goaly goal goals

Let's see how things went:

• "Take a big ol' step back.  I don't need to officiate every game.  I don't need to apply to every tournament.  I have a family and I do like seeing them every once in a while.  This one will be tough."

Didn't really get this one; had a lot of weekends in a row where I was away doing things.  

• "Part II of this: Take as little time off work as possible.  I'm a paralegal who is the only support for a sole practitioner, and while there are other people in our office who can help out if necessary, it's just a lot easier if I'm here. I took a lot of time off this year, and I kinda need to make up for it, so I can...."

Failed on this one, but due to sickness rather than derby (Thanksgiving and Christmas were the worst).

• "2020 Goal - Officiate a game in Australia.  Aw yiss."

Don't think this will be a goal for this upcoming year.  It will be at some point, though.

• "HR a sanctioned game.  This is more of a second half of 2019 goal; I'm still not 100% confident on HRing yet (though in a scrimmage this past weekend, I tried HRing from the front and I really liked doing it) and while we're encouraged to reach for the stars, I want to make sure I'm not setting myself up for a crash and burn."

Didn't do this, but only on a technicality - I HRed a game between WFTDA charter teams, but it wasn't sanctioned.  With the level of gameplay our league has in sanctioned games (almost D2), I'm not comfortable doing our sanctioned games yet.

• Apply for certification, if it's open.  Durrrrr.

Did it.  Did not get the result I was hoping for, but received good feedback and was encouraged to re-apply early.

• "Be a good teacher/role model/whatever.  I'm Co-Head Referee for the 19th Wardens for 2019, and we have several newer officials who are starting out on skates.  I want to provide them with the support and training and whatnot that I received when I started as an official, because it was top-notch."

I tried my best on this; don't know how successful I was.  I'm not the best teacher; when I'm asked how to do something, I'm just sort of like "um....I just do it."

Geez, looking back, this year was kind of a big flop when it comes to my specific goals.  It didn't feel like one, though.  Anyway....

hmmm

so apparently I need to only referee in very cold venues, because at Tuesday's practice I was nailing hockey stops like a motherfuckin' BOSS

my left toe (for those of you scoring at home, that's the one I was having issues with and had the sides of the nail removed) has started to bug me. I figure it's probably because I had the sides of that nail removed, and the sides are digging into the tender flesh of my toe that is supposed to be covered by nail.

I CAN'T WIN.

I haven't tried putting padding around that toe to see if that works.  That'll be my next step.

I organized this. I'm kinda proud of it.

things! lots of things! big shiny things! little shiny things! THIIIIIIIIINGS!

I'm back skating; toe is doing a lot better so I'm happy about that.

I was also elected as Head Referee for our league for 2020!  I ran unopposed, but still - I'M IN CHARGE OF THIS WHOLE REFEREEING SHE-BANG NOW

whoop whoop

I found our crew's old helmet camera in the storage locker and am employing it.  I took footage of last night's scrimmage (I was sole pack ref).  Not quite sure I want to look at it, as it probably will be nothing but "PACK IS - HERE - WAIT - NO PACK - DAMMIT - OUT OF PLAY IN FRONT I SCREWED THAT UP".

I SOed again a few weekends ago at a smaller league about an hour away.  It was supposed to be a Level 2 juniors/regulation double header, but the venue's HVAC got backed up or something and started dumping water into the OPR lane two jams into the second half of the second game.

I had one disaster - I set my keyboard hotkeys so that shift + that key is the undo of that key's action.  This was fine, except at one point I accidentally hit the shift lock key and was like WAIT WHY ARE THE TEAMS LOSING POINTS WHY DIDN'T THE JAM START PROPERLY GAAAAAAAH.  Took a short OTO, got everything set, everything was fine.

This weekend I'm going to Pioneer Valley Roller Derby's Late Night Derby Affair (pretty much a combination of scrimmages, wacky zany scrimmages, SKATE DANCE PARTY and fun).  I've wanted to go the last several years and since this is the last one apparently, no time like the present.

updating for the sake of updating

I've taken myself off skates for a little bit to let my toenail heal finally and totally - I was having some issues where my skates (still dreamy) are in the break-in stage where they put pressure on my toes, and I was starting to bleed through socks.  It's the off-season, so I'm not missing out on events because of it.

Working on FIPR off-skates as much as I can.  Realized (duh) that a lot of it involves listening to the RIPR and reacting to their pack definition.  I know, right?

I also learned that while I can skate backwards with absolutely zero issues, running backwards is completely terrifying.

Oh!  I don't think I've mentioned it here - guess who has two thumbs and is Co-THR for the Battle of the All-Stars Tournament next year in Hatfield, PA?

[INSERT INTERNAL SCREAMING HERE]

So far the planning hasn't gone too awry, and my co-THR and I are both on the same page with respect to things so far (it's his first THR rodeo as well) so we'll make our way through it as best we can.

I've also been thinking about what other tournaments I will apply to next year.  I know I said 2020 would be Australia Year, but it depends on what sort of time I can get off from work.  (I don't have a specific number of days I can take off per year; I work for an sole practitioner attorney who gets panicky if I take a lot of time off at once.)  I've applied to a few already, and will apply to others once their application opens, but in the mean time it's the waiting game.

growth is a good thing; really, it is!

So I don't think I mentioned it, but I finally applied for certification last month.

My results came back Monday night - I received Level 1.

They said that while in many respects I was well beyond Level 1, they had concerns with certain things - some of which they acknowledged might not be issues anymore (based on the evaluations I had on file, which were kinda old), but that I need to be better at calling 20' and to be more confident in calling skaters out of play.  (I agree with that last part 150% - I've always had trouble with that part of IPRing.) 

They also said that once I can get evaluations that show that I've conquered these things, I'm encouraged to apply for an exception to to the renewal period (2 years) and apply for a higher level earlier.

So while I was initially bummed that I didn't get a higher level, I understand and agree with everything they said. 

This will definitely affect things in the future.  I'll need to get as much IPR experience as I can, which will affect my tournament applications, which will affect my tournament attendance next year, I'm sure. 

But onward and upward, as they say!

I did it!

"Dreadfully Strong Coffee" was our crew name

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: officiated Playoffs!
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: officiated my 300th game!

ZOMFG that was a great weekend.  The games we got were SO GOOD.  We started with Santa Cruz/Paris (the one that broke 98% of the brackets) and it only got better from there.  Our crew was so tight; we picked up what was needed from each other and provided it instantly.  (We also had the most GIFable moments of the entire weekend.)

(Except for the part where I took myself out of our Saturday evening game because I'd gotten sick and was throwing up, like, twenty minutes before the game started.  That sucked.  But I went back to the hotel, took a shower and a nap, and two hours later I was much better.  I ended up having a wicked bad cold, but I can handle a wicked bad cold.)

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Usually I don't buy T-shirts from tournaments, but I made a few exceptions this time:

• I bought a Rainy City Roller Derby shirt with the "Dead Inside" dog logo, because, well, that's me
• I bought a 2x4 shirt because they were walking around the stands during the championship game to raise funds, and I was pretty drunk at that point
• I bought a tournament T shirt because how else am I supposed to prove I was there?
• PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR BIG SOPPY EPIPHANY MOMENT HERE:

All weekend I walked past the Strong Athletic booth.  For a long time I'd wanted to get a particular shirt of theirs, but told myself "that shirt applies to other people.  It doesn't apply to me."

Reader, after my last game of the tournament, I bought that shirt.

ten days until Playoffs...not that I'm counting

1. The break-in period on my skates has started.  I moved to thicker socks (no more lace trim for the moment, weep weep) and I put slightly squishy insoles in them, and they were better.  Still a dream, though.  Much better than SKATES IN THE RIVER.


2. OPRed a Gotham/Montreal game a few weeks ago; achievement unlocked, I guess (I'd never reffed a Gotham game before).  It was at their practice space, so the OPR lane was a little bumpy and narrow.  I was front OPR for the second half and at one point did a backwards "feet fly up in the air in front of me, slow-motion falling on my butt" thing (landed more on my very very lower back, just above my tailbone, so it wasn't as bad as it could've been, but I still kinda hobbled around a bit for a day or so afterwards).  Didn't die, though, so that's a thing.


3. All set for the big things for Playoffs - got my plane tickets, car rental, hotel.  I have to make one more back plate (I want to take three jerseys with me so I have a fresh one for each day and not have to worry about finding laundry facilities).


4. I volunteered to make crew patches for our officials, so I have to sew and cut 20 patches before I leave in a week.  (To date, I have made, but not cut, two of them, and I'm not really sure I like how those two look.  I'm too much of a perfectionist sometimes.  (I wonder if I can bring a woodburning tool thing in my carryon luggage, as I can totally see myself cutting these things the night before.)


5. I have to decrapify my gear case so I can use it as my sole luggage (can't take my shiv toe stop wrench with me), and should probably wash my gear before I leave.

Last night, to break in my skates some more and to get a little more track time before I go, I went to the juniors' practice.  I've said it before, I'll say it again - my life would've been so much different if roller derby had existed when I was a kid.  

things happen, other things happen, the world spins around and I am right there with it

let's see what's new in the land of Chalk Drawings....

1. Had the toenail procedure done about two weeks ago.  Feels pretty good - was a bit sore at first, but it's been getting better.
2. The new skates are an absolute dream.  No toe pain (well, other than from the procedure)!  I don't have to wear ankle sleeves (which I always lose)!  THEY'RE PRETTY AF!  I just have to tweak them to where I want them.
3. Found potential replacements for my (weep, weep) discontinued Radar Diamonds: Roll-Line Rapidos.  Tiny bit narrower (!) than the Diamonds, same hardness.  Put them on my skates this weekend; haven't had a chance to try them out yet.  They're not aluminum hubs like the Diamonds are; I think that'll be the biggest difference.
4. ONE MONTH UNTIL PLAYOFFS ZOMFG!  

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

The Cone of Silence has been lifted!  I'm going to OPR at Playoffs in Winston-Salem!

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

I wonder if I'll have my new skates broken in by then.  (Plates are getting put on Wednesday).

OH THEY ARE AMAZING

MY PRECIOUSES

I will be able to re-use the plates!  I ordered new cushions, kingpins, pivot cups - they'll arrive on Thursday, and then I will be able to mount the plates.

I am absolutely terrified of doing it.  I have a friend in the league who's done it before, and she said we could talk about it tonight.

MY BOOTS ARE ON THE FED EX TRUCK TO BE DELIVERED

...and now I'm wondering if the plates I have will be the right size

Gaaaaaaah

crunching along, as one does

INT. PRACTICE SPACE - NIGHT

OTHER SKATERS:

Queenie, are you okay?  You keep falling!

ME:

I'm trying something new!

Specifically, hockey stops and power slides.  I have gotten into the habit of stopping by doing turn-around toe-stops and coming to a complete stop before moving forward, which can be a problem if you're, say, following a jammer back and they swoop in and immediately rush forward.

So, I tried them, and I fell, and I did amazing spins because I had my weight distributed incorrectly, and I fell.

I also was trying not to use my left toe stop, as that's the foot with all the trouble.  I lowered my toe stop as far down as it would go (SKATES ARE GETTING CHUCKED IN THE RIVER) but it still bothered me.  I tried to break the muscle memory, and could during the drills, but once it came to more scrimmage-like things, left toe stop left toe stop left toe stop.  I went off skates for the last 45 minutes of practice or so.

I really hope the combination of partial toenail removal and new skates resolves this issue.

---------------------

Turns out the 8/3 event isn't a triple-header; it's only a single game.  That's good.

let's see!

Made the decision (with a podiatrist) that I'm going to get the sides of my toenail removed and that part of the nail bed killed, to just get rid of the toenail sitch once and for all.  The appointment's scheduled right after our last practice, and I'm told I'll only need to spend a week off skates anyway, so I should (hopefully) be right as rain for the games after that (a men's triple header on 8/3).

Speaking of men's triple headers, had one on Saturday.  'Twas quite warm.  I anticipated trouble with my toenail (and I was right), so I only refereed two of the games....and did scoreboard for the third!  It was fun - I only screwed up a few times, mostly with assigning time outs to the wrong team.  (At one point I realized that I'd screwed up and was trying to fix it and it wasn't working [I was trying to change the Official Review number] and the team's coach was starting to walk over to ask about it, and I was like I KNOW IT'S WRONG I'M TRYING TO FIX IT.  Then there was the jam timer, signaling to me with big huge arm motions which team was supposed to be using their time out.)

This weekend also featured the debut of my son as an NSO for adult games!  He penalty box timed and scorekept (while I was scoreboard operating).  He does really well; just needs to work on a few things and he'll be amazing.  I hope he continues with it; I kind of voluntold him this last time.   (Now that he's 18*, my husband and I are both trying to pull him towards our hobbies - bowling and derby.  Unfortunately, I think bowling has won, because they're going to be doing my husband's adult bowling league on Thursday nights in the fall, which is when we have scrimmage and our NSOs practice.  Ah well.)

The expected window for my new skate boots to arrive starts next Monday.  It's going to be a very WHERE'S MY SPY CAMERA** few weeks.  I hope the plates I already have work on them; we'll find out.


-------------------------
*ZOMFG
**This Simpsons reference is twenty-nine years old ZOMFG

Wall of Text: ECDX version

DAY ONE

Windy v. Paris (JR) - honestly this one is kind of a blur because it was the first game of the weekend.  I did receive feedback at halftime that when my jammer calls it off, I need to make my mirroring of the calling off the jam larger - I'm not just doing it for myself, it's a visual cue to everyone else around.

So I worked on that in the second half.  It took a while to get it smoothly into my routine; I was like OKAY I HAVE TO SHOW THE POINTS AND REFLECT THE HIP TAPS AND KEEP POINTING ALL AT THE SAME TIME RIGHT AWAY NOW NOW NOW NOW which is totally not what needs to be done.  Eventually I got it to "stop pointing, mirror the call off with both hands (the hand that is holding the points can be tapping with the points in hand), THEN you can put the points up."

I also was told that my penalty arm swoops can get wonky.  I don't do a proper "lower arm in a curve and swoop up" thing; I rotate my elbow and my wrist.  I feel like it borders on the dramatic at times, but I can't quite get the mechanics of a "down and up" movement right.  (Except when calling a Misconduct, because at the end of the hand signal my arm is in the perfect position to swoop down and up.)

Replacements v. St. Louis B-Keepers (PBT) - we didn't have a PBM, so the other PBT and I would take jammer timing duties depending on how busy we were.  It worked out well.  I didn't have too many penalties and handled multiple timings on one watch.

DAY TWO

Darlings of Destruction v. Philly Juniors (PBT) - all the problems that I didn't have the day before, I had in this game.  Lots of multiple timings on one watch, which would make me get behind on paperwork, which would lead me to ZOMFG I NEED TO GET ALL THE PAPERWORK ACCURATE IN ALL WAYS NOW NOW NOW NOW (notice a trend?) and I bungled some of the timings.  (Fortunately there was a wonderful junior who was shadowing because she was doing the following game who caught a timing I hadn't written down.)  I also got the advice that once I have the penalty tallies on the right side of the paperwork done to current, put a checkmark in the "team color" column of the paperwork, so I don't have to keep starting from the top to make sure my counts are accurate.

Having a CRG penalty tracking monitor right behind the box was soooo helpful as well, because I could make sure my counts were accurate without having to bug the PLT.

Queen City Juniors v. Gotham Juniors (middle OPR) - I've discovered that this is my favorite officiating position; I love the bouncing back and forth between actions.  I was complimented on my positioning by a photographer/coach whose path I've crossed several times in the past, so yay me!

Queen City vs. Windy (JR) - the first of three all female/non-binary refereeing crews in which I was involved.  This was a very hectic and coaches coming into the middle all the time looking for things game.  It was also during this game that I found myself getting tunnel vision with respect to jammer things - I'd get so caught up in watching the jammer's feet on the line to make sure they didn't cut that I wouldn't have eyes on things higher up on their bodies.  So, I took a big ol' step back to widen my scope, and that really helped.  (Fortunately the IPRs also took steps back so I didn't plow into them.)

DAY THREE

Crime City v. Santa Cruz (rear OPR) - second of the all female/NB crews.  This game was originally supposed to be my last game on Day One, but flight cancellations and whatnot led to it being the first game on Day Three (I had the first game of the day all three days; yay?)

Anyway, conversely to when I am middle OPR (and just starting to JR), I position myself reallllll close to the line in this position, so I can lean in and look for potential back blocks (once the jammers are in the pack, I back up and follow them more).  There were a few times when jammers were being chased back right on the line and there could've been a collision (one jammer was saying "excuse me excuse me excuse me" as she was coming down the line, which was totally not fun). 

Open note to any skaters who are reading this: When returning to the track, whether it's from the penalty box or after being blocked out of bounds, please skate behind the officials.  If we're concentrating on the action, we may not be aware of your presence until you're zooming in front of us, and if we take that moment to step forward, things could get ugly.

It was also during this game that the ingrown toenail that I'd developed (goddamn skates are getting chucked in the river) started giving me grief.  I bought some gel toe pads and hoped for the best.

Wall Street Traitors v. Texas Chainsaws (JR) - a good game to JR; totally different beast than the other games I'd refereed so far, based on the skill of the skaters and whatnot.  Toe was meh at best. 

Philly v. Rainy City (front OPR) - third of the all female/NB crews.  Took front because the general consensus was that of the three of us, I was the fastest backwards skater (I KNOW, RIGHT?) Did two-footed backwards crossovers and didn't die, although because my trucks were looser than I like (goddamn skates are getting chucked in the river) I was constantly worried I was going to fall.  Kept a good distance from the front of the pack a vast majority of the time, so I was very proud of that.

my updates are few and far between

I ordered my boots about two and a half weeks ago, yay!  I can't wait to see how they turned out.

ECDX is this weekend; have a bunch of D1 games and JRing a few of them NO PRESSURE AT ALL

ok so it's been a while I tend to do that

so, let's see...in no particular order:

I got new glasses for refereeing - they're big lenses with no transitions, so I can see a lot and see it clearly. 

one thing I forgot to mention from Beast - at one point, a referee from another crew told me something like "I've been watching you, and how when you're middle OPR, you stand way back*.  I tried that, and I really like it."  HOLY CRAP I INFLUENCE PEOPLE KINDA SORTA.

(*I stand pretty much at the edge of the OPR lane, to the point where I almost run into coaches who are standing at the edges of their box.  It gives me a wider field of vision and helps me from getting into too much tunnel vision.  I also try to do it on the inside when JRing, but it's harder.)

still haven't ordered new boots yet.  I can't decide on the colors I want.  I was going to get a mix of orange/pink/blue/yellow/purple, but then I saw a picture of silver ones with pink and blue trim and they were amazingly beautiful and now I'm all torn.  I think I need to see more of the actual colors in person before I make a final decision. 

Put Up Your Toques was a few weekends ago; it went really well.  I was happy with how I performed and all that.  Got some good feedback - more acknowledgment of communication; clearer and slower signals - one particular piece was that I often forget to do the follow-through of pointing off the track when completing a penalty call, which I never realized until I paid attention and yeah, I do forget to do it often.  So I've been working on that. 

The double header that I was HR for the entire night (regulation game and 40 minute juniors' game) went ok as well; we had a slight emergency when the laptop with the stats book on it wouldn't connect to the printer, and that took up a lot more time than it should have and then people would come up to me with questions and I'd be like CAN'T YOU SEE I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A CRISIS HERE and was much snippier than was necessary (I need to work on that).  No one died, the juniors were a lot of fun, happy ending all around.

Yesterday I went out to Buffalo for a juniors game; I RIPRed but wasn't HR (and I'm very glad I wasn't; had a situation where THREE players were expelled in a single jam (one of whom most definitely got a suspension).  I'm not going to go into detail because it was a juniors game, but it was something I'd never seen in person before and hope I don't see again.

Related to pack definition and whatnot... I really need to stop resting on the laurels of being naturally loud and work on actually projecting from my chest.  It'll only help me get better.

Let's see... I may or may not hit 300 games officiated before the end of the year.  I'm at 282 (238 ref/44 NSO) right now, with at least 9 more games scheduled, not including ECDX.  Wheeeeee!

in which stuff has happened

so last weekend was Beast of the East (a tournament for home teams of Canadian leagues) in Montreal.  I'd remembered that it was fun (I first went in 2017) but I'd forgotten that it was FUN.  20 minute games, two teams just going full-throttle the entire time?  Definitely FUN.

I got to HR two of the games - they went pretty well.  There were a few out-of-my-control hiccups (the projector stopped working mid-jam; a coach requested a time out at, like, 29.999999999 seconds before the whistle starting the last jam of the game [which ended as a tie and went into overtime]) but no one died and the THR said I did a good job, so that works for me.

I also got to try on some skates, and pretty much fell in love with the Bont Hybrids, in a size 4.5. Just snug enough that they'll stretch a tiny bit to feel wonderful.  (I do need to get the heel lock band thing, though.)  Hopefully I'll be able to order them in the next few weeks.)

in which I finally give up the Sunk Cost Fallacy

I need to get new skates.  I've had nothing but problems with my skates ever since I bought them, and it came to a head while I was reffing this past Saturday (the trucks were like "yeah, no matter how much you want us to be tight, we're gonna be loose and wobble all over the place, and the plate was like "yeah, no matter how much you crank down the screw to hold your toe stop in, we're not going to hold onto the toe stop, and when you go to stop with it, the toe stop's gonna come out and you'll fall face-first onto the ground") and I was just like THAT'S IT, THESE SKATES ARE GETTING CHUCKED INTO THE NEAREST RIVER.

I was kidding about the river-chucking part, but seriously - I have wasted too much time on these suckers.  I shouldn't be getting black toenails three years into wearing them.  I shouldn't need to remove both wheels in order to tighten the truck.

So yeah, I'm in the market for new skates. 

and the wheeee continues

so I survived Official Relief!  It actually was a great time.  (At one point I tripped and fell just as my jammer was getting lead - I was able to award lead, give the proper hand signal and keep my eyes on my jammer until I was able to get up.  One of the THRs said it was the highlight of his weekend.)

Now begins the Crazy Crazy Period of Officiating:

• Tournament 
• Away doubleheader (only an hour away though)
• Tournament
• Tournament
• Home game & junior scrimmage
• Away doubleheader (about 2 hours away)
• Off
• Away doubleheader (about 2 hours away)
• Home doubleheader (and my kid's birthday weekend)
• Off (only because my kid's graduating from high school WTFOMGBBQ)
• Tournament

(and I thought I was taking it lightly this year. GUESS NOT.)

so the busy season is starting to start

after much finagling with my skate and removal of skate pieces (Chaya skates are horrible when it comes to adjusting - you can't tighten your trucks without removing the wheels, etc., etc., etc.) I was able to tighten the plate.

This past weekend was Lobstah Roll, in Boston.  I was JT for five games, and wore a different pair of shoes for each game (since I didn't have to bring skating gear, there was plenty of room in the car).  Figured out the setup that works best for me for stopwatch holding, realized that (a) I sound angry when I call out FIVE SECONDS and (b) I need to work on projecting from the chest and not just yelling.

Tomorrow's the St. Patrick's Day parade - 11th year in a row for me.  Weather's supposed to be ok - low chance of rain, high in the high 30s.  It's been better, but it's also been A LOT worse.  Maybe I'll skate this time (though I'll need to put my outdoor wheels on).

Next weekend is Official Relief,  a closed-door tournament in PA so that teams can get their WFTDA charter requirements in, and use their open games for home teams, which are more profitable.  I have six games in two days, all JR.

games this weekend, wheeeeeee!

so in the last few weeks or so I've noticed that when I push off on my left skate, everything sort of.... shifts...somehow.  I'd check my trucks and my toestops and whatnot, but they were all firmly in place.

Last night it happened again, more pronouncedly, and I asked a few people to watch my skate as it happens.

Turn out THE WHOLE PLATE IS SHIFTING.

Fortunately, because my skates have these plates, it's not a OMG MY SKATE IS FALLING APART EEK.  I think all I have to do is tighten the screws holding the plate in.  Unfortunately, the bottom of the inside of the boot covers the screw heads.  There's an "X" cut right over each head, but the fabric is so stiff I can't pull it back to see what kind of tool I need to tighten them.  (Apparently Chaya skates are supposed to come with a "DCM Mounting Tool", but I never got one.)  Fortunately, one of my leaguemates has one, and is going to bring it tomorrow.  I hope it works, otherwise I'll have to bring out my old skates and use those, and I haven't used them in a few years.

(It also meant that last night I jam reffed off skates.  SO MUCH RUNNING.)

My 2019 Rulebook, ready for action

the notebook is from the Staples ARC system, the smaller "junior" size. I prefer it to three ring binders because I always have issues with them eventually not closing correctly.

I copied and pasted the text of the rules and casebook into an MS Word document, and tweaked the font/space/whatever so that there's no real wasted space (if you print the PDF in a 2 pages per sheet format, the print is really tiny and there's a lot of extra space at the bottom and top). I also space it so that there aren't any single lines/bullet points stranded at the top or the bottom of a page. (In an effort to save space, I've also removed certain graphics/headings/whatnot.) These pages are single-sided, so I can use the facing page to write notes/draw diagrams/whatever.

This process took a *long* time.

I also have the Officiating Procedures, Cues/Codes/Signals, and the StatsBook manual. Those I just printed from the PDFs, as they're not that long and there are a lot of pictures/diagrams that I need. These are double sided.

When I go to a tournament, I'll print out my schedule, as well as any officiating procedures specific to that tournament.

I made the track stickers because I suck at drawing them. I have straightaways, turns and straightaways, and full tracks.

so much this

"My message to any young person who might be thinking about officiating is do it," says [former referee Jeff] Triplette. "The lows, they are pretty low. But the highs, they win. The friendships and the experiences, the memories, they win. It's hard. But anything worth having or doing is hard. Why did I do it? Because I loved it."

The knee pads have been a success.  They're about 1" or so slimmer than my old pads, and they've thrown off my muscle memory a little during my crossovers. 

We've got a scrimmage tomorrow in our practice space, but it's going to be cold AF.  The temperature in there on Thursday morning was 29° (we cancel practice if it's below 32°) and I doubt the temperature has magically gone up since then.  It's kind of an important scrimmage, so I don't think it'll be canceled, but I bet a bunch of NSOs won't show up, and I don't blame them.  We have radiant heat that doesn't cover where they stand.

and onward we go

is the URL of this blog still accurate?  I'm beginning my fifth year of officiating, but there are definitely times I feel like a baby ref.

There were four referees at scrimmage last night, so I took a half as sole OPR.  Was told to keep an eye out for the new metric on back blocks.  Only saw one that was suspect, but I was too far away to see exactly where contact was made.

It was nice to OPR; I haven't done it since...geez, since the Cup, I think.  Got me working different skating skills, different things to watch, got me warmed up in the (barely heated) practice space nicely.

Buying new knee pads.  The ones I have are old old old (I think I got them while I was still playing) and are quite bulky.  I'm going to go with 187 Pro Derby.  Hopefully they'll work; I want something slimmer, but since I'm ancient and my knees are even ancienter, I need something with a lot of protection.  But as a referee, I don't necessarily fall as much.

heh

two more resolutions/things to work on this season:

1. speed - specifically, dead-stop-to-sprinting.  I got smoked a few times last night when I was JRing
2. not getting high-pitched and shrieky when trying to be loud.  HRed the second half of scrimmage and could feel myself getting that way, but I think I corrected it pretty well
3. "Illegal Location" is not a penalty verbal cue

2019 LET'S DO THIS

First scrimmage of the year is tonight, hooray and yahoo! (I should probably make sure my stripes are clean.)

JRing a game in Buffalo on Saturday.  Not having to worry about jammer lap points really frees up brain space for other things, I've discovered.