Over the last few years, I’ve noticed a wide disparity in how officials are performing the “Report to the Box” hand signal. For reference, the definition from the WFTDA Officiating Cues, Codes, and Signals guide is:
With your index finger extended, point forward with your arm, bent at the elbow.
In a relaxed motion, straighten your arm in a swooping motion with a slight angle towards the outside of your body.
The disparity comes in step 2, specifically the interpretation of “a slight angle towards the outside of your body.” Things I have seen include the official extending their arm so that their index finger winds up pointing:
In front of them. Generally perpendicular to the line formed by their shoulders, in whichever direction they happen to be facing. This would seem to match the letter of the guide most closely.
To their side. Generally in a straight line with their shoulders.
In the direction of the penalty box.
At the ceiling (or sky for outdoor games).
At the skater who needs to report to the box.
In a direction. The direction is non-specific, and may change from signal to signal, but the official is swooping their finger out.
Nowhere. You must unask the question, because some officials simply aren’t doing the “Report to the Box” hand signal. At all. Despite the guide telling us “Use the “Report to the Box” hand signal after each round of a penalty verbal cue and hand signal, or
when you are asking a queued Skater on the track to report to the Penalty Box.”
In my opinion, the best of use of the hand signal is as an accomodation (for deaf, hard-of-hearing, auditory processing issues, loud venues, etc.), with the index finger pointing directly at the skater who needs to report to the box. This would require a change to the wording of the guide, but given the wide variation in current practice, it’s more of a clarification than substantial change. I suggest replacing the phrase “with a slight angle towards the outside of your body” with “in the direction of the Skater who needs to report to the box.”
Would pointing at the skater at the start of the call (before the hand signal for the penalty) and then swooping toward the box after the call cover all the bases? So it would go (1) whistle and point at skater at the same time (2) penalty hand signal and verbal cue (3) point/swoop towards the box. I would wonder if just pointing at a skater helps them understand what you’re asking them to do. You might be asking them to fix their elbow pad or return to the bench or telling them they’re not the jammer.
After @bacon suggested this to me in September I have tried it out, and found that while it’s a little hard to change the habit, it feels like fewer skaters are staying on the track to “confirm” that I really meant them. Before, I’d tweet color number penalty then swoop towards the box (although I never considered why). Often, skaters would be like “what me?” and then I’d point at them and say “you.” After, swooping through the skater, they “get it” on the first try so they spend less time on the track confused, which seems like reason enough to test this change. Granted, it’s only anecdotal, but reffing in Mexico in October where few skaters spoke English, it was very very helpful.
@Wishbonebreaker: I think it is maybe not going to be as helpful to point at someone before you’ve alerted them that it’s “maybe about them” with the tweet, color, number? Until then they are probably not looking so won’t see the point. This idea was also floated in 2017, but it did not receive much support because folks did not like the idea of “adding one more thing” whereas @bacon’s proposal just clarifies how to do a thing we’re already doing, and it also involves having the “pointing” occur at a moment when the skater is more likely to be paying attention.
What @dangermuffin said. I’ve personally never understood the impulse to point to the box. Over the years I’ve had many Skaters ask the question “Is that me?” (which seems to be reduced when my Report to the Box hand signal ends with me pointing at them at the time they might be asking the question, hence this thread), but I can’t recall a single time I’ve heard a Skater ask “Where’s the box?” when being issued a penalty.
I’ve made it a habit to point at the skater during the tweet, color, number and my impression is that it does help. But I agree that pointing to the box is of limited use and would rather point at the skater again for the swoop.
Jumping in a month after this was posted, sorry y’all.
I think pointing at the skater as we do the verbal cue, and until we get their attention is helpful. Both for other skaters to identify that it’s not them, and for the skater in question to have it made clear that it is for them. That’s different than doing it before the cue, however.
And it’s also not immediately related to the question of “how do we signal Report to the Box”.
While the cue name would suggest that we should point to the box, I don’t think that’s the intention. We don’t want them to head towards the box in that moment, we want them to head off the track. For four of the seven (in a standard array of skating officials) that’s away from us, and we should point through the skater to the outside. It’s confusing as a signal, however, for OPRs. Because we want them to come towards us. Do we want a different signal for OPRs? I doubt it. Here again, I’d say the best option is to point at the skater, through the skater, as the signal then slightly curves outward in an “out of here” (but friendly) manner.