Roller Derby Referees

Roller derby referees keep the game safe and fair. They have to skate just as well as or better than players and need to learn the rules with extreme proficiency. Referees are essential in order to hold roller derby scrimmages and games. Many referees get grief and complaints constantly from players and get none of the spotlight like the players. Aloha City Rollers was founded by a referee and coach, Handsome, and ACR LOVED and appreciated the referees and always included them in events and showing them love! Many of them were boyfriends and husbands of the players so roller derby became an activity they enjoyed together! Look like fun? Want to become a roller derby referee?

Learning The Rules of Roller Derby

There are several different rules that roller derby can be played under. Below are links to some of the most popular rules and resources to help learn them. Check with the roller derby league you want to join which rules they use. Below are links to roller derby referee resources:

WFTDA Rules

MRDA Rules

International Rules of Roller Derby

Roller Derby Rule of the Day

Roller Derby Rules Clarifications and Tough Questions

WFTDA Training And Educational Resources for Skaters and Leagues

The Zen of Reffing Roller Derby – Referee Training Handouts and Resources

Zebra Huddle – Roller Derby Referee Message Board

Aloha City Rollers’ Minimum Skills resources to train how to roller skate!

HEAD REFEREE CHECKLIST

CAPTAINS MEETING

> ANNOUNCE RULE SET AND EXPECTED DURATION OF HALF-TIME
> WE CALL EVERYTHING WE SEE, IMPACT DICTATES THE SEVERITY OF THE CALL
> HARD 30 SECONDS BETWEEN JAMS
> 3 X 1 MINUTE TIME OUTS. ONLY C OR A MAY CALL T/O. CHALLENGES TO CALLS WILL USE A T/O FOR OFFICIAL REVIEW (1 PER PD.) IF CHALLENGE IS THE FAULT OF REFS, NO T/O IS CHARGED. MUST BE CALLED BEFORE THE NEXT JAM STARTS T/O = MULTI SHORT WHISTLES

DURING THE GAME
- ONLY CAPTAINS AND ALTERNATES TALK TO ONLY THE HEAD REF
- PROFANITY DIRECTED TOWARD OFFICIALS WILL BE CONSIDERED A MAJOR PENALTY
- PENALTY BOX LOCATION/ PROCEDURES. DO NOT PASS LINE. (OBEY PENALTY BOX OFFICIALS)
- LATE PENALTY CALL PROCEDURE (PULLED TO SERVE)
- EQUIPMENT REMOVAL DURING JAMS = PENALTY. SKATERS - MUST EXIT TRACK FOR EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTIONS
- ISSUING PENALTIES TAKES PRIORITY OVER ISSUING WARNINGS
- OUT OF PLAY SKATERS MUST IMMEDIATELY YIELD, NO PACK MUST IMMEDIATELY REFORM

No Impact – No Penalty

Incidental contact to an opponent that does not force the receiving opposing skater to adjust her skating stance or position in any way.

Penalty

Any contact to an opponent that forces the receiving opposing skater out of her established position. This includes forcing a skater down, out of bounds, or out of position.

Expulsion

Expulsions will be issued for a conscious, forceful attempted action against an opponent, whether or not the action was successful.
6.1.4 Intentional, negligent, or reckless illegal contact to an opponent.
EXPELLED SKATERS MUST IMMEDIATELY EXIT THE SKATE FLOOR (cap’n will serve penalty. Doesn’t count against cap’ns penalty cap.

- EQUIPMENT CHECK. ANOTHER EQUIPMENT CHECK AFTER HALF-TIME. 
- CHECK #'S +ROSTER
- EMT CHECK
- QUESTIONS? ISSUES? CHECK WITH HEAD REFEREE AT HALFTIME W/ OTHER CONCERNS
- SHAKE HANDS, HAVE A GOOD GAME, LET'S HAVE FUN

REFEREE MEETING / NSO MEETING

> INTRODUCE ALL POSITIONS
> QUESTIONS?
> JAM TIMER, PERIOD TIMER ~T/O WHISTLE DEMO, OFFICIAL T/O POLICY
> SCOREKEEPERS, JAMMER REFS, SCOREBOARD
> ANNOUNCE RULE SET. Expected duration of half-time
> WE CALL EVERYTHING WE SEE, IMPACT DICTATES THE SEVERITY OF THE CALL
> HARD 30 SECONDS BETWEEN JAMS
> 3 X 1 MINUTE TIME OUTS. ONLY C OR A MAY CALL T/O. CHALLENGES TO CALLS WILL USE A T/O FOR OFFICIAL REVIEW (1 PER PD.) IF CHALLENGE IS THE FAULT OF REFS, NO T/O IS CHARGED. MUST BE CALLED BEFORE THE NEXT JAM STARTS T/O = MULTI SHORT WHISTLES. > MEETING PLACE

- DON'T TALK TO PLAYERS -ONLY CAPTAINS AND ALTERNATES TALK TO ONLY THE HEAD REF
- JAM TIMER WHISTLES STARTS, 2 MINUTE JAMS ENDS. JAMMER REFS WHISTLE CALLED OFF JAMS
- PROFANITY DIRECTED TOWARD OFFICIALS WILL BE CONSIDERED A MAJOR PENALTY
- PENALTY BOX LOCATION/ PROCEDURES. DO NOT PASS LINE. (OBEY PENALTY BOX OFFICIALS)
- LATE PENALTY CALL PROCEDURE (4 MINORS, PULLED TO SERVE)
- EQUIPMENT REMOVAL DURING JAMS = PENALTY. SKATERS MUST EXIT TRACK FOR EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTIONS
- ISSUING PENALTIES TAKES PRIORITY OVER ISSUING WARNINGS
- OUT OF PLAY SKATERS MUST IMMEDIATELY YIELD, NO PACK MUST IMMEDIATELY REFORM

No Impact/No Penalty

Incidental contact to an opponent that does not force the receiving opposing skater to adjust her skating stance or position in any way.

Penalty

Any contact to an opponent that forces the receiving opposing skater out of her established position. This includes forcing a skater down, out of bounds, or out of position.

Expulsion

Expulsions will be issued for a conscious, forceful attempted action against an opponent, whether or not the action was successful.
6.1.4 Intentional, negligent, or reckless illegal contact to an opponent

- EXPELLED SKATERS MUST IMMEDIATELY EXIT THE SKATE FLOOR (cap'n will serve penalty. Doesn't count against cap'ns penalty cap.
- NOTE WHO'S IN THE BOX AT HALF. DO NOT ERASE PENALTIES! 
- ESPECIALLY JAMMER REFS -KEEP EYE ON 3 BOARDS
- EQUIPMENT CHECK. ANOTHER EQUIPMENT CHECK AFTER HALF-TIME. 
- CHECK #'S +ROSTER
- QUESTIONS? ISSUES? CHECK WITH HEAD REFEREE IMMEDIATELY W/ ANY CONCERNS
- HALF-TIME MTG, WRAP-UP MTG
- SHAKE HANDS, THANKS, HAVE A GOOD GAME, LET'S HAVE FUN

Head Referee

– The Head Referee oversees all skating officials and non skating officials.

– The Head Referee does skates on inside of track and observing game play and calls any penalties they witness.

– Only players or coaches acting as team captain and their alternates may call time outs or take up concerns with the Head Referee. They may not discuss call issues with other referees and no other players or coaches may discuss call issues with the Head referee or any other referee.

– The Head Referee’s decision on all calls and issues during a game is final.

– If referees or NSOs have questions about rules or calls the Head Referee has the final say.

– Penalty Box NSOs report any penalty box punishable violations to the Head Referee between the next jam for the Head Referee to call and have the skater serve the penalty.

INSIDE PACK REFEREES

-Inside Pack Referees are primarily responsible for calling and enforcing all penalties using both the correlating hand and verbal signals to remove the offending skater from the track. Hand signals must be clear and highly visible to skaters, officials and fans.

– Inside Pack Referees are responsible for ensuring that penalties are
communicated or relayed to the penalty trackers.

-Inside Pack Referees’ primary duty is to follow and observe the pack to ensure rules are followed.

-Inside Pack Referees must focus on actions and penalties that cannot be seen from the outside.

-Inside Pack Referees are responsible for
o    defining the pack and the engagement zone
o    enforcing penalties called against Blockers by other Referees

-Inside Pack Referees must be aware when if penalties called by the Outside Pack Referees and assist in the communication between the Outside Pack Referees and the Penalty Trackers to ensure proper accounting of penalties.

-Inside Pack Referees will communicate with hand AND verbal signals to Jammer Referees. If the Jammer’s action was a minor, it is up to the Jammer Referee to relay that minor. If the Jammer has committed a major, the Inside Pack Referee will immediately whistle, use both correlating hand signal and verbal signal to remove Jammer from the track.

-Inside Pack Referees must be aware of skaters in the track infield leaving and entering the track skating both clockwise and counterclockwise.

During between-jam lineups, Inside Pack Referees must be aware of:
o   Skaters that are not wearing required safety equipment including mouth guards,
o   Proper number of skaters on the track
o   Skaters in or out of proper position including skaters who are intentionally drawing minor penalties
o   Skater failing to get on the track before the whistle
o   Skaters in the box
o   Skaters helmet covers in hand or on head 

-Inside Pack Referees will support Jammer Referees by defining engagement zone in front of and behind the pack and enforcing penalties

JAMMER REFEREES

The Jammer Referees’ main responsibility is to keep track of the opposing Blockers that his or her assigned Jammer has passed legally and has scored upon in accordance to the rule set.

The Jammer Referee should focus attention on his or her assigned Jammer at all times, including when she has been sent off the track, is on her way to the penalty box and while she is serving penalty time.

A Jammer Referee must whistle the jam dead when his or her assigned Jammer legally signals to do so.

The Jammer Referee should non-verbally indicate how many minor penalties his or her assigned Jammer has accumulated prior to each jam.

A Jammer Referees calls penalties committed by his or her assigned Jammer, penalties that directly affect his or her assigned jammer and penalties committed against his or her assigned jammer.

Each Jammer Referee must ensure that all penalties he or she calls are correctly reported to the penalty trackers.

Jammer Referees must incorporate input from other Referees.

Each Jammer Referee should report penalties, verbally and by hand
signal, committed by the other Jammer to her assigned Jammer Referee.

One Jammer Referee should inform the other Jammer Referee when his or her Jammer has been sent to the penalty box.

One Jammer Referee is assigned to each team. Jammer Referees switch teams for the second period.

Jammer Referees wear identifying markers to indicate team assignment.

Jammer Referees communicate declaration of Lead Jammer or Not Lead Jammer upon completion of the assigned Jammer’s initial pass through the pack. Jammer Referees continue to indicate Lead Jammer and Not Lead Jammer status using hand signals until the Jammer has entered the back of the engagement zone.

If the first Jammer to exit the pack has not earned Lead Jammer status, her assigned Jammer Referee will alternate the Not Lead Jammer hand signal with the

appropriate hand signal to indicate the reason she is not lead, until the Jammer enters the back of the engagement zone.

The Jammer Referee displays and announces the number of points his or her assigned Jammer has earned for each pass to score keeping official once the Jammer has exited the front of the engagement zone. The Jammer Referee continues to display the point count until the Jammer has entered the back of the engagement zone.

Each Jammer Referee communicates a lapped Jammer to other Jammer Referee by repeated tapping of his or her wrist guard against his or her helmet.

Jammer Referees maintain communication with Inside Pack Referees regarding the Out Of Play status of Blockers engaging Jammers beyond the engagement zone.

A Jammer Referee stands attentively when his or her assigned Jammer is in the penalty box, and maintains visual communication with penalty box manager to ensure the Jammer leaves the penalty box legally.

OUTSIDE PACK REFEREES

-Outside Pack Referees’ primary responsibility is to call and enforce penalties. Their primary duties are to follow and observe the pack to ensure rules are followed as well as supporting and providing backup to the other referees.

-Outside Pack Referees are responsible for ensuring penalties they’ve called are communicated and relayed to the Penalty Trackers.

-Outside Pack Referees must focus on actions and penalties that cannot be seen from the infield. This includes but is not limited to skaters incorrectly re-entering the track from the penalty box and after removing themselves from play as skaters removing their mouth guards on the way to the penalty box.

-Outside Pack Referees must be aware if an Inside Pack Referee has already called the same penalty. If an Inside Pack Referee has called a particular penalty, the Outside Pack Referee should disregard that penalty as duplicate and therefore not report it.

-Outside Pack Referees will communicate with hand signal to Jammer Referees. If the Jammer has committed a penalty, the Outside Pack Referee will immediately whistle, use both correlating hand signal and verbal signal to remove Jammer from the track.

-Outside Pack Referees supply information to the Jammer Referees to help them determine the legality of Jammer passes, especially regarding the accrual of points or Lead Jammer status.

-Outside Pack Referees must quickly identify treacherous track conditions due to spills in the crowd, handbags, wheelchairs, small children, etc.

-Outside Pack Referees must be aware of skaters in the Referee Lane entering and leaving the track skating both clockwise and counterclockwise.

-Outside Pack Referees must be aware of skaters incorrectly re-entering the track from the Penalty Box and after self removal. 

-Outside Pack Referees must be aware of skaters removing their mouth guards on the way to the penalty box.

Outside Pack Referees must be in communication with the penalty box manager regarding:
 -Skaters leaving the penalty box early, that need to return to the box to finish serving penalty time
 -Instructing waived off skaters to return to the penalty box once a space is open
 -Skaters that need to remain on track for the next jam when they are in que for the open seat in the penalty