MIAA GAME OFFICIALS FALL 2010 NEWSLETTER From the Assistant Director… What, if any, are the conclusions or lessons learned that apply to you and I as Massachusetts high school game officials? I offer “Bad refereeing decisions are often in the eye of the some thoughts, in no particular order: beholder.” (Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor) • The “Belichikian” defense, “it is what it is”! • Video replay on the high school level, “is not going to be Summer of discontent? Summer haze? Or Summer daze?! walking through that door” anytime soon. • Note that an unqualified and emotional admission of a How else do you explain, arguably the two of the “worst” game “kicked call”, earned Joyce considerable respect and official’s calls in sport history occurring during the summer solstice? empathy. • How important is that working relationship (a.k.a. mutual As an appetizer the “June Swoon” of game officials’ credibility respect) with coaches and players? began with the infamous baseball perfect‐game‐that‐was‐not‐a‐ • High School soccer suffers as a result of the apparently perfect game. Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Armando Galarraga, obligatory rite of the player‐crumpling‐to‐the‐pitch‐as‐ with two outs in the ninth inning squeezed the ball in his mitt, though‐he/she‐has‐been‐shot‐though‐he/she‐was‐barely‐ then stepped on first base with his right foot and was ready to celebrate his “perfect” game. Umpire Jim Joyce had a different touched moment. “view”. He emphatically called Cleveland Indians’ Jason • Position, position, position! Donald…….sssaaaaaafe….denying Galarraga and the Tigers a perfect game. Understandably the you‐know‐what hit the proverbial fan. The self‐righteous sports print and electronic The outstanding official understands the big picture. He/she media, from the elite and indispensable, (in their own minds), to knows that positioning, conditioning, preparation, and command the bottom feeders looking to make a name for themselves, of the rules, all factors that are under our personal control, launched into a feeding frenzy, “attacking increase our chances to call that “perfect game”. If maximum Joyce and crying for The Commish to overturn the call and make effort is given to each of these areas, and a call is “kicked”, then “it the perfect game “official”. Not. is what it is”‐‐‐part of the game, and a lesson learned. Joyce tearfully apologized for the blown call and Galarraga proved The MIAA and our member schools value good officials. The to be a man of character and compassion, by his outstanding importance of the role of the game official in establishing the exhibition of sportsmanship, consoling Joyce and publicly proper contest environment, in setting the standards of minimizing the impact of his now‐infamous call. sportsmanship and “fair play” cannot ever be overestimated. And then came the World Cup! Where does one start? Which, of We thank you for your renewed commitment to our student many, referee’s decisions during the tournament can be called the athletes during the 2010‐2011 school year as they compete in “the “worst”? The consensus seems to be Frank Lampard’s disallowed game of life”. goal for England against Germany, called by one pundit, “…one of the most horrifically bad pieces officiating in World Cup history”. ‐Bill McGuirk Locally however, the “phantom foul” that disallowed the potentially winning goal in the USA’s 2‐2 opening round draw against Slovenia, seems to warrant consideration for the dubious distinction of “most horrific”. If you would like to communicate with us, please use the following means: Phil Napolitano: [email protected] (508) 541-9814 Bill McGuirk: [email protected] (508) 541-9810 Concussion Rules NEW MIAA CONCUSSION RULES: 56.4 Any athlete who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion(such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion, or balance problems) shall be immediately removed from the contest and shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate health‐care professional. 56.4.1 School and athletic leaders are reminded that football and ice hockey have rules regarding health care professionals. 56.4.2 Each school must define the health care professional(s) and/or procedure(s) that must be satisfied before an athlete is allowed to return to participation. The individual(s) and/or procedure(s) must be in place for all student athletes, sports and levels. NEW NFHS SOCCER “CONCUSSION RULE” (Rule 3; Section 3; Art. 1 c(3) When a player is injured and removed from the field: 1. Same as 2009‐2010 2. Same as 2009‐2010 3. New for 2010‐2011: Any player who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion (such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion, or balance problems) shall be immediately removed from the contest and shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate health‐care professional. NFHS SOCCER CONCUSSION RULE INTERPRETATION: NFHS Assistant Director Mark Koski, confirmed the NFHS interpretation that once a player has been removed from a contest for exhibiting symptoms of a concussion described above, it is the responsibility of that player’s coach/school/health‐care professional to follow the return‐to‐play protocols established by the school, in order to determine whether or not the student athlete is cleared to return to play. MGL CHAPTER 111 AMENDMENT / “Emergency Law” Excerpts: “An Act Relative to Safety Regulations for School Athletic Programs”. “Whereas, the deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to enhance forthwith the public health of school athletes, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health‐‐‐Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: Section 1. Chapter 11 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section: Concussion Rules Section 222. “…(c) If a student participating in an extracurricular athletic activity becomes unconscious during a practice or competition, the student shall not return to the practice or competition during which the student became unconscious or participate in any extracurricular athletic activity until the student provides written authorization for such participation, from a licensed physician, licensed neuropsychologist, certified athletic trainer or other appropriately trained or licensed health care professional as determined by the department of public health, to the school’s athletic director. If a student suffers a concussion as diagnosed by a medical professional, or is suspected of having suffered a concussion while participating in an extracurricular athletic activity, the student shall not return to the practice or competition during which the student became suffered, or is suspected to have suffered, a concussion and shall not participate in any extracurricular athletic activity until the student provides written authorization for such participation, from a licensed physician, licensed neuropsychologist, certified athletic trainer or other appropriately trained or licensed health care professional as determined by the department of public health, to the school’s athletic director. (Editor’s note: This legislation was approved by the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives and enacted by Governor Deval Patrick at 5:01 p.m. on July 19, 2010) GAME OFFICIALS AND “RETURN TO PLAY” (RTP) It is important to note, after digesting all of the above concussion information, that the rules and legislation puts the responsibility entirely on the school; to have all the parties identified in the legislation trained; to determine who qualifies as the “appropriate health care professional”; and to develop in‐house procedures, including but not limited to securing head injury history, pre‐testing, post‐testing, physical exam, RTP sign‐off document, etc.. In summary the game official’s responsibilities are: • The official IS responsible for removing a “player who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion” from the field. • The game official has been “relieved” of the previous responsibility of asking for the written clearance to RTP by a physician. • The game official is NOT responsible to determine whether or not a school (Coach, trainer, etc.) have or have not followed their school’s RTP procedures. • If that player returns to the scorer’s table or touch line to RTP, the official ASSUMES that they have appropriately cleared the player to return, and beckons the player back onto the field. Concussion Resources The following represents a menu of FREE and credible materials/resources for administrators, coaches, parents and student athletes: NATIONAL FEDERATION ‐ www.nfhslearn.com • Free on‐line concussion course (What you need to know) • Suggested Guidelines for Management of Concussion in Sports brochure (Click here to view brochure) • Concussions – NFHS Sports Medicine Handbook • A Parent’s Guide to Concussions in Sports CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL ‐ www.cdc.gov/concussion • CDC Resources on Concussions: o Facts about Concussion and Brain Injury: Where to Get Help o Heads Up: Brain Injury in Your Practice initiative o Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports initiative o Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports initiative o Heads Up: Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) o Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury initiative BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF MASSACHUSETTS (BIA‐MA) – www.biama.org • Prevention Programs include: o Brains at Risk o Gateway o Think A Head o Keys o Falls o Jose and Maria • Sport Concussion Cards • DVD’s for athletes, parents & coaches–excellent resource for pre‐season meetings MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOCIETY (MMS) – www.massmed.org • Concussion / A Coach’s Guide for Sideline Evaluations (Concussion Education Brochure) 2010 Fall Sport Rule Changes Field Hockey Until the ball is played, ALL players except the player taking the center pass must remain in their own half of the field.