How did you get involved in roller derby?
It was Canada Day 2010. I’ll never forget it. Volunteering at the downtown festivities, I noticed two women on roller skates handing out Squamish roller derby pins and info. Immediately I asked how this was going on in my town without me knowing about it, as roller derby is about as much up my alley as you can possibly get.
Turns out this was the very first time Mala and Meg had hit the streets, and the Squamish Women’s Roller Derby league was born. I was keen to help in any way, so when they asked “would you like to be a ref…?” I responded, “Hell yeah” before I knew the first thing about the sport. And it’s been hell yeah ever since.
And where most men involved in the sport are encouraged into it by their women, I’m one of the very few men who actually had to convince his wife to get into the sport.
Did you have any training?
Well, my first job ever was as a soccer referee and looking back now, it’s funny how I seem to be drawn to positions where I put myself out in the public with no way to win. I had some very limited skating experience from my parents dropping me off at Stardust roller rink 20 years ago (thanks again, Mom and Dad).
As for derby experience… um, none at all. In fact, the very first time I ever saw the new version of the sport played, I was volunteering as a penalty timer. The second time I was in stripes and skates, holding on for dear life, trying to figure out what the heck was happening, and loving every second of it.
That’s one of the magical things about this sport — people seeing it for the first time have no idea what is happening, but they know they are really enjoying it. Then the more you watch and figure out what’s happening, the strategy is revealed and it just keeps getting better.
Roller derby is an awesome sport that attracts predominately sportos (hockey/figure skaters), skateboarders, rockabilly, burlesque, tattoo, nerd and lady lovers. It really does have something for everyone. A big part of the awesomeness is that there is little to no money in it, so everyone involved is doing it for the love… which makes a big difference.
So who makes and enforces the rules?:
The international governing body is the Woman’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Interestingly, the rule set evolves every year and it’s definitely cool being part of a young, evolving sport.
As for game time, there are no less than 17 officials working each game — yeah, how crazy is that!? There are seven referees and 10 non-skating officials, or NSOs. In most sports there are lines and a field of play. In roller derby there are lines but the field of play is always moving with the largest pack of skaters.
• Head ref: This position deals with keeping the skaters in a pack and when things get crazy, this person has the final say.
• Jam Ref: Both teams have a jammer who scores points by passing opponents. This ref’s only job is to follow this one skater around the track. It’s the easiest position because you’re only concentrating on one person, but it’s also the position most likely to get yelled at because you’re counting points.
• Inside pack ref: The pack is the largest group of skaters, with members of both teams and when they get spread out, this ref has to eyeball 10 and 20 feet away.
• Outside pack ref: This is where the rookie refs are usually placed, but it’s one of the harder positions to do well because you’re looking for absolutely everything: pack definition, jammer points, and all the penalties from elbows to tripping. It’s my favorite because you’re Jack of all trades, skating like a bat out of hell trying to keep up.
Then are the 10 off-skate NSOs, who are absolutely essential to the game as well.
Photo by TJ Chase/www.tjchasephotography.com
Biggest surprise
After decades of skiing/boarding in the winter and biking in the summer I grew to hate the complete lack of compatible muscle groups. So after my first winter of skating I was dreading another spring of building the riding legs back up and was incredibly stoked to realize it’s a similar muscle group.
Other than that I’m a bit surprised just how much I’m enjoying it. The only thing I hate more than driving is driving east of Vancouver. But the last few years I found myself going as far as Abbotsford just to ref a scrimmage.
Have you considered playing?
Here’s a funny one — can you name one sport where the referees have never played the sport they’re officiating? Yep, derby refs who have played are very rare. This year I played for the first time and while it was fun, I don’t bounce like I used to, so my contact-sport days are limited. I’ll play again for fun here and there, but that’s it. There is a men’s team in the city (Vancouver Murder) but it’s pretty intense with many members of Team Canada, so it’s way out of my league.
If someone is interested in reffing, what do they need?
A good attitude is essential and very basic skating ability (ice, inline or quads) is helpful. That is it. Every year the Sea to Sky Sirens have ref tryouts and I’m at a point now where I can train anyone. I can’t stress enough how you don’t need experience — just a willingness to have fun, and guaranteed fun you will have.
Career highlight
I’ve been lucky enough to have attended RollerCon in Las Vegas for the last two years, and last year I got the opportunity to ref the world’s best sponsored skaters (Riedell vs. Antik). It was way out of my comfort zone but did wonders for my confidence level.
The hardest part of being a roller derby ref?
Keeping your rule knowledge up to date is challenging, but the hardest thing is not cheering. I’ve been skating with some of these players for a long time, so it’s very hard not to cheer for them… especially when they pull a superstar move.
Last words?
Anyone interested in joining this amazing sport is encouraged to drop me a line anytime. Did I mention its super fun? bryan@cynicalsunshine.com.
Photo by Carin Smolinski
