Referee Equipment

[mdamson 0]

My daughter is going to be starting as a referee this year to earn some extra money and to start skating again while she recovers from ACL and torn cartilage surgery. She will be refereeing squirt and peewee age players. My question is what will she need for gear? She will need a new helmet and a visor, since her other one is blue. This much I know. What other items should she get? What are quality models to look for? Can she use her regular hockey shin pads and elbow pads? How about whistles? I have heard that she should look for a good quality whistle, as others may not work properly after extended use. What is a good whistle to look for?

[schrempsky 0]

acme thunderer is the whistle that i used. they always recommended that we had two, but my original whistle worked great for over 5 years of reffing.

if her hockey shin pads fit under the ref pants well enough, thats perfect

elbow probably wouldnt be necessary for that level, most guys i saw used them in junior and midget only

i never even used shinpads until i started reffing junior, but most people call me crazy

[Spreedizzle 1]

Here is a good site that carries anything that she could need:

http://www.officialswearhouse.com/

Whistle - basic finger whistle

Shins - a lower level of protection, and slimmer fit is typically ideal as they will fit more comfortable under your ref pants

Elbows - similar to shins, you don't need to be calling a came in Vector 10.0's

They do make ref specific pads that you can pick up, but I personally use some low level pads from years prior.

[sabby47 2]

Maybe it's just me but official's pants you buy will probably have to be altered.. I have a pair of Bauer size Small and the length is about a ft too long and about 8 inches too big in the waist. If your association isn't too picky you should be able to buy her a pair of plain black athletic pants to ref in.

For your ref jersey when she gets her crest it's easier to sew on velcro to the jersey and patch.. makes it easier to reuse the jersey season after season.

[kosydar 0]

Honestly I wouldn't invest too much into it until she is sure she likes it. A jersey is a must, so is a whistle. After that I think she can probably use her other gear. Black sweatpants work fine at lower levels.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

CCM pants come unhemmed.

[Chadd 916]

Always wear elbow pads of some type, especially when doing the little guys games. It doesn't take much for one of them to take you out from behind. Shin pads aren't really required for the lowest levels but you might as well have them. A cheap, lightweight inline girdle is a good choice if she decides that she likes it. You never know when someone is going to whip around with a stick or fall down and slide into you with their skates pointing up.

The Acme thundered whistle is the gold standard as far as I'm concerned. It takes less effort to blow them loud and clear and they last roughly forever. After ten years I still have the two that I bought initially. I do agree that you might want to go easy on buying new gear until you find out if she likes it. A lot of people can't handle the abuse from coaches and parents. If you have a short fuse, you might want to stay away from the rink when she's working her games as well. It might keep you from killing one of those assholes who really deserves it.

[vdubbin 0]

i would say that you need to get shin pads for any level. there is nothing worse than a stick in the shins at any level. a lot of the squirts dont know how to properly take a face off and just swing away, and a lot of the time make cantact with you. i also would say get some elbow pads. i wear a pair of lacrosse ones when i ref. they are low profile and have a good amount of proctection.

[jimmy 194]

Solid white laces and black spit shine for the toecaps.

[kosydar 0]

I may be in the minority here on this, but I really don't think you need the all white laces unless you're reffing high level games. Right now I'm only reffing adult league (the same league I play in) and I wear yellow laces. At the squirt and peewee level it shouldn't matter either. As long as you don't wear gloves I think you're fine.

[weddie4lyfe 0]

Depends on what the league your reffing says that you need, when i reffed we needed the all white laces and if they get alittle off white they made you get a new set before they let you ref anymore.... Also if your going to get the reffing shin pads get the shin tights for them.... there great especially if you place the pads over the tongue of your skates.... the shin tights just keep the tight to the leg and makes it look as if your pants are longer as you bend you wont see the pad

[Chadd 916]

Some ref associations are more anal than others. You're just better off going with white laces and avoiding a potential problem.