Search Forum Home   Discussions  Ask the Ref Doctor  How important i...  How important is it for a center to face the monitor/screen?    5/10/2006 4:14:51 AM vincentlo 16 posts How important is it for a center to face the monitor/screen? I'm wondering how important it is for a center to be facing the monitor/screen all the time. When the two players rotate around in the ring, should you follow them as the center ref (with your back to the monitor/screen at times), or should you try to face the monitor/screen all the time? I'm thinking of the latter, as you want to stop the match ASAP when you spot a scoring software malfunction, or the end of a round or a match due to point gap/ceiling, etc. Imagine the chaos if someone has just won by point gap, lets her guard down, and gets KO'ed because the center ref hasn't stopped the match. Thanks for reading (and responding), Vincent  5/10/2006 7:27:27 AM bckwh 104 posts Re: How important is it for a center to face the monitor/screen? Mr. Lo, thank you for your query. It is my opinion that it is more important to follow the match and the athletes as they move around the ring. This is in keeping with the fact that the safety of the competitors is our foremost concern. It is of secondary importance to monitor the scoreboard to make sure that time has not expired. Remember that, in most cases, you have a TA who is there to help in monitoring scoreboard situations and to get your attention if there are any irregularities. The most important time to face the scoreboard is when you are stopping the clock and assessing penalties. It is imperative that the computer operator and TA can clearly see what you are asking them to do with regard to the scoreboard. This is true also when you have stopped the clock to give a one-minute injury timeout. It is the Referee's job to notify the injured competitor about the passage of time, so it is important to be facing the clock in order to note the passage of time. Experience allows us to sense when there is a lull in the action with the athletes, thus giving an opportunity to re-position ourselves so that we can see the scoreboard. Once the time is noted, the Referee should have a clock in their head that alerts them to when the round is ending. It is important to remembe that the Timer will assist in notifying the Referee when the round has ended by tossing in a bean bag, handkerchief, or some other notiveable object. Remember also, that the round now ends automatically and not with the Referee's declaration of Keuman. In summary, the Referee shold be concerned first with following the match in order to move in for the safety of the competitors, second with seeing the clock to assist in knowing when to end a round. The Referee should always face the scoreboard when asking for stoppage of time and assessing penalties, even if it means re-positioning him/herself to be facing the scorer's table. ~BHarris  Page 1 of 1   Discussions  Ask the Ref Doctor  How important i... Flat View Tree View Oldest To Newest Newest To Oldest