The Official Story: Transitioning from Skater to Referee

My name is Rule Book Her and I am an official for Jerzey Derby Brigade. I joined JDB in February 2013 as a fresh meat skater. I decided to join roller derby after attending a charity co-ed scrimmage with a friend who had recently joined a roller derby league in New England. After seeing that scrimmage I was hooked and began looking for roller derby leagues in my area.

A week later I was standing in the door at Inline Morristown both excited and a bit nervous watching the skaters zoom around the track for warm ups. I knew my skating skills were not that good and felt like I could never do some of the things I saw during warm ups. Just as I was about to talk myself into leaving, Doom Hilda came up and start talking to me about the league and about the sport. She assured me that the league would teach me how to skate and that I would be working with others near my level for the first while as I learned. Other members from the team came over to say hello and introduce themselves and helped to make me feel welcome.

My first night skating was a week later. I was nervous as I went into the locker room and got all my gear on. I went to stand up from the bench and promptly fell down on my butt. Several people helped me to get up and gave me a few tips to stay low and in “derby stance” and to try and fall forwards so the pads could cushion my fall. A few even told me they had done something similar the first time they tried on skates. That evening I worked with other new trainees to learn how to fall correctly and how to skate in derby stance. I was tired and sore by the end of the night but I had survived!

Over the next few months I attended practices every week. I made friends on the team and got to meet all of the amazing, dedicated people that play for JDB. There were ups and downs as I learned new skills and struggled with others. When I got discouraged, CaliforniKate (one of our rostered skaters) reminded me that every player on the track started where I was at some point. That really helped me and has stuck with me to this day. Any time I am trying a new skill in roller derby or even in life, we all have to start from the beginning and learn. No one starts a master at anything.

Our new skaters (also known as Fresh Meat) can help during bouts working as non-skating officials (NSOs) to help keep track of score, timing penalties, and other tasks that are necessary for the game to work. Working as a non-skating official is a great way to learn more about the game as you will learn more about penalties and scoring. I started as a penalty box timer and I really enjoyed it. As my skating skills improved I continued to NSO every game and looked forward to it. It was something I found a challenge and rewarding at the same time. I was injured in the early fall and was off skates for 6 months but it did not decrease my love for the sport. If anything, it made me want to come back even more. I really wanted to keep NSO’ing but still wanted to skate as well though perhaps not as a player. I returned to practice and skating in March 2014 and decided I wanted to referee and NSO for the league.

Over the next six months I worked to get my skating skills back and learn the basics of being a referee. At the beginning of that season I also took over as Head NSO for the league. That year also marked a rise in our officiating crew at JDB. We had several new refs and NSOs join the crew. We learned together and would often attend scrimmages together to improve our skills. Our officiating crew became close and is welcoming much like the team was (and still is!) when I started with the league.

I had my first game as a referee in October of 2014. I remember being as nervous that game as I had been the first night I attended practice a year and half before. I did pretty well for a newbie and survived the game. My decision to return to the team as an official has been one that I have never questioned and have been very happy with. Officiating was the right fit for me and the right place for me in the league. I still get to skate but I also get to work with others that enjoy talking about the finer points of the rules and officiating. It is a different perspective on the game than a skater but one that is just as enjoyable.

At the end of 2014 I stepped down as Head NSO as one of the new NSOs that year, Mistress Grim, showed great potential and interest to lead the crew going forward. She took over the NSO crew and still serves as our current Head NSO for the league. While I tend to mostly referee while working local games these days, I still do NSO at tournaments. I recently worked my 102nd game as an official at the Battle of the All Stars tournament.