Posts tagged roller derby
The Littlest Referee
One of my favorite Head Referees: Lethe L. Ejection surrounded by her towering ref crew during an official review.
“Flight of the Conchords” has released some publicity stills from their next project, a movie featuring roller derby. Brett will be referee “Even Stephen” (though everyone will pronounce it “Stefan”)
Me trying to grab a drink of water between jams
If the pack can skate faster than you, you will miss the call.
If the pack can stop faster than you, you will miss the call.
If the pack skates around each other more effectively than the inside Refs skate around each other, you will miss the call.
Skating skills are just as important as rules knowledge to being a Referee.
Just got back from officiating at my 2nd MRDA Championships (3rd if you count the original Men’s Derby Coalition)
All the amazing things I always say about MRDA officiating apply once again.
The teams are class acts. All weekend every bout was professional and business like.
Once again MRDA has taken up the game they play to a whole new level. Bouts I watched and bouts I officiated all had amazing technical skating and strategy. This was some of the most challenging Outside Pack Reffing I’ve done in a good bit. Men’s teams have adopted the “pass on the outside and no matter how hard you get hit, be able to toe stop along that line” move that so many of the top women’s teams have. This creates some pretty cool moments as an OPR when you have to shake off a Jam ref (and the crowd) who can’t believe they managed to stay in bounds.
As always, other MRDA officials were just a blast to work with. There is still a “small club” feel for officials who love to officiate MRDA and it’s like we’re all in on a secret. I hope other officials discover that MRDA bouts are so fun and challenging in ways that makes this side of the sport it’s own special entity.
I may have created the greatest men’s roller derby tshirt
and Derby News Network encapsulates my thoughts on this tournament season very well.
Counterpoint:
F regular television. Regular television sports is dying. Monday Night Football is not a ratings juggernaut. I don’t even have broadcast or cable networks coming into my house. But you know what? the NFL streams it for me because they know that’s how people are starting to watch sports.
Go WFTDA go! I can watch amazing tournaments from my bigscreen TV in HD because we’re not standing around begging for TV contract on some off channel.
You know how I watched most of this last weekend’s tournament? Streaming it to my iPhone while attending events at my cousin’s wedding.
How awesome is that?
As long as WFTDA offers a bazillion hours of high caliber roller derby over a month for less than I’ll spend on the next Assassin’s Creed game, I am so in.
Why do we officiate?
Last weekend I had an amazing fun time time at the MRDA Mohawk Valley Cup tournament. (some of my positive thoughts about MRDA 9 months ago)
At a time when I was starting to feel a little plateaued in my referee career and maybe even a little bored, this tournament came along and reminded me why I do it.
Roller derby is magic.
Something amazing happens out there when the game is played. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it can really be fantastic.
Maybe it was because I got to watch hours and hours of bouts between referee obligations and that lit a fire. Or maybe it was how the hosts, CNY and Quadfathers treated officials like rock stars.
Maybe it was the crew I was working with. I was definitely the 7th best official on that 7 person crew. Everyone around me was making such tight calls and being in position I had to elevate my referee game to a whole new level.
But no matter how it happens, I kept realizing:
Roller derby is magic.
Amateurs on the track playing their hearts out. Literally giving their blood and bone to support their teammates. Becoming warriors and when it’s all over, hugging their opponents for what they just went through out there.
No team got more applause than the most in-experienced group that you could see learning new strategy jam-by-jam.
Roller derby is magic.
I’m not saying these things don’t happen in WFTDA too. I love WFTDA roller derby and when I’m not refereeing WFTDA 50 bouts a year, I’m streaming it to my big screen TV at home where I can cheer without violating the COC.
Roller derby is magic.
And the magic can’t happen without referees.
Someone has to facilitate a fair game so that the magic on the track can play out. If we do our jobs, you should never notice us. We don’t wear the flashy costumes or derby skins. We fade into the back ground and help in our small way for the magic to happen.
Roller derby is magic.
And I’m so excited to get to contribute in some small way by being a referee.
