locker room will cause you to sweat, leading to problems when you return to the cold weather. If necessary, remove layers at halftime and put them back on before you take the field.

• Take a warm shower. After the game, a warm (as opposed to hot) shower will help your body readjust to room temperature.

Written by Jeffrey Stern, Referee senior editor. This article originally appeared in the 11/03 issue of Referee.

Officiating Industry's Legal Guide is Now Available Sports Officiating: A Legal Guide, available through NASO and Referee magazine, is the number-one comprehensive book about officiating legal issues for officials, administrators and association leaders.

Considered the foremost authority on the legal issues of sports officiating, Alan Goldberger, an attorney and veteran basketball official, football referee and baseball umpire from Clifton, N.J., has written a thorough yet easy-to-understand reference covering official’s rights and responsibilities.

Published by Referee and now in its second edition, Sports Officiating: A Legal Guide includes specific coverage of rules and regulations in 10 sports: baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, track and field, volleyball and wrestling. Topics covered within the sport chapters include officials’ duties, weather situations, sportsmanship issues, uniforms and equipment and more.

Goldberger also covers association issues such as non-profit status, independent contractor issues, hiring and firing practices and tax questions.

“Avoiding liability and knowing when to assert your legal rights is critical to successful officiating in the 21st century,” Goldberger said. “Officials need to recognize that the law impacts their work, and that of all officials associations, whether they like it or not.”

Goldberger examines prior cases involving officials and explains how the verdicts in those cases affect today’s officials.

“At the end of the day, officials can work their games smarter, manage risk and protect themselves from legal troubles if they have practical, real-world guidance,” Goldberger said.

“This book is the essential guide for sports officials and those who supervise, manage and use their services,” said NASO President Barry Mano. “Its contents are a clear indication that officiating in today’s world is not like the ‘old days.’”

Pull Up a Chair ...

Everyone who’s ever stepped onto a field, court or rink to officiate a game has a story to tell. Here’s a story about an interesting incident with an officiating friend. We know you have a story to tell. Write it down and e-mail to lastcall@referee.com.

This Guy's With Me

By Bill McCabe

You meet a lot of people in officiating, but the ones who become your true friends are precious. Of course, you have to take the bad with the good. ...

My dear friend, Jerry White, officiated major college basketball for more than 30 years. Everyone who knows him, it seems, has a favorite “Jerry White story.”

Several years ago, Jerry called to ask how my football schedule looked for the fall. I told him I was privileged to have an assignment at the University of Notre Dame. He said, “I think I’ll go with you.” Taken aback a little, I informed him I did not have a ticket for him. But in typical Jerry fashion he said, “No problem; we’ll figure something out!” I hesitantly gave him my flight times and, of course, he had no trouble booking the same flights.

As we were flying to South Bend together, I told him I had to meet briefly with the NBC producer before we caught up with the rest of the officiating crew. Jerry wanted to tag along there, too. I told him he could come to the meeting but only on one condition — he had to be on his best behavior. After the meeting, I told him, I would see what I could do about getting him a ticket to the game.

When we walked into the meeting room, the first thing I noticed was the big buffet of food, and I joked to the producer, “Was I supposed to bring the entire crew?” He said, “No, the announcers, Todd Christensen and Jim Lampley, and several administrative people will be joining us.” We started to get down to business and had only been there a few minutes when I happened to glance over at Jerry.

“This is great food! You should have some!” He had a heaping plate of chicken, mashed potatoes and everything else the buffet offered. I shook my head. As the meeting progressed, Jerry was sitting next to Lampley. They struck up a conversation talking about Pac-10 basketball. Lampley, like so many before him, took an instant liking to Jerry and asked, “Jerry, where are you sitting? Why don’t you come sit with us up in the pressbox?” Jerry said, “Oh, I don’t have a ticket. Bill is getting me one.” Jerry beamed and everyone looked at me. I tried to smile. To be perfectly honest, I hadn’t given any thought yet on how I was going to get Jerry a ticket.

I saw the producer go over to the telephone, and a couple of minutes later his assistant came into the room and handed Jerry an all-access NBC pass. Oh brother! Were we in trouble now! But everything seemed to go fine after that. Jerry and I met with my crew before Jerry headed up to the pressbox to watch the game.

Early in the fourth quarter, our umpire called holding against Notre Dame. As I was giving the preliminary signal, I took a peek at Lou Holtz (then ND coach) to catch his reaction. My heart dropped. I don’t remember Lou’s reaction. What’s burned in my mind is the image of Jerry White standing right next to him.

“I just wanted to see how tall he was,” Jerry said after the game, waving his “all-access” pass in the air.

Exasperated, I asked him why he hadn’t stayed up in the pressbox. “Aww, it was too crowded,” he said. In fact, before he wandered down to the field, Jerry moseyed on over to the empty luxury box next to the announcers’ booth, where he said he was soon joined by a gentleman. “I told him, ‘Come on in; the food’s great,’” Jerry recalled for us. It turned out the gentleman was the president of Notre Dame. I gurgled a little, but couldn’t say anything as Jerry finished his story. “We had a great time! He gave me his business card and told me to call if I ever needed anything.”

Only Jerry could go from being a complete outsider at a venue like Notre Dame to anywhere on the inside. He lives a charmed life, and even on those days when it seems all I’m doing is playing his straight man, I wouldn’t trade my friendship with Jerry for anything.

Bill McCabe officiated in the Western Athletic and Mountain West conferences for 21 years (1978-99). He is currently an Arena Football League referee as well as a replay official for the NFL. This originally appeared in the 7/04 issue of Referee.