Officials' Review: Sneaker Derby Charades

Happy New Year and Happy New Ruleset! There may not have been a lot of changes penaltywise in the newest Rules Update, with the exception of the adjustments to the Use Of Forearms and Hands, but when you add in holiday breaks and new members this is a good time of year to review the basics!    

One of the best ways to get everyone back into the derby frame of mind is Sneaker Derby, and so we thought why not work in our rules review too.

Sneaker Derby Charades

Objective: Building rules understanding among Refs, NSOs, and rules-loving-skaters.

Length of drill: Can vary depending on the number of participants.

Participants: Works best with 10 or more, but can be run with fewer. 

Materials needed: Protective Gear as identified in the WFTDA Rulebook; tape or cones; a stopwatch; a whistle; index cards or scrap paper; copies of the Penalties from the WFTDA Rulebook, the WFTDA Official Hand Signals, and the WFTDA Official Verbal Cues.  

Skill level: This drill is designed for group participation including everyone from fresh meat to seasoned skaters and officials.

Preparations: On each of the index cards or pieces of scrap paper, write out the name of a penalty creating penalty-cards. Layout tape, or cones, to delineate a portion of the track (if possible 20ft of the track with 10ft lines). Everybody, even the NSOs, gear up. 

How it works: 

• Participants gear up, and divide into teams of 5 (more teams if there are 15 or more participants).
• The first team draws one of the penalty-cards, and then has 30 seconds to figure out how to act out the penalty on the card (as timed by the other team). 
• Someone from the second team whistles signaling the start of the first team's jam to demonstrate their penalty. 
• Team two has 2 minutes (timed by one of their members) to guess the penalty being acted out by team one. 
• Once team two has an answer, or at the end of the 2 minutes, one of their members whistles to end the jam.
• Both teams come together to discuss the penalty, and what other actions would earn it.
• Repeat with team two acting out a penalty.

Next Steps: adjustments for advanced penalty and procedure fans:

• The Guessing team must answer with the hand signal for the penalty.
• Make penalty-cards with more specific verbal cues for the different penalties.
• Run a few actual jams of Sneaker Derby, but in each jam the "Head Official" secretly assigns one skater a penalty for them to do during the jam, it is up to the other skaters to identify the penalty. (This is best with the non-contact, or minor contact, penalties.)

Let us know how your team/league is planning on reviewing the new rules in the Comments section below. 

Happy 2015 Season! 

- Ducky

Officials' Review: A New Rules’ Resolution - Official Discretion

A New Rules’ Resolution: Official Discretion

On Monday, December 1st, the WFTDA released an updated version of the Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby that will officially go into effect starting January 1st,  2015. The WFTDA Rules Committee developed the changes, with input from both WFTDA and MRDA member leagues, which include:

• increasing the visibility of the Official Score
• aligning Forearm/Hand penalties with the standard of impact
• allowing Official Reviews to be used in lieu of a Timeout
• clarifying the scoring of Jammer Lap Points and Not on the Track points in a single pass
• expanding Officiating Discretion to allow for the Head Referee to assign NSOs to call and enforce penalties.

That last change is the most dramatic, especially for NSOs. The WFTDA is planning on releasing updates to the Standard Practices and Hand Signals documents by January 1, 2015. Until that time we won’t know how these changes will look when applied during a game, but we have come up a few thoughts below.

8.3.7 - The Head Referee may designate NSOs to signal and enforce penalties in situations in which said NSOs are able to observe the penalty. This includes but is not limited to obscene, profane, or abusive language directed at themself or another Official (see Section 5.16.10); removal of safety equipment while in the Penalty Box (see Section 5.13.11); Penalty Box violations (see Sections 5.13.9, 5.13.10, 5.13.11, and 5.13.20); and Delay of Game penalties (see Section 5.15).

• For Penalty Box violations this will be a natural enhancement to the Pentaly Box Manager’s duties, and will most likely streamline Foul Out procedures.
• The Delay of Game penalty could either fall to the Jam Timer (who would be able to call a Timeout and assign the penalty most quickly) or the Line-up Trackers (whose paperwork would outlines which skaters were, and should be, on the track). It is possible the PB Manager (who keeps the queue of skaters who have not yet served for a previous penalty) could also call the Delay of Game, but this could be more complicated depending on venue layout.
• In both instances communication, including understanding of the Hand Signals and Verbal Cues, is going to be all the more important.

8.3.7.1 - The Head Referee may designate which NSOs are empowered to call penalties, as well as which penalties said NSOs are empowered to call, and the manner in which said penalties are enforced.

• While this subsection puts the change at the Head Referee’s discretion, it also puts an emphasis on the HR’s understanding of the responsibilities and functions of each of the NSO positions (which is included in the new Officiating Skills Guidelines and Assessment Forms for all Skating Officials).
• This may also start some conversations about staffing visiting or unvetted Officials, and makes the WFTDA’s Game History document an even more important tool.

8.3.7.1.2 - NSOs may only be designated to call penalties pursuant to their officiating role, to their person, or to those around them. For example, no NSO may be designated to call penalties that involve blocks or assists.

8.3.7.2 - NSOs who are empowered to call penalties in this manner are bound by the same requirements as Referees, per Section 8.3 - Officiating Discretion.

• These last two tie up the NSO additions to the Officiating Discretion section, focusing these new responsibilities and bringing them in line with the requirements of Referees.
• They also bring a greater emphasis on NSOs’ understanding of, and attention to, the different positions (which are also included in the new Officiating Skills Guidelines and Assessment Forms).

We won’t be sure how the WFTDA envisions this change being implemented until they release the updated Standard Practices and Hand Signals documents. In the meantime though, we can be sure, if our Officials Crews plan to have NSOs exercise this new responsibility, that training and understanding the rules will be even more important for Skating and Non-Skating Officials.

Speaking of training, we have a new drill in the works that should be fun for the whole league, check back on New Year’s Day for Sneaker Derby Charades!

Until then, have yourselves some happy holidays.

Be good,

if you can’t be good, be safe,

and if you can’t be safe, Ducky would be an adorable name... just sayin’.

-Ducky

Officials' Review: Penalty Code Telephone

As our friend Ian Fluenza is fond of saying when he is Head Reffing games, "Officials crews live and die by their communication."  The intensity of play may vary, the sound quality of venues may vary, but when Refs and NSOs are not communicating well, a game will derail very quickly. Knowing this, we created the following drill to help us train and understand the full process for communicating penalties.

Penalty Code Telephone

Objective: Training Refs, NSOs, and rules-loving-skaters on the procedures for calling and communicating penalties.

Length of drill: Can vary depending on the number of officials being trained.

Participants: 3 or more.

Materials needed: Index cards or scrap paper; a whiteboard and marker; copies of the Penalties from the WFTDA Rulebook, the WFTDA Official Hand Signals, and the WFTDA Official Verbal Cues.

Skill level: The skill level can be varied for everyone from beginners to seasoned officials.

Preparations: On each of the index cards or pieces of scrap paper, write out the names of three or four different penalties, creating penalty-cards. Arrange the participating officials according to the diagram below:

How it works:

1. Official A picks a random penalty-card and makes the corresponding hand signal for the first penalty on the card.
2. Official B calls out the penalty being signaled by official A.
3. Official C writes the code for the penalty being called by official B on the whiteboard.
4. The process repeats until all of the penalties from the penalty-card have been communicated.
1. The officials gather to check if they had the corresponding response to the signal passed to them correctly.
5. The officials rotate positions and repeat with a new penalty-card.

Next Steps: the Verbal Cue variant

Prep: Make penalty-cards with the Verbal Cues for three or four different penalties, of different penalty types.

1. Official B picks a random penalty-card and calls out the first penalty on the card.
2. Official A makes the corresponding hand signal being called by official B.
3. Official C writes the code for the penalty being called by official B on the whiteboard.
4. The process repeats until all of the penalties from the penalty-card have been communicated.
1. The officials gather to check if they had the corresponding response to the signal passed to them correctly.
5. The officials rotate positions and repeat with a new penalty-card.

Extra Fun: run this drill while skaters are doing laps.

If you can think of any other variations or scenarios share them in the Comments section below.

-Ducky

Duck N. Shover - POD’s Head of Officials & Interleague Liaison

Officials' Review: The Perpetually Full Penalty Box

One of the most dramatic changes from the 2013 to the 2014 Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby was reducing Penalty Time from 1 minute to 30 seconds. Skaters rejoiced, fans cheered, NSOs kibitzed… nervously. The basics of Penalty Enforcement and Standard Practices for timing penalties did not change, but the prospect of juggling a watch and paper work for up to 3 blockers, and maybe even a jammer, in 30 seconds got officials thinking that we may need to practice timing penalties beyond scrimmages. To do this, we at Pair O' Dice City Rollers created a drill that could be done anytime we had 3 or more people:

The Perpetually Full Penalty Box

Objective: Training NSOs on the procedure for timing penalties and preparing them for the various, hectic, possibilities they could encounter while working in the Penalty Box.

Length of drill: Can vary depending on the number of NSOs training.

Participants: 3 or more.

Materials needed: 1-2 stopwatch(s), a clipboard, a pen/pencil, a copy of the Penalty Box tracking sheet (from the Stats Workbook), 2-3 chairs or a bench. 

Optional: more stopwatches, whiteboard and marker (for the Next Step scenarios below).

Skill level: The skill level can be varied for beginners and seasoned officials, at least 1 person should be familiar with the paperwork and procedures of the Penalty Box.

How it works:

• 1 person takes position as the Penalty Box Timer (PBT), with a stopwatch and paperwork.
• The other 2 participants take turns as skaters entering the box and serving penalties.
• If they are not wearing shirts with numbers, assign (single digit) numbers
• The PBT times the skaters penalties and releases according the Rules and Practices.
• This continues for a full Jam, 2 minutes, or until a point at which the PBT feels they need to reset.
• The timing and frequency of skaters can be adjusted to increase the intensity of the drill.

The penalty box area at a Gotham Girls Roller Derby bout
in New York City on May 6, 2006.

A sample (progressively increasing in intensity):

Jam 1

1. Skater 1 enters the box
2. Serves a full 30 seconds
3. The box is empty

Jam 2

1. Skater 1 enters the box
2. (a few seconds later) Skater 2 enters the box
3. They serve their respective 30 seconds
4. The box is empty.

Jam 3

1. Skater 1 enters the box
2. (a few seconds later) Skater 2 enters the box
3. Skater 1 is released at the end of her/his 30 seconds
4. (before skater 2 is released) Skater 1 enters the box again
5. Skater 2 is released at the end of her/his 30 seconds
6. Skater 1 is released at end of her/his 30 seconds
7. The box is empty.

  Jam 4

1. Skater 1 enters the box
2. (a few seconds later) Skater 2 enters the box
3. Skater 1 is released at the end of her/his 30 seconds
4. (before skater 2 is released) Skater 1 enters the box again
5. Skater 2 is released at the end of her/his 30 seconds
6. (before skater 1 is released) Skater 2 enters the box again
7. Repeat the rotation until the end of the Jam.

Next Steps:

• End Jams early and/or have skaters enter Between Jams.
• With 3 people: have the NSO take the position of Penalty Box Manager (PBM) and the skaters serve as Jammers to practice Jammer-in-Jammer-out-(Jammer back in) scenarios.
• With 4 people: add an additional skater into the rotation to practice the 1 skater standing with 2 skaters seated.
• With 4 people: add a PBM to practice the procedures for when a skater leaves the box prematurely.
• With 5 or more people: add a PBM and an additional skater to act as a Jammer to practice full (for one team) scenarios.

If you can think of any other variations or scenarios share them in the Comments section below.

Happy Timing!

-Ducky

Duck N. Shover - POD’s Head of Officials & Interleague Liaison

-Nikki Tesla #134

Officials' Review: The Inaugural Post

Welcome to Officials’ Review, POD’s bimonthly column covering general rules discussion and Skating and Non-Skating Officials training. Our goal is to start conversations among skaters, fans, and our fellow officials about how how we can all help make derby happen.

For our inaugural post, we are going to start with the basics, the Ref and NSO positions.

Roller Derby’s Skating Officials, or Referees, can easily be identified on the track by their black and white striped shirts and their bizarre hand signals (more on those another time). During a game, their main responsibility is to assign Penalties for illegal and unsafe actions.

On the Inside

• The Rear Inside Pack Ref defines the pack and determines when skaters are Out of Play, which affects blocking and scoring.

• The two Jammer Refs each focus on one Jammer, reporting points scored to their Score Keeper.
• The Front Inside Pack Ref helps to define the pack and assess when skaters are Out of Play.

On the Outside

• There are three Outside Pack Refs who rotate around the track watching for Penalties and being the Jammer Refs’ extra sets of eyes for points.

Unlike the Refs, Non Skating Officials, or NSOs, are a bit harder to pick out of the crowd, but that’s kind of the idea. Depending on the game NSOs can be found wearing bright pink (WFTDA) or blue (MRDA). POD’s NSOs wear all black for added stealth. The NSOs are responsible for keeping the official Time and Stats of the game, all while hopefully having little impact on the game itself or the fans’ viewing experience.

On the Inside

• The Jam Timer signals the start start and end of the jams, as well as maintaining the time for the period and timeouts.
• The Penalty Wrangler relays penalties, called by the Refs, to the Penalty Tracker.
• The Penalty Tracker keeps the official record of the penalties, relays them to the Inside Whiteboard Official, and notifies the Refs when a skater is close to Fouling Out of the game.
• The Inside Whiteboard Official maintains a record of penalties, which should be visible to the teams, and helps to keep track of skaters’ trips to the Penalty Box.

On the Outside

• The Penalty Box Manager times and releases the Jammers, maintains a cue if all penalty box seats are taken, and oversees communication between the Penalty Box and other officials.
• Two Penalty Box Timers time and release the Pivots and Blockers, while keeping a record of all skaters’ trips to the Penalty Box.
• The two Lineup Trackers document the skaters participating in each jam, and keep track of when skaters enter/exit the Penalty Box.
• There are two Scorekeepers, each paired with a Jammer Ref. They keep a record and running total of points, which they relay to the Scoreboard Operator.
• The Scoreboard Operator updates the scoreboard (usually a program running on a computer) with points from the Scorekeepers and adjustments to the period time from the Jam Timer.

These descriptions just highlight the basic functions of the Ref and NSO positions. In our upcoming posts we will dig deeper into what the officials do and we’ll nerd out on rules! We’re going to try to give a variety of perspectives, as well, from NSOs’ to Refs’ to Skaters’ takes on different aspects of everything behind the scenes that makes derby actually work.

If you are fan of zebra print and/or clipboards and want to get involved in the derby world e-mail us at: PODCityOfficials@gmail.com.

See you next time!

-Ducky

Duck N. Shover - POD’s Head of Officials & Interleague Liaison

-Nikki Tesla #134