Happy Birthday to Us!

[Rulesman]

On May 27, 2015, RefStripes.com will turn 10 years old.  It looks like the discussion board was created around the first of June, but the domain was registered by Grant-AR on May 27. I know Grant still lurks around here occasionally, so thanks to him for the vision of RefStripes. 

There are a few active members - those who log in on at least a semi-regular basis - who registered during that first month, and who have stayed around the entire time: BIG DON, busman, mhuffm, DonM, JasonTX, Oldfart, ETXZebra, VA-Ump, fearlessleader, Matt, TXMike, Pop Tart, refron112, ljudge, Bob M., Dommer1, Fieldjudge, JugglingReferee and FBREF. Without your support, along with that of every other registered user, Refstripes.com could not exist.

To the newer members, thanks for your support, too, and here's to another 10 years (or more)! 

[TexDoc]

There are a group of us that have been chatting football rules since we were all on ICQ, in the late 1990's.  This has been a great way to communicate, cuss and discuss our favorite avocation.

[bama_stripes]

I know Grant still lurks around here occasionally, so thanks to him for the vision of RefStripes. 

       

[Ralph Damren]

Thanks to Rulesman, our fearless leader, for providing the fine stewardship. When the NFHS forum closed it's doors, I felt like my favorite bar had closed...until I found you guys. I look at all you guys as friends...not always agreeable....but neither are my local friends.

Hope all of you spend an enjoyable and thoughtful Memorial Day weekend, enjoying time with your family and reminiscing with fond thoughts of loved ones that have passed.

Thank you, Atlanta Blue and Big John (there may be others) that, as coaches, voice their opinions on a predominately officials' forum. And thank you, Bama Stripes, for clearing for me as clapping as I thought it was one kissing one's butt .

   

[riffraft]

Yes, this was definitely a God sent after the NFHS site was disbanded. I just wish that someone had rescued the wrestling forum also

[Rulesman]

We can add a wrestling board to RefStripes.

[HLinNC]

I cut my teeth on the old Referee-Umpire Homepage when I started out as a Little League umpire.  I may have even dabbled in the old Alt Referee newsgroups.   It's been fun and here's to another 10 years.

[ETXZebra]

I've enjoyed every minute. And there has been many of them!!! 

[Pop Tart]

Great site and great group of folks that post on here! Thanks for getting it all started Grant!
 

[riffraft]

I cut my teeth on the old Referee-Umpire Homepage when I started out as a Little League umpire.  I may have even dabbled in the old Alt Referee newsgroups.   It's been fun and here's to another 10 years.

It has been so long, I am not sure how to even get in touch with the members who were real active on the NFHS board

[Dakota Dan]

for those of us that were on ref forums websites before refstripes was created ... I remember allot of people questioning the needs of a second ref message board when Gary McGriff's site (http://www.gmcgriff.com/refonline/) was the go to place for info on football officiating pre2005 and pretty much looked exactly the same as refstripes.  As luck turned out, while the two sites ran parallel for a year when the lions share of the traffic stayed on McGriff's website...when in late in 2006 McGriffs website got bombed with spammers and McGriff shut his web down and almost everyone naturally slide over to refstripes and without a hiccup keep moving along... as it turned out good thing that Grant decided to copy what Gary McGriff's began and included anti-spamming 

[Osric Pureheart]

I would like to thank, along with everyone else already mentioned, the various people who work at very high levels of football (too many to name individually) who participate in discussions here without putting on airs or waving their egos around about who they are and what they've done; they're just one of the lads and they'll give equal time to anyone, whether it's an old high school buddy or someone from a young association in a country that's only just started playing football.

I used to do soccer here in the UK and it still astounds me how good this is; you'd never get the equivalent soccer guys into something like we have here.

[Kalle]

I have to echo Osric's sentiments. As an official from a distant country with a relatively young history of football, McGriff's and Refstripes have been an invaluable resource to learn officiating the sport. Internet has really made the world a lot smaller place than it was in the early 90's.