I know many TASO folks are somewhat confused about, or simply misunderstand, the details of the H & L swapping sidelines after halftime in Crews of 5. The primary source of the confusion is the fact that 'swapping' in a Crew of 5 is very different than the 'swapping' in a Crew of 7. The other source of confusion is that the manual for Crews of 5 is a bit confusing. I will try to clear this up.
For a Crew of 5, the "H" and the "L" are 'positions,' not persons. The 'person' working on the pressbox side is working the Line Judge 'position,' and the 'person' working on the side opposite the pressbox is working the Head Line Judge 'position,' regardless of what their assigned positions may have been, or what position letter they may be wearing on their shirt. The mechanics belong to the position, and not to the official. The mechanics for the Line Judge ("L") position are to be worked by the official (person) working that sideline, and the mechanics for the Head Line Judge ("H") position are to be worked by the official (person) working that sideline. The mechanics stay with the position (not the official).
Now, when TASO officials get an 'assignment' as a Head Line Judge or a Line Judge on a Crew of 5, they are actually getting an assignment as BOTH a Head Line Judge and a Line Judge. If they are working the pressbox side, they are the Line Judge. If they are working the side opposite the pressbox, they are the Head Line Judge. Their assignment may be as the Head Line Judge or Line Judge, and they may wear position letters on their shirts as one, or the other, but, in reality they are BOTH, simply depending on which sideline they are working.
Officials assigned as the Head Line Judge will work on the pressbox side in the first half, and work all, and only, Line Judge mechanics. Officials assigned as the Line Judge will work on the side opposite the pressbox in the first half, and work all, and only, Head Line Judge mechanics. After halftime, those officials will swap sidelines, and the official assigned as the Line Judge will work on the pressbox side and will work all, and only, Line Judge mechanics. The officials assigned as the Head Line Judge will work on the sideline opposite the pressbox and will work all, and only, Head Line Judge mechanics.
For those wearing position letters, your letters will only match your position in the second half. That's just the nature of the beast. Maybe we'll get a new designation for wing officials, like "H/L," or "W1" and "W2". No matter. When you are on the pressbox side, you are working Line Judge mechanics. When you are on the side opposite the pressbox, you are working Head Line Judge mechanics.
When you read the manual, any time you see the designations H and L, know that those designations refer to the actual position on the field, and not the assigned position, or the position letter being worn. For example, when executing a measurement, where the manual calls for the "H" to secure the chain and bring in to the field, that means the official working on the side opposite the pressbox, and not necessarily the official assigned as the Head Line Judge or wearing the 'H' position letter. When you understand that, then the manual should make complete sense.
Yes, if you are a wing official, you will need to know, and use, mechanics for both the Line Judge and Head Line Judge. This is not that difficult. You can do it.
For Crews of 7, the H and L 'swap' is a bit different, and very closely matches NCAA/CCA mechanics. With these mechanics, some of the duties of each the H and the L remain with the person, and not the position. For example, in reverse goal line mechanics, when snapped outside the A-3, the assigned "L" is to remain on the neutral zone, while the assigned 'H' is to retreat to the A goal line, regardless of which side of the field they are on. There are a number of other examples of duties that stay with the official, and not the sideline 'position.'
This has raised the question as to why they are different. Unfortunately, I can't answer that. I definitely have an opinion as how things should be. First and foremost, consistency would be a major advancement. The 'swap' should, and can, be the same for crews of 5 and 7. As simple as it is in the crew of 5, that's the way it should be for both crew sizes. Wings are 'L's if they are on the pressbox side, and 'H's if they are on the side opposite the pressbox, regardless of assignment or position letter worn.
Hope this helps.
