Question Number: 31500

Law 5 - The Referee 4/30/2017

RE: Rec Under 19

Saul F. of Goshen, IN USA asks...

I need advice on whistles. First of all, I had two games on a Sunday as center. The thing is that after going home I had a ringing noise in both of my ears and maybe it was from the whistle. What can I do so I don't get back that ringing noise anymore? I love refereeing and I don't want it to impact my hearing. That Sunday it was kind of windy and it was raining during my last game. So could that have caused it? What kind of whistle do you recommend? I have a Fox 40 classic and epik.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Saul
There has been studies done on the use of whistles. Some suggest that whistles do cause ringing in the ears yet there can be other causes such as exertion, infection, etc. Perhaps because of the windy day that the ringing was due to that.
My advice is to try to ascertain if it was a once off based on the weather. Some suggest that if it the whistle then ear moulds can be worn which defend the ear drum. Perhaps using the whistle less frequently and varying the tone to small peeps on unimportant matters and only the loud blast on the rare significant decisions can help.