Red Is For Danger!!

[Gamey]

Had the dubious pleasure of being flag man today - seems I got a couple wrong in the eyes of certain people (sorry Sam)! - Still your girl got a club record - well done to her

Problem is I'm quite happy I called them right (unless video evidence proves otherwise ). I red flaged on one of the girls I coach - not that it has any bearing really-if its not right its not right.
Having said that I've sat here mulling it over & over because the last thing I want to be is unfair to the athlete.
Was a day when more than their fair share of javs were landing close to foul though.

Is it time to revisit this rule as it does cause more than its fair share of controversy, at club level anyway?? At the end of the day the javelin has been thrown for a distance no matter how it lands. Since the javelin doesn't have to make a mark what is wrong with it landing flat??
If the rule has to stay is there anything that can be done to help the decision to ensure consistency???

[sam]

If you are prompt in your flag raising and show no signs of hesitation you are more likely to get away with not being harrassed.

In my experience (and i have been flag man at many different levels) you will always get someone who feels they have been done wrongly. the fact of the matter is you (the athlete) should not be throwing a javelin so it lands so very flat when the javelin is designed to land point first.
if your javelins are landing flat then you are not throwing to the best of your ability or even technically correct.

Yes i was one of those people that was feeling hard donebye today...however it's more for a few of the other athletes than my own!!
i am after all here to help the thrower as much as i can...even if i am officiating some fantastic highjump

the rules are there and they are good rules.....they are here to stay!!

Sam

ps...chris..sorry if i was a bit off with you...i never mean it....

[Patience]

I'm going to be rash and make an assumption.......that you were flag judge at one of the County Championships. If that's the case then the flag judge should be "strict". Whereas, some judges may show leeway in a league competition, particularly in the younger age groups, championships are a different matter. Athlete need to learn that throwing flat can result in no throws and that may cost them.

Sometimes, I think the athletes and spectators see different things to the flag judge due to the condition of the infield. One track I hate throwing at is Scotstoun - the infield is raised above the run up. At this year's Districts the grass hadn't been cut which made it incredibly difficult for the athlete to see if the throw had landed tail first. That competition was the first time I'd ever questioned a flag judge - I saw the javelin land point first and stick in, he saw it bounce before it stuck in. When the no throw hooter sounded, I thought I'd stepped over the line as I couldn't believe it was a flat throw. The foot fault judge claims he's never seen anyone glare at him so much. ;D

[Gamey]

Hey Sam - no offence taken!! Just like to stir some debate when things like this occur especially as this subject keeps coming up.
By the way I wasn't flag man for all the competition, took over halfway through the second round so they should have all had a throw without my judgement!!!!

So the rule is here to stay - can anything be done to assist the official?? (bodyguards maybe )
Chris

[jc]

Yesterday at Milton Keynes, the field judge had a great idea...every throw unless it stuck in was given a red flag until he had time to think...then some were changed to white! To the great amusement of the onlookers...sometimes he had trouble deciding which flag was in fact the red one...all very confusing.