Last night was my first night as an official NSO (Non-Skating Official). Mallory and I went to a Monday night practice of the BRRG to learn the ropes. We were like little kids going to the water park the weekend before the Monday practice. It's all we could text or talk about. I am a very visual learner, so I feel like somewhere, in the deep recesses of my mind, notes are being taken on form, moves, footwork, etc. Liquor Possi, a ref, and Hippie Check, a former skater, went over penalty tracking with us in depth, and then we got to try it out with a quick scrimmage. Aside from getting dizzy following the team around and around (penalty trackers stand within the rink; the donut hole if you will, rather than the donut), trying to remember all of the penalty codes (X = Cutting Track, E = Elbows, O = Out Of Bounds Blocking, F = Forearms (or hands!), and so on and so forth) while getting them in the right part of the chart, and remembering on which jam we were...it was overwhelming at first. But fascinating. It's like learning a whole new aspect of the game. It is a bit nerve wracking when you think about it too much (like everything with derby!), because you can really mess up a game if you miss the penalties called, or write them down incorrectly. Thank god they used pencils rather than pens!
So Mallory and I headed to Greensville, SC to do penalty tracking at the BRRG B-Team's French Broads vs. The U.R.G.E. It's one step closer to being in the rink, one more aspect of the game to know inside and out, one more way to watch as much derby as is humanly possible with a 6-day-a-week work schedule.
Are all skate rinks unbelieveably tacky?Mallory and I thought that perhaps it would be more helpful if we had the ref hand signals memorized, so she printed them out and we tried to go over them on the way to the bout. Turns out it was not helpful, but I want to know them anyway so I am glad we studied them.
It was really great. I almost peed myself several times when refs were circling and yelling out numbers, colors and penalties. It's all so fast. I definitely broke into a sweat and got what jam we were on mixed up several times. But I am learning so much that I believe will help me when I finally (FINALLY) begin bouting. I want to be there for every game. There is one this Saturday, but the Knoxville game is the Saturday after and I am NOT missing that one. Two Saturday's off...will work allow it? I think I will ask and see. It makes me so happy to watch and be a part of this sport. And to wear fishnets of course. And to enter through the same door as the skaters. Oh my, I am obsessed, I simply must stop.
Huzzah!
