Thread: Scenario Reffing : Fights : stop before it starts, lighten up, sportsmanship,

Originally Posted by Aerion

.. And I think from the standpoint of what we're doing, we need to address it with a one sentence blurb to the effect that it's an extreme situation that law enforcement should handle.

^ bingo

I thought you two wanted discussion....

Here here! And an amen at the end... Good call Aerion...

You may consider including something along the lines, "If an unlikely situation as this does surface, your job as a ref is to escort the uninvolved players away from the fracas as fast as you can. Field management should call the authorites to handle the situation itself. As is always, you are there for the players safety".

this exact situation happened to us this past weekend at mout. my team was holding the entire back section of the field as ordered. i was in the back building next to that big burm along the woodline. 2 players charged over the burm and got shot up pretty bad. it was a bold move and those guys had to know what to expect. both players turned to walk away, but one was really pissed and turned back around and started unloading out of anger. we shot him up again. this infuriated the player and he stormed into the building trying to pick a fight (not a bright idea considering there were 10 of us guys all on the same team inside). two refs (dont know if it was vicsec or gks) ran right up on the guy and and basically human shielded him from attacking anyone, kinda like you would get in between your buddies in highschool if they were gonna throwdown over something stupid. they did a good job, but could have comprimised thier own safety. they did basically human wall the guy right out of the building. the refs actions kept things from getting physical.

i think it is imperative for a ref to first notify any other refs in the area for assistance as well as notify the head ref/field owner. i think the only time the law enforcement should be called is if things do become physical, which usually doesnt happen. after a good shout match and the refs escort the two parties to different areas, things usually simmer down.

Originally Posted by Kurb

I thought you two wanted discussion....

Discussion, yes. Certainly. But in this case, too much effort was being expended to discuss a situation that will probably never occur. We need to stay focused on how to handle those situations that will actually occur.

Originally Posted by havokrooster

this exact situation happened to us this past weekend at mout. my team was holding the entire back section of the field as ordered. i was in the back building next to that big burm along the woodline. 2 players charged over the burm and got shot up pretty bad. it was a bold move and those guys had to know what to expect. both players turned to walk away, but one was really pissed and turned back around and started unloading out of anger. we shot him up again. this infuriated the player and he stormed into the building trying to pick a fight (not a bright idea considering there were 10 of us guys all on the same team inside). two refs (dont know if it was vicsec or gks) ran right up on the guy and and basically human shielded him from attacking anyone, kinda like you would get in between your buddies in highschool if they were gonna throwdown over something stupid. they did a good job, but could have comprimised thier own safety. they did basically human wall the guy right out of the building. the refs actions kept things from getting physical.

i think it is imperative for a ref to first notify any other refs in the area for assistance as well as notify the head ref/field owner. i think the only time the law enforcement should be called is if things do become physical, which usually doesnt happen. after a good shout match and the refs escort the two parties to different areas, things usually simmer down.

The ideal approach would have been for the refs to stop the guy from unloading on your group to start with. But, assuming they were not in a position to intercede, they handled that correctly.

most of the heated confrontations i have ever seen, have involved overshooting. most of the time, a player either has walked into a pre existing engagement while trying to leave the field, has not identified themselves properly as eliminated or has been shot a couple times a piece by multiple players. this is paintball. this situation can be, and usually is, taken care of at the game briefing.

i can honestly say, i have never seen an altercation come to blows or the police get called. it rarely goes outside of a shouting match and usually ends in a handshake. it is my experience to:

1. notify your fellow staff of the situation.
2. put yourself inbetween the two players creating a distance that would not permit them from being able to strike each other or yourself.
3. assure both players that the situation will be dealt with if they will follow me off field. (this often creates enough time for tempers to settle.
4. remind the players that we are all there to have fun and play honorably with sportsmanship and integrity.
5. worst case scenario, remind the players of the consequences of continuing to behave unacceptably.

this is just my experience. these steps often result in a handshake afterwards and a "thanks ref". the only time ive seen a ref lose his omnipotent status, is when they become emotionally involved themselves. refs must remain unbiased and monotone. the last thing you want as a ref, is to become involved in the confrontation yourself.

Originally Posted by Aerion

Discussion, yes. Certainly. But in this case, too much effort was being expended to discuss a situation that will probably never occur. We need to stay focused on how to handle those situations that will actually occur.

I follow ya

Originally Posted by havokrooster

most of the heated confrontations i have ever seen, have involved overshooting. most of the time, a player either has walked into a pre existing engagement while trying to leave the field, has not identified themselves properly as eliminated or has been shot a couple times a piece by multiple players. this is paintball. this situation can be, and usually is, taken care of at the game briefing.

i can honestly say, i have never seen an altercation come to blows or the police get called. it rarely goes outside of a shouting match and usually ends in a handshake. it is my experience to:

1. notify your fellow staff of the situation.
2. put yourself inbetween the two players creating a distance that would not permit them from being able to strike each other or yourself.
3. assure both players that the situation will be dealt with if they will follow me off field. (this often creates enough time for tempers to settle.
4. remind the players that we are all there to have fun and play honorably with sportsmanship and integrity.
5. worst case scenario, remind the players of the consequences of continuing to behave unacceptably.

this is just my experience. these steps often result in a handshake afterwards and a "thanks ref". the only time ive seen a ref lose his omnipotent status, is when they become emotionally involved themselves. refs must remain unbiased and monotone. the last thing you want as a ref, is to become involved in the confrontation yourself.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Originally Posted by gfgjester

You may consider including something along the lines, "If an unlikely situation as this does surface, your job as a ref is to escort the uninvolved players away from the fracas as fast as you can. Field management should call the authorites to handle the situation itself. As is always, you are there for the players safety".

Perfect.