Roller derby leagues (should) have handbooks detailing how the league operates, and while these often have a few statements related to officials, they're necessarily going to be focused on skater-related issues and how the league runs as a whole. They might say how the head ref is chosen, discuss whether officials pay dues or not, and what benefits volunteers get, but otherwise they're typically silent on many official-specific topics (how rosters are built for games, how often officials are expected to attend practice, what a person has to do to be a member of the crew, how officials are expected to behave during practice and game, etc.).
So, as an officials crew, it can be useful to have your own manual detailing how your crew operates (I call this document an "officials handbook", but others call it a "code of conduct" or "officials manual"). Having policies and procedures spelled out ahead of time is a tremendous aid when trouble or drama comes knocking, and it also makes sure all of your crew members know what is expected of them.
Here at South Coast Roller Derby, I discovered that while the league had an excellent league handbook, the officials crew had nothing. So, over the first few months of this season, the crew, board of directors, and I created the South Coast Roller Derby Officials Handbook.
Many crews seem to keep their Officials Handbook confidential, or at the very least don't distribute it openly. I want to do the opposite: my crew's Officials Handbook tells the world what kind of crew we are, and how we operate. I want everyone to be able to read it, especially guest officials and potential new recruits (so they can know what they're getting into).
To save everyone else the trouble of having to start from scratch, I've Creative Commons licensed this document (under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License), so it's entirely editable and shareable.
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
A worksheet to help introduce the March 2014 new WFTDA rules
I e-mailed this worksheet to the entire league, asked everyone to download the new rules and do their best to answer the questions, and then we met a few days later to go over the scenarios. I think it worked beautifully; everyone came prepared, had thoughtful questions, and within a few minutes we were going over complicated scenarios without anyone getting (too) lost or confused. Skaters volunteered to get up and act out some of the scenarios, and I feel confident that everyone left understanding more than when they started.
Since it worked so well with my league, I wanted to share the worksheet publicly. I've Creative Commons licensed this, so feel free to modify it to your heart's content (see the end of the post for full licensing details).
Worksheet download
The worksheet is available in three different formats:Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Referee and NSO training camp this Saturday: FREE!
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| Gear check during SCRD's October 19, 2013 referee camp |
Who’s invited: Anyone interested in learning more about working as a roller derby official. This event is aimed at all levels of officials, and everyone is welcome regardless of experience level. Even if you’re completely new to derby officiating we’ll get you working the night’s bout as a non-skating official! Come to the stripey side!
Hosts: South Coast Roller Derby’s skaters and officials
Location: Laguna Hills Sports Complex, 25555 Alicia Pkwy, Laguna Hills, CA 92653. Meet in the bleachers besides the outdoor rink.
Camp lead: Marc "F-Stop" Perkins, head referee of South Coast Roller Derby
Camp trainers:
Ref: JustinBibe, Head Referee of Beach Cities
Ref: Override, head referee of OCRG, co-captain & head of training for Drive-By City Rollers
NSO: Atomic Mojo, Independent {WillWork4Food}
NSO: Siri L Kilher, Independent/Traveling NSO
Registration: To register for the camp, fill in our registration page. Space is limited; first come first served!
Classes will include:
- A full hour-long session for all campers on the changes introduced in the new March 1 ruleset.
- Referee classes:
- Jam Ref Communication
- Common problems & procedural issues
- Derby gone wrong scenarios
- Positions and what you are looking for/at
- Judging impact (no penalty vs major)
- Non-skating official classes
- NSO certification & evaluation process
- Common problems & procedural issues
- Penalty Box setup and procedures
- Jam Timing and One-Stopwatch Penalty Timing
- AND MORE!
- Including an optional class on measuring out and setting up the track, run by yours truly.
What to bring: A copy of the new rules, notepad, comfortable closed toe shoes, water, sunscreen, and excitement for derby!
NSOs: Bring equipment to work any position in that night's game (we’ll have an inside whiteboard). Wear, or have on hand to change into, a standard NSO uniform for the game (Top: Black. Bottoms: Black; don’t show your privates. All other clothes and accessories: Black and/or white only, closed toe shoes, no league affiliation (ref crew affiliation is fine, as long as there is no league affiliation present), no safety hazards. )
Refs: Bring full skating gear and game-ready uniform (Top: Black and white equally sized vertical ~1" stripes on the front and the back. Name and/or number on the back (per WFTDA guidelines). No league affiliations. Bottoms: Black; don’t show your privates. All other clothes and accessories: Black and/or white only, no league affiliation, no safety hazards.)
Agenda (brief version; full agenda is here):
Noon - 2pm: off-track portion of training camp
2pm - 4:15pm: on-track training camp
4:15 - 5:30pm: Break for noms (we'll head to The Pizza Store, across the street from the rink)
5:30pm - 7pm: Prep for game
7pm - ~9pm: SCRD home-teams game
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