I'm tired of holding my tongue on this one.

So, a while back, I got into it with some people on social media, as sometimes happens.

Some background you might need to know: I quit the MRDA last year, for a number of reasons I'll eventually write about, but doing so freed me up from a lot of frustrating committee work that was increasingly unsatisfying and from having to publicly back an organization that was very determinedly going in a direction with which I don't agree. 

Some other background that you might also need to know: I survived a mass shooting on my college campus when I was 18. Two people, one my friend and the other my mentor, were murdered, and I wrote a book about it last year, which a number of people in my derby circles have read.

So here's what happened. I was in Target, my phone pinged with a notification that I should "like" this new derby thing calling itself "Derbalife Presents: Screaming Bloody MRDA" and that name alone was enough to trigger a pretty nasty meltdown, because that's sometimes what my brain does when someone else makes jokes about murder, no matter how clever those puns might be.

Part of my point in writing the book was to be more open about this issue, because I can't always predict what my response to these kinds of things will be, and it's sometimes sort of a delicate thing for me in derby. There are an awful lot of violent names in derby, which are often considered part of the "derby culture" (whatever that means), and I've been on the receiving end of a surprising amount of what feels like abuse through a couple of rulesets that get ever-closer to actually making the abuse of officials a penalty. The move toward legal names in derby, though perhaps it takes some of the fun out of it all, at least shifts the emphasis away from more of those names that announcers can't say over the mic, though usually those banned or altered ones are more to do with keeping it PG-13, which means violence is OK but the racier stuff is right out (let alone the downright X-rated ones).

But what happens when officials go after other officials?

Later that night, I posted a status update on my friends-only personal page taking issue with the tournament name.  I wanted to call out the name and our sort of weird acceptance of certain kinds of violence (i.e. joking about murder's okay, but if the tournament name was punning on rape, people would be very quick to shut that down). What I posted was this: Sorry, folks. I love men's roller derby, but I am never, ever, going to "like" a tournament calling itself "Screaming Bloody MRDA." Murder is not a joke.  

I posted it on my own page, which is locked to friends-only, and the discussion kind of exploded in an interesting way. I'd wanted it to spark a larger-picture conversation about violence in derby without calling out the THRs in person, but one of the THRs took extreme issue with this, going so far as to call me "a dick" on my main page and then emailing me repeatedly abusive private messages (while he was in the process of unfriending and at the end of the exchange, fully blocking me). 

He began with: Just keep burning those bridges. Must be a nice view from that high horse up there. 

Last I checked no one asked you to work this tournament anyways.

I replied: Nice knowing you, [Ref]. Good luck with your tournament.

He replied: Keep stabbing your friends in public. You must have plenty more.

Me: At least I know how they are now.

[Ref]: Yup. I'm one who thought we were good enough friends that you would come to me in private instead of calling me out in public. Instead I found out I'm one of "them" you feel you can rail against. I'm so disappointed in you. You have no idea how much your post cut me to the quick. And you obviously give no fucks about my feelings. So I'm done. You are a big fake who talks big about feelings and then kick me in public like that. Fuck you.

Me: Right. Because you've been so supportive in recent months. Thanks. Be well, [Ref].

[Ref]: Keep playing your pity card. I'm glad I voted for adults for the MRDA board

Me: Me too. Because my life is actually a lot better without the MRDA, as it turns out.

[Ref]: Your high horse is all you have. You've got nothing else to cling to but a club so sled superiority you beat everyone else up with.  Quit writing to me. I'm not your friend. I'm someone you traded as a friend until you needed to make yourself feel better by insulting their work in public. Seriously, fuck off

Me: I'm going to stop responding, [Ref]. I hope your tournament goes well and you find some other outlet for your anger.

And I've kind of been stewing over this whole incident. I reported the ref in question to both the WFTDA and the MRDA, because that seemed like the proper official channels to go through. If this person had been a skater and talked to me this way after a bout, it would surely cross a line -- so why because it's a fellow official it seems less nasty somehow or something less worthy of reporting? 

Does it fall into the same category of the creepy skater who hugs you just a little too long post-bout? The too-handsy official on the infield? The ref who's nice to your face and you then hear calling you a douchebag or a bitch in their next breath as soon as they think you're out of earshot?

Later I was asked to write a reference for someone for this same tournament, because they'd listed me when they applied, and I balked at writing the damn thing because I didn't want to be seen as supporting this tournament in any fashion or sending someone off to work a tournament with a THR with a temper as nasty as this.

And I'm really tired of holding my tongue on it.

[4/10: An interesting update: after posting this and pinging the MRDA again about the issue, an apology has materialized. It feels a little hollow, and I think it only happened because a governing body got involved, but that's something, at least.] 

well, this is an interesting find...

I was going through my Google drive this morning and found this blast from the semi-recent past (it was written and posted to the MRDA forums late in 2013 during the Board of Director elections) that I thought might be interesting to share more widely than I was previously allowed. I've also been thinking a fair piece about what RAWK had to say recently on the Derby Deeds podcast, and I still think these are good points that kind of got lost in some of the other stuff surrounding the election.

Each year the MRDA holds elections for their various positions, where each candidate is asked to write a letter of intent. The Director of Officiating is the only position that's had multiple candidates run in the last two years. While I haven't written very much about why I left the MRDA, since that's still a somewhat difficult and complicated topic, and I'm only four months out of the organization, I still think these ideas are worth discussing and now don't have to keep them buried, given that I'm no longer bound by the rules of that organization.

NB: I deleted the other material around the post (my qualifications, other formalities of candidacy letters etc.) in order to put emphasis on the ideas rather than the politics.

GOALS FOR 2014

I see six areas where we need immediate action from the Director of Officiating. If you have questions, I’m happy to discuss my ideas for any of these at length, but I wanted to keep this letter relatively short.

1. Stabilize Certification with Evaluation and Training.

These three programs have lurched about for a while, never quite settling into the support structure we need to really encourage development in officiating. The Certification program was announced on May 5, 2012, and is still not fully implemented--something is always on hold waiting for something else. When officials have to wait months for evaluations to be processed (some haven’t gotten feedback from Spring Roll yet), they get discouraged and the MRDA loses. We must address these three facets together to create a better environment for better officials.

2. Create a Tournament Staffing Advisory Panel.

In a model similar to the WFTDA’s, we should have an oversight committee made up of skaters and officials to select a tournament’s head officials and provide guidance on building officiating crews, and to make sure review and selection of applicants happens in a timely manner. While the panel’s only technical authority would be over MRDA tournaments, this is a service we could offer to other multi-bout events with a strong MRDA presence, such as The Big O, Spring Roll, and Mohawk Valley Cup, to help these events better staff for the level of play they’re attracting.

3. Create a WFTDA Officiating Liaison Panel.

In addition to our seat on the WFTDA’s Rules Theory Panel (currently held by Miss Trial), I would like to designate two other liaisons to WFTDA Officiating to help communicate shared issues between the two associations, in order to foster and maintain good, public cooperation and the betterment of officiating across both organizations. We have many people who work in both worlds and are well connected; let’s take advantage of that diversity of perspective.

4. Explore the creation of an Assistant Director of Officiating position.

I believe the Director of Officiating should not chair any of the standing officiating committees; that person should be an advisor to all of them, to facilitate cross-committee communication without getting bogged down in the politics or scutwork of any of them, and to represent the interest of the Board on all of them. With the list of initiatives above, this may still be more work than one volunteer should reasonably take on. We are better placed as an organization if we have more than one person who knows how everything fits together--developing natural successors to the Director job makes MRDA Officiating more stable overall.

5. Open the governance: “Town Hall” meetings and term limits for elected officials.

Many of our nearly 200 recognized officials seem to have developed the sense that their opinions don’t matter: they don’t vote; they don’t participate on the forum; they don’t apply to work tournaments or chair committees. They feel it’s the same people making the same decisions every time. We need to do better. Officials and skaters should all feel they can go to their Director, or to anyone on the MRDA Board of Directors, to raise concerns, ask questions, and participate in the governance process. I actively support the creation of a Town Hall / Open Cabinet meeting, where all membership can talk directly with the Board. The MRDA is an organization that we share, and for which we share a responsibility to make it sustainable.

6. Increase investment in the Association among officials.

We have many qualified people ready (or almost ready) to step into tournament and tournament crew head reffing, high-level training, and representing the MRDA to those outside of the organization, but we are not attracting interest. Better transparency in governance will help, and opening up jobs--leader and worker--will create opportunities for more officials to participate. New initiatives like those above call for new people to develop and show their strengths. This is what I do. I’m a teacher at heart; my instinct is to foster personal growth in people by giving them tools and support to take on new challenges.

File Under Things To Say / Things Not To Say

Tournaments doing it right
Acceptance letter includes: "Your acceptance is not a secret. Feel free to tell everyone."

Tournaments doing it less than right 
Rejection letter includes: "This isn't a training wheels tournament."

"Last I Checked Nobody Asked You To Work This Tournament Anyways"

I'm thinking about all of these things as we're getting ready to start work for All 8 On The Floor, which is a training tournament that I've been THRing for the last few years. There are so many tournaments now, which is both amazing and kind of exhausting, and officials are having a wide range of experiences with them.

Some tournament applications ask for references but the THRs aren't checking them. Some others offer early acceptances to tournaments with a strict "don't tell anyone" clause, where acceptances aren't made public for whatever reasons. There are a number of things that go into making a tournament work, but starting with these often sets a tone that sometimes does more harm than good.

My latest pet peeve: tournament applications that don't list the tournament head ref or the tournament head non-skating official.

I know that often NSO planning comes later, but I'm of the opinion that the head officials for the event should be clearly listed on the application along with the nuts and bolts about where the tournament's taking place, when officials are expected to be there, and so on. Most applications have most of this information, but too often the THR and THNSO information is left off the application.

Why? No tournament should be moving forward without these key officials in place. Why would an application elect not to use the THO (tournament head officials) of the event as a key selling point? Furthermore, why wouldn't you let potential applicants know for whom they might be working?

For me, at least this year, I've realized that it's important for me to know. Not everyone's styles mesh and there are people I like working for and people I won't work for any more. If I have to go digging to find out who's running the show, that's not good. That kind of thing absolutely influences whether or not I'll apply to work a tournament.

There are lots of legit reasons why someone might not work a tournament; maybe it's too far away or not worth the travel, or they won't get enough on-skates time to justify the expense. Maybe they don't want to work with certain people. Let your applicants know.

THRs and THNSOs are very much part of the appeal of a tournament. In many ways, they're the public face of officiating in promoting and recruiting for a tournament, and make or break someone's tournament experience. Often that happens before someone even gets through the door; how someone's rejected is important (pro tip: form letter rejections that don't even list the official's name are always the wrong choice) as well as what happens when someone's accepted.

If your THO is generally a jerk, that's an issue. If the THR is a little handsy or gives you the creeps, that's important to know. If your THNSO is going to say things like the title of this piece (an actual quote, sadly, that a THR recently sent my way), maybe that's not someone you want to work with in an official capacity. Or any. (And in my case, not someone I'm going to work with again.)

If your THO is someone you've liked working with before, that's important to know too. If they're someone who's organized and you think will run a good tournament, that's a factor to consider as well. 

To end on a positive note, here's one particularly good example of an application: Maple Stir-Up 2014. Check it out.

Some Nuts & Bolts -- officiating resumes and references (June 2012)

So, we're knee-deep in work for the upcoming All 8 On The Floor tournament that Worcester Roller Derby is hosting in August. Applications have closed, and now we're sifting through the applications. Generally, this sifting means going through the applications, looking at resumes, and checking references. We're doing this background work for two reasons; first, figuring out who we're accepting to work the tournament and who we aren't, but, second, where we're going to staff the people we do accept. (We use a similar process for Empire Skate Showdown, FYI, and those applications are still open for another two weeks.)

For All 8, we require people not only to submit an application but also a officiating resume.  We got some questions back about what that is, and I was reminded of a friend who tried building hers retroactively, which resulted in a lot of scrambling, hair-pulling, and misery.

We wanted to spare y'all a taste of that agony.

Your officiating resume is basically a list of what bouts you worked, when and where they were, who you worked with, and what you did when you were there.

As an example, here's mine -- messy link and all.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgmrY8KZG3urdDJUWUFLdmdtU0o3RmRUN3o1ZDgzdmc#gid=0

Basically, it gives you an overview of what I've worked and what my development's been like as an official.

There are a lot of different ways to set these officiating resumes up. Mine could use a little tweaking; I don't have a section for Head Ref, which is really useful when you're trying to track down evaluations you'd like to have filed. Others have the official's contact information and league affiliation listed on them. I run mine with most recent bout first --  because otherwise you're scrolling through stuff I did in 2008. As I added more, I dropped things like those half-hour bouts that are really fun, but don't actually count as a bout, because they aren't full-length. Unless I'm working a full-length sanctioned or regulation bout, I usually don't list it--tournaments get listed as their own thing (i.e. Beast of the East, which I love doing, doesn't run any full-length bouts, so I don't list those individual bouts.)

Advantages:
You can pretty quickly track what you've done and what you haven't done, so if you're looking to diversify your experience, an officiating resume is a good way to see what you still need to do.
Also, you can show what you've done. I guarantee, if you apply for a tournament, and I'm THR and not totally sure who you are, I will look. I will check your references and read your officiating resume to see what you're doing and at what level. Those things help me decide where I want to staff you.


Couple of tips:
Grab programs from any bout you work; that way you have about all the information you need.
Update frequently, especially if you work every weekend.
Start now. That's why we wanted All 8 folks to start working on one; every tournament you apply to work will ask for one. Don't leave it until the last minute.

And, finally, a couple of quick notes on references:
Think of these like job references. You wouldn't list someone on your job application as a reference without asking them first. Don't do it here. (Besides, it's just good manners to ask!)

I recently got a reference check for someone whose derby name I didn't even recognize and emailed back saying, "Um, I'm not so sure who this is -- what league are they with? Where are they from?" and then, after some back and forth, figured out who it was! Don't be that guy.

Think about the quality of your references. You want to present yourself in a good light, but also a realistic one. Your head ref should probably be listed, but you'll want to think about who else can give a realistic and forthright appraisal of your strengths and weaknesses. Believe me, it's better to have someone who can say, "Yep, this person's pack definition is a little iffy--s/he calls 20 feet kinda short--but s/he is really solid at keeping pace and positioning on outside pack" than "This ref is awesome!" See what I mean? (PS: I made those up; we're not talking about anyone in particular here.)

EDIT: My favorite and least-useful reference reply so far: "[Name of ref] is a rules Yoda." Hilarious, but not at all helpful.

Choose references who are actually prepared to reply to a reference request.  I've sent a lot of unanswered email asking about officials, and it isn't a benefit to you if your references don't reply. It means I have less information about your skills and often affects where you end up being staffed, especially if you're newer.  Also, and though this point seems obvious, it's important: please make sure you actually list the correct email or phone number for your references. Double-check it, and then check it again before hitting that SUBMIT button.

As a side note, just because I don't think people know this point, it's considered (as far as I've learned, anyway) best practice not to have the tournament head ref be one of your references. I know, it's a drag, but think about it: it's kind of like listing the boss as your reference for the job you want to land, no? (This one I learned the hard way; it's also why I have three people on tap for references, so if an application only needs two, but one of my three is the THR, then I'm still covered.)

100 Bouts, or, A Cautionary Tale (August 2011)

I recently found this post, from August of 2011, and I thought it was interesting to look back on some of these points. I wrote it right before I reffed my century bout, which felt like a pretty big deal to me at the time, and thought I'd dust it off and repost, since it seems like some of the issues in it are still worth discussing.


I've been thinking about this upcoming double-header for a while. Making it to 100 bouts doesn't have as much to do with my skill as it does my stubborness; it isn't as if this number accords any special status where I go from "passable" to "good" or any such rating. Like every other ref I have my good qualities and my qualities that still need work, and I've been lucky in that I've had the opportunity to see where those things are.

I think there are some things vitally important for officials, and I still hold that I should learn something from every bout that I work. I've had a lot of opportunity for learning in the last fifty bouts that I've worked. I've worked a range of bouts in a variety of places with a huge range of refs and crews. I had the honor of being a crew head ref at Spring Roll and head reffed what may have been one of the most high-profile bouts in the history of men's derby. I'm one of the co-tournament head refs for Empire Skate Showdown and I'm the assistant head ref for the MRDA Championships in October. These are really important to me and I'm excited to take on these new responsibilities.

I've been challenged. I worked the most nerve-wracking bout of my officiating career this season -- and I got something wrong that the head ref overrode. It's on video. I haven't been able to watch it yet, but I will. What I value is that I'm able to learn from it without being made a spectacle -- as far as I know. It's taken me a while to accept the fact that when I am on the track I'm getting videotaped, photographed, and, in some ways, marketed. I don't like it, because, really, it's not about me.

But at the same time I'm able to set those things aside and stop thinking about them when I'm on the track and I'm working. Because you know what? Refs make mistakes. But we also need to be able to learn from them. I don't say that to excuse those errors. But I want to think about them in a context.

I've spent this year trying to focus on my jam reffing, which is the position I needed more experience with. As a head ref, I understood how it worked, but I hadn't really experienced all of the little nuances that go with it, and the more I jam reffed the more I understood the importance of being a head ref who has her crew's collective back; the kind of head ref who can pull someone aside and in those thirty seconds can find the right words to get a ref back on point, even if something has just gone terribly wrong, and learning to become that ref who can hear those things to fix whatever I'm getting wrong.

And then today I ran across some bout footage from last year. In specific, I'm talking about a stand-alone two-minute clip from a bout I was head reffing in which a ref on my crew makes a noticeable, prominent error. Some of you know the footage I'm referencing, but I'm deliberately being vague because the point I want to make--and one all refs know--is that it could happen to any one of us. And as I watched the clip, which takes maybe 45 seconds of footage at speed and then slows it down to run at half-speed, I found myself feeling angry all over again.

The entire point of this video is to display one ref's mistake; the video lists the ref in question and that ref's league, and makes a very prominent display of one bad call. I can't see what other purpose this video serves.    What it fails to show is that the second that jam was over the ref realized how wrong the call was and that we spent some time sorting it out. What it fails to show is the loud complaining at another league's bout the next day by the videographer who then badmouthed that ref at any opportunity for months afterward.

What that video also fails to do is encourage that ref to improve. It is mortifying and it is painful, and it is out there on the internet forever linked to this ref's name. So I ask you, since it's kind of a hot topic in derby right now: how are video like these not a form of bullying?

Here's what I'm taking away from this situation, because I want to think positively about what good can come of situations like these. What I want to do in my future bouts is always be that good ref who supports her crew, always be the ref who encourages people to improve and succeed and to try to be a role model as I continue to work. I want to find new challenges and work to improve.

But I also want to be braver about speaking up. I want to be able to point to things that I think corrupt community and to find ways that we can be better about supporting one another -- refs, NSOs, and skaters. And I want you to do it too. I want to find ways to step up in discussions and try to get people thinking differently about officials, because the more I can talk with you about what I do and what my job is like, the better we are all going to make derby as a whole.

And that's my hope for bout #99, bout #100, bout #101 and on into the rest of my officiating career.

Some Derby Math (April 2012)

Here's another post -- this one's from April of 2012, but I think the points still apply.

I've been thinking about this topic for a while. Most of you know I switched jobs about six months ago, from a pretty posh corporate day job (soulsucking but well-paying) to teaching (in public schools, part-time, for barely any money at all, but my quality of life is a lot better).

This change has had a couple of interesting effects. More to the point, I've been paying closer attention to exactly how much it costs for me to work a bout, both in terms of the financial aspects and the emotional aspects. I know that sounds a little hokey, but let me explain.

The financial stuff is pretty straightforward: getting to and from a bout within a 90 minute or so range of my house usually takes about $20 worth of gas and often there are tolls. The range beyond that, say, three hours, usually doubles that total (unless I have to deal with the Throgs Neck tolls, which are now a whopping $6.50 each way). So, we're looking at about $20 to $50. I try to carpool as often as I can, and I'm almost always carpooling with another ref. These long drives are great for debriefing on rules geekery and catching up, so that's an added bonus. If I can network a newer ref into a league I like working with as a ref, all the better.

Before I worked in public education, I didn't do a lot of this kind of math because, honestly, I didn't worry about making rent every month. Now I do; it's one of the things I knew was coming as part of this job change, but it's made me think a lot more about saying yes to coming to work bouts.

Here's the bottom line: I wish every league made it a priority to compensate their visiting officials. Gas money is a good way to start; gas is expensive ($3.85 a gallon when I filled up to head to a bout yesterday). Water and snacks are awesome and should be standard in locker rooms: whatever the home league provides for visiting teams, they should provide for officials as well. Most places do. I know it's expensive to do these things, but it's also expensive for me to come work your bouts.

Compensate is a broad word. When I first started officiating, leagues couldn't give me gas money because they were still starting out and trying to break even, but they could totally swing giving me a t-shirt. Some leagues have a table with food for everyone by the locker rooms. Some leagues have food for everyone at the afterparty. Some leagues have both. Some places run a bar tab for their officials or have free beer for officials when the bout is over.  And some leagues do regularly slip their officials $20 to cover some gas costs.

But this sort of gets into the emotional aspects of derby. If I'm driving three hours each way to work for a league who I know is going to kick some cabbage my way to help cover gas costs and they're actually excited about my being there to ref, I'm going to say yes to as many of their requests as I can. Even if they're not able to give me gas money, but their players are nice when I show up and treat me like I'm part of their derby community, I'm going to be more inclined to go there. In fact, if the choice is between a place where I'm going to get gas money but be treated badly or a place with no compensation but where I'm going to be treated like a professional, I'm gonna take that second option. (In an ideal universe, it will be both: treated decently and given a little something to help with time and travel.)

The inverse of that is also true, by the way.

I respect everyone's opinions about officiating, and though it personally drives me a little crazy when there's post-bout ref bashing going on, either verbally or online, I still fully believe in free speech.  You have the right to say it. I have the right to disagree with it, but I generally try not to butt in and bust your chops on it, unless it strikes a really sour note with me. I know it's maddening to be mid bout and have to deal with certain aspects of a bout that are less than ideal. And, you know, sometimes I actually agree with you; there are instances where the officiating isn't ideal.

But I'm also not a robot, and in the big picture I think public ref-bashing does a lot of harm.

The reality right now of roller derby in the densely packed derby arena of the Northeast means that there is a major shortage of officials, primarily for the non-WFTDA leagues. Most WFTDA leagues that I know generally have enough officials to cover their bouts. Other leagues -- and this includes men's derby -- don't. They just don't.

This situation is sort of an unfortunate perfect storm. There are probably 20 or 30 different leagues within my 3-ish hours travel radius, and of those 20-30 leagues many have bouts on the same Saturday, because derby  happens pretty much every Saturday from now until about October.
Of these 20 to 30 leagues, I can think of maybe two or three that have enough officials to staff their own bouts. This means that everyone's frantically borrowing from everyone else; there are too many bouts and not enough officials to go around. And, for the record, when I say officials I'm including everyone, from refs at my experience level all the way through to the rookies working their first or second bouts. People are at different places in their officiating development, and the training resources aren't really available in equal measure to leagues.

WFTDA folks usually (not always, but often) prefer to work WFTDA regulation or sanctioned bouts, because those bouts are what you need for certification, development, and advancement within WFTDA.

Non-WFTDA bouts are often left scrambling to get things staffed. I know this, because for two years it was my job at Pioneer Valley Roller Derby where I was head ref, and now it's sort of my job again as the head ref for the Connecticut Death Quads. I spent a year making good on PVRD's debts, in one of those "you work one of ours and I'll work one of yours" trades. Between March and October, I could potentially be working every weekend. (Conservately, let's say I work 3 bouts a month; we're looking at 21 weekends at between $20 and $50 per trip.)

I love derby, but this is a wholly unsustainable model from an officiating perspective. We don't have enough people to officiate. We don't have a central training body or resources (i.e. one WFTDA clinic a year isn't enough). We don't have a New England union or consortium to help trade officials and resources and training. We sometimes are forced to staff people before they're totally ready, or we have an infield crew who have never done their jobs before and have to learn on the job, and this leads to things getting missed or calls sometimes being not quite right on, which leads to people getting frustrated, which turns into ref-bashing, which makes people not want to ref.

See how it's a nasty cycle? WE NEED TO FIX THIS. All of us. If we want better officiating in the Northeast, we all need to step up and start working on it.

So here's my call to action, in no particular order.

1. Skaters: I'm not saying that you shouldn't express your feelings about how a bout went. You totally should -- just do it in private. Do it with your team. Please don't do it where some rookie ref is going to see it  and think, "Man, I'm never working that team's bouts again." If you're later able to boil it down and tell your head ref something constructive (i.e. "Do people understand how direction of gameplay works?") maybe that turns into training that means next time they get it right. If you don't have a head ref, tell me. I'll make sure the information gets out for people to think about.

When I was teaching college and handing back papers with grades, I used to tell my students to pick up their paper, get out of earshot of me and the other students, take a quick 360 look around to make sure nobody was in earshot who shouldn't be, and then cut loose. Same basic principle here.

2. Teams: I know that the bulk of your league's money comes from bouts. Please know that when you schedule bouts the same weekend as a number of other leagues in the region, it's going to affect the staffing available to you.  Scheduling non-conflicting bouts just doesn't seem to be a viable option; that's just what derby looks like right now in the region.  That said, think about how you want to appear as a league in order to get people to come in and work your bouts. Do you cuss out officials from the track? Do you come in and thank the crew after the bout, even if you think it was the suckiest suck that ever sucked? Gas money? T-shirts? Cookies? Cards that the league signed? (I know it sounds hokey, but you can't underestimate the warm fuzzies stuff like that engenders.) Whatever you decide to do, do something that recognizes that someone just drove 90 minutes to get to you, has a 90 minutes drive home, and was just on skates for anywhere between 1.5 to 4 hours for no pay.

Related, if there's officials training happening somewhere, cover your officials' gas to get there or part of their entry fee or something. Make it worth their while to get there, because their participation and learning is going to benefit your entire league in the long run.

Also related: you play like you practice. If your league is in the habit of bullying or badmouthing officials in practice, that's not productive. If you have a skater who does it, address it. Redirect it. You wouldn't let skaters talk to their teammates that way, would you?

3. Announcers/boutcasters/textcasters: AFTDA has a great Code of Conduct. Make the bout fun, do good reporting, but make the skaters the stars of the show, not the officials. Ref-bashing helps nobody. Some of the very best announcers I've seen keep it lively, keep the crowd engaged, and keep the focus on the skaters.

4. Officials: I know it's hard to hear criticism. But make it your job to hear criticism when it's presented in a respectful way. You don't have to take lip from skaters, but don't dismiss the content out of hand either. File it away to think about later, but don't let it give you the yips mid-bout. Work with crews and respect your head ref. Be a team player, even if you've heard the head ref's captain's meeting before. Pay attention. Support one another--and this includes the NSOs too. This is especially important if you're an experienced official and there are rookies on your crew. Be a good role model. Be professional in everything that you do. Be nice to each other.

I am making these my front runner goals this season, particularly that last one which I don't always manage to pull off.

5. Rookie officials: Your first year is going to be crazy hard and discouraging. You're going to miss stuff. You're going to get stuff wrong. You're going to not be in the right place sometimes as an OPR. Bouts are gonna run late. Things are gonna happen. You're gonna end up as an OPR a lot, so skate more outside of practice. People are gonna yell. Take it in stride and make it your goal to get better, work harder, skate more, reread the rules, ask questions, and work every bout you can stand to work.

6. Officials: Say no to bouts sometimes. You're gonna burn out if you don't, especially if you've recently worked a bout that felt like you were getting kicked in the gut repeatedly and you're feeling cranky about derby. It happens. Not every bout is gonna feel like a win. Carpool with other refs and debrief in the car on the way home, or at Denny's, or at a ref afterparty. But if we're asking skaters to be mindful of where they debrief and how, that goes double for us. Every skater gets a clean slate before starting a bout, no matter what foul that skater committed, no matter what he or she said to you on the track last time, no matter how much it cut to the quick. Do what you need to do to learn from the bout, but make sure you're learning and improving.

Everyone:
Get trainers in for your leagues.
Work on your own training.
Think about how we can make this better.
Derby is awesome, and we have to find ways to make it awesome for everyone.
Inspire and support new officials.
Recruit people into reffing not like it's a second-choice option or a consolation prize, but as the real, viable option it is. If you talk about it like a next-best choice, people are going to treat it like that. Skaters, if your captains will let you (and you don't already ref), come ref a few practices. It'll blow your mind and give you a kind of interesting, different perspective.