Behind the Scenes of Roller Derby

03/04/2010

What it takes to be an official

From PVRD's Head Ref, Anne Persand - learn more about what it takes and how to be involved in the fine job of being a roller derby official.

Roller derby bouts and scrimmages rely on a network of people to keep those rowdy skaters in line. First of all, there's the referees. Two jam refs follow the jammers and keep track of their points and penalties. Two more refs keep their eyes on the pack from the inside of the track, and another three refs stay with the pack from the outside. We're all on skates; we do our best to dodge missed hits and flailing skaters, all the while reporting penalties and keeping the skaters (and fans!) safe.

In addition, we have a crew of non-skating officials (NSOs) . These folks start and stop the jams, relay and track penalties, keep score tallies, and help make sure skaters serve the appropriate amount of time in the penalty box.

In short, we're the third team you see on the track at a bout, even though we usually don't get to practice together as a group prior to bout day. We often train people on the spot; a lot of this work is learning by doing. When we do our jobs well, people often don't notice we're there―and that's kind of how we like it. Reffing and NSO'ing isn't about being a superstar, or about being the center of attention; it's about being the backbone of the bout by ensuring that gameplay is fair and safe.

At PVRD our refs train with the skaters and learn all the same skills they learn, in addition to ref-specific trainings where we work with leagues throughout New England and beyond.

The one challenge we face is having enough people. We're always recruiting.

Come see for yourself if officiating's for you.

Anne Persand, Head Referee Pioneer Valley Roller Derby
head_ref@pioneervalleyrollerderby.com