20 Second Count - How do they know ?

[jtblaxref]

I worked a real barn-burner yesterday - the winning goal was scored with 0.5 seconds remaining.

One of the complaints from (at least) one of the coaches was related to our counts. There were several times (at least 3) when there was a lot of action at the midfield (always on the far side, so it was "easy" to see from the coaches box). There was generally a lot of commentary about "who has the count".

It occurred to me after the game that while it is easy for anyone to see who has (or does not have) a 10 second count, this is not the case with the 20. From the coaches perspective they may have seen one of us with arms swinging suddenly stop - and not notice that we had played with the box on the belt. Or, they could look up and see no one 'counting" and assume that we had not done our job.

Now, I realise that these sorts of situations don't arise all that often (and we really did have a lot in this game), but I think that I can be sympathetic to the coaches viewpoint that (especially in a close game), they want to know the status of the ball and how the various timing issues are handled.

We currently do not have a mechanic to show that the timer is running, and our old mechanic would only work if they were watching the correct official when the timer was started.

Any thoughts ?

[LaxRef]

The trail always has the count in two-man or three-man for the 20-second count. If the coach wants to know if I turned my timer on, I'll tell him when he asks, but, really, don't the coaches have better things to worry about?

If they're really concerned, they can look at the game clock when a team gets possession to keep us honest.

[MElaxRef]

There is a signal to indicate that the beeper is turned on, namely, a pump of one hand over your head.

Just tell a coach who asks about the 20-second count that the Trail signaled the start of the beeper. (There is a good chance that he doesn't know what a Trail official is, or what the signal is, but what else is new?)

I don't recommend asking whether he was paying attention.

[flagman]

I've had a coach misinterpret the arm pump to start the 20 second beeper count as a silent play-on. On this particular play, his attackman got hit on the shoulder by a skilled defenseman, who simultaneously knocked the ball out of his crosse, he then scooped it and proceeded up the field. I pumped my arm to signal the start of the 20 sec. and when I let play proceed, the coach, who was close to me on the sideline, started jawing at me about not blowing the play-on dead. Once I quietly informed him that the arm pump was our mechanic to signal the 20 second count and that there was no play-on as their was no push, he simply said, "oh, I like that mechanic, now I'll know when the 20 starts".

[LaxRef]

Yeah, except that mechanic (fist pump on start of timer) has been rescinded. You can do it if you want--I do it out of habit--but that is not the prescribed mechanic any longer.

[BlueJaysLaxFan]

We don't use the arm pump mechanic for the 20s timer, and when a coach asks I'll tell him or I'll ask my partner if he was on the far-side and get back to the coach. In terms of when the 20s count starts, some coaches assume it's when team A lost possession, when really it's when team B gains possession on a turnover. They may be keeping track of a 20s count on the scoreboard, but it's not the right count.

[3rdPersonPlural]

The tricky part is when a clear dissolves into a contested ground ball and possession changes several times before the scrum is resolved. What we do out here is yell 'reset' to our partner when the 20 is replaced by a new 10 or the 10 is replaced by a new 20. This is one aspect of the 2 man mechanic where clear audible communication is critical, as it is mortifying to be in the middle of a 10 count caused by a momentary possession by the riding team that the trail never saw, and have his 20 timer go off.

[MElaxRef]

Yeah, except that mechanic (fist pump on start of timer) has been rescinded. You can do it if you want--I do it out of habit--but that is not the prescribed mechanic any longer.

How are rescinded mechanics communicated?

It may be senility, but I try to stay current with mechanics, since I teach them, and I don't recall any notice.

I'm all for the change; my arms are tired from all of the counting!

[fife14]

Lax Ref, what is the proper mechanic?

[LaxRef]

Lax Ref, what is the proper mechanic?

Click on your timer with one hand and start your 4-second count with the other. Fist pump may be used but is optional. I use it.

[flagman]

I use the fist pump, because we don't always start with a four second count and that provides some form of visual for the coaches, but it's also a habit now.