You may notice the word 'should' is used in these messages. Should is what someone else is supposed to do or how is it 'spoozed' to happen.

When the deck ref is across the pool and holding the penalized players, the persons at officials table seem to forget them - out of sight, out of mind perhaps. It is particularly tricky when there are multiple players with differing times from different teams who maybe have same cap number - is it black 5 or white 5? My eyes are on the game;in 2006, I cannot count the number of times I had to call the officials table and ask how much time left on XXX player(s)? and be told 'oh they can go.' Again this not entirely desk fault, they've got a lot going too. And the timing system in 06 worked against us.

In Canada, resting level 3s often assisted in controlling and timing penalties - sort of volunteered. We did the same in 2004 when players and deck ref adjacent to table; then for elite games, deck ref moved to center of pool across the water, but then I had one person on the headset - separate from table crew - who worked the penalties. I found someone I worked well with and bugged them to be on the other end of my games.

There is no one, easy solution but having an extra qualified body with deck ref is one. USA refs back each other. In 2000 some of the Aussie desk help was little taken back: 'who is in charge' they asked. I said, introducing my cohert in crime, Charlie (Joe, Glen) speak for me and will handle all penalties. We, my crime friends and I, had agreed how we would handle the deck - as in they would tell me what they saw, ie illegal sub, etc and I would control the game.

My yearly and WC experience should (that word again) give me creditability on this subject, but perhaps my gender works against me. C'est la guerre.

I think you really have to do a lot of deck refing to see the fine points; you get to know when to expect time outs, you get to know the slightly different ways water refs signal, etc - It is the fine points that make a good deck ref - the devil's in the details - the players certainly know.

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Carol Rose