I didn't realize it'd been so long

Lemme see.

Tuesday's practice went pretty well - we did a new drill where we had to maneuver through cones (set in a star pattern; we had to skate around them in loops) while the Head Ref was giving us hand signals that we had to call.  I did okay until I started thinking about it too much (as is the case with most of the things in my life).

Thursday's practice was pretty sparse and I was late; did a bit of IPRing.  I need to stop trying to gauge 10 feet by looking at the tape marks on the floor - I need to look at the actual people.  I stayed after scrimmage when the skaters were doing drills, and tried working on that (they were very nice and worked on bridging drills for me), but it's hard when there's no back IPR telling you that the pack is all or back or whatever.

Saturday was another trip to the east to help out with junior derby reffing.   My son (he's 13; for purposes of this blog he'll be KidQueenie) came with me when he learned that he could do some NSO stuff (he ended up penalty box timing).  We went out Friday night and stayed at my dad's - no 6am driving this month.

It went well, I think.  One of the other refs there talked about how he liked reffing junior derby because when they commit penalties, they REALLY commit penalties and they're easy to notice (which is true).  I also got a "Queenie did this very well" compliment at one point (as OPR, watching the jammer when she's on the outside part of the track, and nodding when it may look to the JR that she cut or something like that to show that no, she didn't).

So, yay me.

No practices at all this week for Thanksgiving, then one more week and we're off for a month. Boo hiss.  I've been invited to Thursday night practices at the other league, but they end at 10pm, plus an hour-ten drive back home.  (Mr. Queenie also has bowling that night, so KidQueenie is home for a little while.  Me not getting home until nearly midnight would not fly.)

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In addition to being a referee for our league, I also am one of our Fresh Meat coaches.  We had our newbies try out their 27 in 5 this past Sunday just for kicks, and since I hadn't done it in a while*, and since I should practice what I preach, I did it as well.

I got 29 in 5 and was pretty gaspy and near death afterwards.  So I have to get my endurance back up.





*Back in January, trying out for the travel team (on which I ended up not playing because of my surgery), I had to do as many laps as I could in fifteen minutes.  I got 86.

life trudges onward

So at scrimmage on Thursday, we had a full set of seven referees ZOMFG

I was asked where I wanted to be. I should've said IPR, so I could learn, but I said OPR because I didn't want to Blue Screen of Death.

another Tuesday, it must be practice night

Including me, there are seven referees in our league.  I am the newest, obviously.  The second newest has been reffing for about a year now, but she hasn't been going to practices lately because she got a concussion.  So at practices, I've been the least experienced ref by several years.

Our Head Ref has been gearing practices towards me (I think), doing very basic things like "this is where the OPR should stand, this is what they should be looking for", which makes me feel kinda guilty, that all this time is being spent on me.  But it is helping. 

Last night we also (for the hell of it) got timed on skating one lap starting from a dead stop.  We did it 3 times; my best time was 10.66.  I'm blaming it on the fact that I had just put on my itty-bitty wheels that are more about agility than speed.  (I'm also blaming them for the fact that I fell on one attempt.)

Our league is off for the month of December, so I need to find other leagues nearby who will accept a baby ref to help out at scrimmages and whatnot. I don't want to have what few skills I have now get rusty.

um. so. yeah!

um.  yeah.

Thursday night I worked front IPR again. 

And realized that when No Pack is called, I kinda get Blue Screen of Death.

KARATE CHOP.   YOU DO A KARATE CHOP.  You don't signal a field goal, you don't try to direct an airplane after it's landed. 

I've been told it's what we'll work on at Tuesday's practice, so I am looking forward to it.

(I also realized that when I call a penalty, I only do it once.  I need to change that.)

Did I say four of the seven refs? I MEANT FIVE.

So yeah, there were two of us there on Thursday night.  I ended up doing front IPR, as much as I could do front IPR.

It was interesting, for a few reasons:

1. trying to skate backwards along the inside track boundary, while keeping an eye on the pack.  OH NO I'M SKATING ON THE ACTUAL TRACK GAAAAH.  I could do it more or less in turns 1 and 2, because I would look at the pivot line and realize I'd have to start turning soon, but turns 3 and 4?  Not so much.    I tried putting a piece of tape on the track as a START TURNING NOW signal, but it didn't really work.  

2. Actually keeping an eye on the pack.  As front IPR I was told I should position myself at the absolute front of everyone, which meant speeding up to keep up with the chasers.  Which meant having to switch from skating backwards to skating forwards, which meant having to transition in the side I'm not as comfortable with, which meant falling a few times.  Whee?

3.  Calling penalties!  Yeah, I need to do that too!   When "pack is back" is called, you have to figure out where the pack ends, and put 20 feet on top of that, and get ready to call people out of play!  In the span of about two seconds!  Yay!

So it happened.  It went...okay.

Sunday I helped out at our league's travel team tryouts, where I was the *only* ref.  Whee again.  I called a few big obvious penalties, and raised some questions about smaller ones.