in other news that is not nearly as exciting

OPRed a game in Buffalo on Saturday night.  Took the front position; only got burned a few times.  At one point I was doing backwards crossovers where you pick up both feet to keep up - the last time I did these, I ended up in a JANE STOP THIS CRAZY THING loop where the only way I could stop my momentum was to wheel-lock myself and fall, but this time I was ok.  There were a few points, though, where the coaches were creeping into the OPR lane and I could feel myself brush past them as I zoomed by backwards and I was like FOLKS WATCH WHERE YOU'RE STANDING BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GET KNOCKED OVER 'CAUSE YOU'RE IN MY WAY. 

There was also a point where two skaters crashed into the spot in the OPR lane just where I was going to skate, but some quick swoopy movements put me out of their way.

Yeah, it's been a while. I KNOW THIS.

Cone of Silence has been lifted - I've been accepted to be a referee at Dust Devil, in Tucson!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

This is one of the tournaments I really feel I had no chance of getting accepted, but...I did!

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

three years ago tonight, I refereed my first bout. 

sometimes it feels like last night, sometimes it feels like a million years ago.

here's at least another three more years, and hopefully lots lots lots more.

and now for something kinda different

I donated blood yesterday afternoon, so I figured it would probably be a good idea if I didn't skate at scrimmage last night.  So, I worked in the penalty box.  There were only two of us, so we each took a team.

It went pretty well - there were a few times when my side had a rotating cast of penalized skaters - but I was able to do the timing with one stopwatch.  The only time I really screwed up was when I went into the center of the track to check the number of penalties on a skater, the jam started, and *then* I remembered there was a skater in the box who I was supposed to be timing.  oops.

Going out to Buffalo to JR - the weather actually seems to be cooperating!  Yay!

at the clinic

(I am Head Refereeing.)

ME: NO PACK! (pause) [TWEET!] WHITE, TWO-THREE*, FAILURE TO REFORM!

PARKING LOT: Why did you issue that penalty?

ME: Because her responsibility was to slow down and she continued skating.

PARKING LOT: Correct!

ME (internally): YAAAAAAAY MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
---------------------------------
*not the actual color/number; don't remember what it was



Also found out I was accepted to Royal Brawl, a tournament in Guelph, Ontario over Memorial Day weekend.  Yaaaaaay meeeeeeeeee!

weather sucks

so the weather prevented me from going out to the game last Friday.  Boo!

and it's possible that the weather may prevent me from going to an officiating clinic on Saturday.  Boo!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's a wrap on 2017!

We're officially on break now (Saturday was an open scrimmage) so I actually brought my pads and skates in from the car!

So yeah.  2017.  Let's recap, shall we?

JANUARY

• Stated my goals for the year
• Did a new referee position

FEBRUARY

• Lost my finger whistle in a way that guaranteed I would never try to get it back
• Passed 100 games, between refereeing and NSOing
• One goal down, three to go

MARCH

• Realized a fundamental error with my skates
• Got into a skating thing I didn't get into in 2016

APRIL

• Got my skates to fit
• Figured out hockey stops

MAY

• Reffed my 100th game; two goals down, three to go
• Refereed a game between two D1 teams

JUNE

• Did inside whiteboard
• Refereed three full-length bouts in two different cities in one day

JULY

• Got a new helmet
• Discovered Radar Diamond wheels were discontinued

AUGUST

• Three goals down, one to go

SEPTEMBER

• HR'ed a scrimmage that was Black versus Grey; did not die
• Shared my makeup routine

OCTOBER

• Went with a more subtle helmet decoration
• Was reminded I still have so much to learn

NOVEMBER

• Found a set of MY PRECIOUSSSSSS
• Had what I consider my best tournament yet

So all in all, I am quite happy with my year as an official.  I was 3 for 4 on my year goals, and the fourth goal (apply for certification) wasn't available for me, so I'm calling it 100% ACHIEVED GREAT SUCCESS.

What will 2018 bring?  Hopefully more of the same.