Junior Derby Deserves Great Officials

Far too often, many leagues have difficulty finding referees to officiate their games. Some leagues get around this problem by having skaters wear stripes or just dealing with a short crew. Some leagues in my area would stand on their head to get qualified refs and look for help months and months in advance.

This is especially true of junior roller derby.

Many times, junior games get staffed by “whomever is around.” You can fight me on this but I think junior roller derby should have the BEST referees in the area. Certainly, everyone needs a start but staffing a juniors game with all brand-new refs won’t likely end well.

Junior games need referees who are good at crowd control. Calling a young skater a “fat pig” SHOULD get you ejected from the building. Further, no referee should ever have to deal with verbal abuse poised to themselves either.

Junior games need referees who are good with youths. Yelling at a skater because she’s so new she forgot to exit the track to get to the penalty box is not cool. Apologizing or at least explaining in a calm manner when you saw you made her cry would also be a classy and mature move. Just saying.

Junior games need referees who know the rules of the sport well. They are there to keep the skaters safe and the sport fair. Many parents would say they get nervous when they see their child play for fear of injury. This makes a good head ref worth their weight in gold; a good ref crew as precious as rare gems.

What is your league doing to promote and honour officials (both skating and non-skating)? Are they getting sufficient practice time? Are you helping to recruit? Do you feed them – it sounds trite but I’ve seen officials brighten right up when they’ve travelled so far and are met with a plate of sandwiches and a crock pot of chili.

We’re fortunate to have many amazing officials nearby. They’ve come to our practices to help the skaters learn the rules a little better. We’ve had full crews both on and off skates to help officiate even the most informal intraleague scrimmages. They meet often and support each other.

One of our parent leagues has a bursary called the Jules and Regulations Award (http://tricityrd.com/jules-reg/) which honours a female-identifying official who has demonstrated excellence in officiating women’s flat track roller derby and in empowering other female-identifying officials. Jules herself has made countless contributions to officiating, mentoring, and increasing gender diversification within roller derby officiating.

One of those she has mentored? The boy in the photo above. Starting out at 9-years-old, he never wanted to play the game but, instead, something about officiating entranced him.

He was – and still is – lucky to have many show him the ropes. Starting with junior derby coaches who had developed his skating and taking the time to discuss the rules of the sport with him, it was other referees who got him game-worthy. He would shadow refs who would take the time between jams to explain what was going on. Refs would guide him to useful online resources and made themselves available for any of his questions with patience and respect. He’s also been trusted to officiate in non-sanctioned adult games, handled all referee positions including HR, and is confident enough to approach junior skaters to ask if they had any questions or concerns about his calls or the game in general (just as his mentors do). His next goal is to be a certified WFTDA referee as soon as he is eligible. When he turns 18 in 2021, he’ll have been in stripes for nine years.

The road wasn’t without hiccups. I’ve heard many stories of youth refs being discounted in one way or another, which does nothing to elevate not only junior derby but roller derby entirely. Put down a junior ref and that person might give up. Where’s the future now?

We need to make things easier for junior roller derby officials. It’s an issue in many children’s sports but there needs to be a greater culture of respect and appreciation for officials from players, parents and spectators. I’ve heard far too many refs say they will never work a juniors game because they don’t want to hear disparaging remarks from parents.

Other ways to be more encouraging? Our league doesn’t charge a registration fee for those youths who just want to ref. Other leagues actively recruit for youth officials, sometimes even within – looking to family and friends. We recently participated at the ECDX tournament in Philadelphia and every participating junior league had to have skaters or referees commit to a total of several officiating hours (per league, not per skater). It was a brilliant way to get skaters NSOing and refereeing, highlighting their capabilities and surely improved their knowledge of their sport.

We talk a lot about being inclusive in roller derby. Let’s not forget the junior (and adult) who wants to officiate.

Photo appears courtesy of junior derby dad, all-around great guy, and amazing photographer Jeff Ostrander (jeffostrander.smugmug.com).

 

Getting to Know You

Our little ones love to just skate. Some of them would be happy to just go around and around the track for hours if we allowed it. But how much would they learn from that?

Another things our little skaters love? To talk about themselves! They love to share with us stories about their day, their lives at home and school, their likes and dislikes.

So here’s a drill you could use as a warm-up or to reinforce good skating stride skills, speed and being able to stop well. You need to coaches and that’s it.

Coach A will be on one side of the room and Coach B will be on the other. The skaters will be along the wall on the end where Coach A is. She’ll say a statement (like, “I have red hair,” “I’ve been on an airplane” or “I can have a conversation in a language other than English”). If the statement is true about the skater, the kid will skate to the end of the room where Coach B is, stopping without ramming into the wall. Not all will be release and that’s okay. Coach B will have her own statements to say. So what you’ll get is a constant back-and-forth motion of skaters.

Shootin’ Dice Warm-Up Drill

Is it possible to get youths excited about strength-training? It is when you can approach it as if it was a game, I think!

Our skaters typically can’t wait to put their skates on. After all, weekly, they only have the time during practice to be able to wear them. So we came up with this warm-up to incorporate a little bit of off-skates training in with their warm-up.

You need a set of dice (or more if you have a big group). We got our foamy sets from the dollar store. It’s a good size and of a good material. The skaters can easily toss it. It’s soft so if it rolls on someone, it won’t hurt. And it’s sturdy because, well, they’re kids.

On a separate piece of paper or bristol board, write out what exercise each roll will be. So, for example, if the skater rolls a one, she looks to the paper and reads she has to do squats. A two is push-ups. Three is a fast feet run on the spot. You get the idea. I recommend rolling just one die out of the two or more that you have. This way, others aren’t waiting too long for their turn to roll.

So while the skater who rolled is doing her exercise, her partner is skating a predetermined amount of laps (we ask for three laps). When the laps are done, they skate in the middle of the track where her partner is doing exercises and they trade positions.

We usually run this drill for 10 minutes.

 

Go Tag

Here’s a quick game you can use. It’s like off-skate training you can do on skates!

Divide your skaters into two lines. Everyone in the line will be doing squats. Meanwhile, you have a “chaser” and a “skater.” These two juniors begin skating around the two lines of squatters with the chaser trying to catch the skater.

As the chaser skates around the squatters, she can at any time tap one of the squatters and shout, “GO!” The tapped player now becomes the chaser and the original chaser takes the empty spot in line and proceeds to squat.

When the skater is finally tagged, the chaser now becomes the skater and you can pick a new chaser.

This game works best when you change the chasers frequently, which will likely happen because this gasses the kids out. Even when you think you’re getting a break by tapping a new chaser, you don’t really get a break because you then need to squat.

A terrific way to enforce agility, stopping, strength training, evasion and speed.

Tried and True Wall Defence

The easiest defensive move you can teach children, in my opinion, is the wall – blockers lined up across the track with the sides of their bodies touching. Since we teach the skaters to play positional blocking only to start, this is typically the introduction – and cornerstone – to effective blocking.

We do lots to reinforce this. One that I do to start feeling what it’s like to have someone skate with you is to pair them up and place a track marker (we use cut-up strips of yoga mats) or a piece of paper between wherever you want them touching (shoulders, hips, thighs, etc). Don’t let it drop!

The skaters will get the feeling of having a teammate push on you to make that wall, as well as reinforce the skill of adapting their speed to what’s going on during play. You can always add skaters to this drill and have them appreciate what a 3-wall and ultimately a 4-wall can do. Throw in a jammer and let the fun begin!

You don’t want them forgetting this during a game, so sometimes during a warm-up, we have them skate around. Coach will blow the whistle and tell them to get into a wall of two, three or four. The skaters will use a number of skills to form a wall like skate faster and stop, skate backwards, jump sideways, etc. A coach or a designated skater can then try to jam around them. Call these things out quickly and get their brains working too! How important is getting to the lines, skaters?

Or have them in groups skating around. Fast, slow, whatever. Blow a whistle and they’re together. A simple drill, I know, but throw in kids that aren’t as skilled with ones that are and you have some teamwork skills being worked on.

Of course, in time, they’ll be ready for more defensive plays. We have them in groups of four all the time, calling out three or four all-level moves blockers can make. We do this over and over and over again, and have this drill pretty much in every practice with the skaters who know them. This teaches them to be quick and to reinforce their knowledge of these moves. Put them in groups of five with one jamming and I feel you add some urgency. Whatever it takes to get their hearts pumping, right?

 

 

MVP! MVP!

I’ve been noticing a trend around awarding the MVP. To my league, it’s something we talk about at halftime. “Start thinking about skaters on the other team that are getting your number. Ask yourself why and see if you can correct that. If not, consider that player for MVP.”

Among the leagues we play, we typically have the skaters and bench coaches choose the MVP for the other team. My league strives to award the Most Valuable Player to, well, the most valuable player. And the coach has the final say. But what we often experience is our strongest skaters never see MVP.

Why is that? Is it because of sore feelings? “Let’s give it to so-and-so instead because she didn’t do much to upset us.” Is it because they’re trying to be magnanimous? “Let’s give it to so-and-so because I bet she never gets MVP.” I’m really not sure.

Either way, it’s wrong.

MVP ought to be given to the skater who the team would have done much, much worse without. Let’s face it, there’s always a standout.

You could argue that it could mean the same player gets the award many times over. But I’m okay with that. Chances are, that superstar skater you have has worked hard to get where she is. And others on her team should look up to that work ethic. Of course, if she has a bad attitude or something, then as a coach, you should have a talk about leadership with her.

Further, awarding the MVP to someone who may not have done well may only reinforce a mediocre effort or, worse, give that child a big head. It could also cause strife within the team when those who tried hard see that a weaker skater is awarded. They may understand when the more experienced skater wins but giving it to the new person who constantly got goated? That kind of reeks.

To get around this and bring the positive mojo back to our skaters in the dressing room is the Sugar Shaker Award. It’s just a simple sugar shaker filled with candy and is given out in our dressing room after the game.

The Sugar Shaker Award goes to a skater who made the game sweeter. Maybe she pushed everyone to work harder or helped to keep morale high. Maybe she had an amazing 20 point jam. Maybe she was always the one at the right place at the right time to block. Sure, it may not be the superstar you have on your team but it usually is someone pretty close. This reinforces the value of people who play hard and bring a lot of positivity to the team dynamic. Because we go around to each skater and ask who they’d nominate and why, it lends to positive peer feedback – like a verbal hug from your derby sisters.

 

 

Attitude is Everything

Lately at practices, one of our skaters has been asking some seemingly odd questions.

“How can you tell if a kid is faking an injury on the track?”

“Is it true you won’t level up a skater if they act too immature to play contact?”

“If a skater got mad at someone on the track in a game and just didn’t want to play anymore, would you let them lace off?”

This is coming from a skater who bawls when she trips (and then proceeds to blame her skates, what she’s wearing, the floor, the person who was skating a metre away from her, and her mom for buying regular Cheerios instead of Honey-Nut).

I’d like to think we’ve developed a nurturing culture in our league; a safe place for the skaters to discuss whatever’s on their minds but also an arena for parents to share too. Often do we have parents letting our coaches know, “My daughter’s having trouble in school” or “She didn’t get enough sleep” or “She’s just coming off of a track and field tournament.” Obviously, more of a warning than idle chit-chat.

In this case, the message came through another parent: this mom was having issues with her daughter’s behaviour so she was taking roller derby away from her until further notice.

And we were having issues too. She was getting belligerent with the coaches. She was bossing other skaters around and just generally not saying things that were very kind as a way to put others down and prop her up. Let me say, when she was gone, it was nice to go through a whole practice without having to stop and reprimand.

When the skater came back, she was respectful and as sweet as sugar. And then came the questions.

How can we tell if someone is faking? We strive to have lots of eyes on the skaters (a lead coach who makes the practice, a second who helps to demonstrate and supplies additional pointers or runs a secondary drill for skaters at different levels, and helpers who are there to encourage and be that watchful eye). Someone can usually see how a fall went down. It was a good opportunity to review the rule of “out three if we take a knee.”

Will we not pass someone who’s immature? Maybe! The higher the level, the more important collaborative work is, and the harder it’s going to be to play. And there’s always another skater who is better than you. Always. If you can’t accept that, maybe it’s not your time yet.

Should a coach agree to scratch a skater if her feelings are hurt during a bout? Well, practices are about you: your goals, your skills. Games are about the team. You’re playing for what’s on the front of your shirt, not the back. If your attitude is going to get in the way of the safety of the game, yeah, maybe you should just leave. But know that you’d be letting your team down if you can’t get it together.

This isn’t the first skater to have attitude. But we found that by continuing to work with the parent(s) and phrasing any disciplines in a constructive, caring way, those difficult skaters learn how to work together and know when to put others first.

Sometimes it takes ages, but the benefits are awesome. It’s a lifeskill that you hope you’ve imprinted on this skater that will take her through her adulthood.

It’s so much more than teaching them to plow stop.

 

Halloween Games

To me, Halloween is like a holiday for children. I try to make it special for my neighbourhood kids but also for our skaters. So every year, we invite them to wear a costume they can safely skate in and we put together a bunch of festive games that also sneakily teach and reinforce skills.

Pumpkin Roll has the skaters down super low, rolling a pumpkin from one end of the room to the other. Pumpkins aren’t perfectly round so this will challenge them to stay low for longer than they think. I usually have teams break in half, with one half of the team on one end of the room and the other at the other end. This way, the pumpkin is rolled up by one group and rolled down by another. This maximizes the number of kids playing. Another way to ensure kids aren’t waiting around is to have them do the rolling in pairs or in threes. Balance and core engagement will be key, as well as a little strength because pumpkins can be heavy!

To have them sticky skating or toe-walking or just generally going slowly, the Ghost Walk game uses paper plates and balloons. Every skater has a paper plate with a balloon on top. They’re to take that from one end to the other with the balloon staying on the plate. Skating fast and dragging the balloon through the air is cheating. We encourage two hands on the plate with the arms extended so they can’t use their chests or face or whatever to propel the balloons forward. Why is it called Ghost Walk? Ghosts move slowly.

Zombie Tag is a tough one. Choose your fastest skater who will be the zombie virus. She’ll skate around and try to tag others. If they are tagged, they become zombies. They will now have a paper plate on the floor that they must drag around with their skate – they’ll look like they’re shuffling zombies! The zombies, too, can tag someone. Game ends when everyone is infected or you run out of paper plates.

 

EXTREME Duck Duck Goose – Derby Style!

Tell your skaters you’re going to play Duck Duck Goose and you could be met with more eye rolls than cheers.

But if you lead in to it saying, “This isn’t some baby Duck Duck Goose. This is EXTREME Duck Duck Goose,” you might pique their attention.

The rules are the same. Have a skater skate around, gently tapping the top of the other skaters’ helmets and saying, “Duck” for each one you tap. They choose one and say, “Goose” and that person is to skate around and get back to their spot, trying not to be caught by the person who chose them. If they do get caught, they get to call “Duck Duck Goose.”

But what makes it extreme? And what good is this to teach your juniors skating skills?

Speed is part of it, as well as precision. I might encourage the very new to just try their best to skate around the circle of their derby sisters, others to only sticky skate around the circle. Skaters that handle it can weave around the circle and advanced skaters can skate backwards or even weave backwards.

But it can also reinforce some of those off-skates drills you’re doing. Have the skaters in the circle stay in derby stance or have them do squats. In time, their legs will be screaming at them and they might be pleading, “Pick me as goose! Pick me!”

Teaching Hockey Stops

One of the first things taught is how to stop, for very good reasons. Especially in junior derby where some leagues keep skaters of all levels together, one could be on the track with a baby deer on wheels. If she flails or falls, for her safety and yours, you should know how to stop.

After a while, our skaters were hungry to learn stops beyond the plow, T, tomahawk, etc. So enter the hockey stop!

When we teach it, we break it down as seen on this video: https://youtu.be/km1dNyqA-AU

We have the skaters line up. They skate forward while the coach yells “Airplane!” The skaters repeat in their recess voice “AIRPLANE!” While they yell, they skate with their arms out to the side.

Then the coach yells “Twist!” and the girls repeat “TWIST!” while they twist their torsos, arms still extended. It has to be a quick snap. Their bodies are in great alignment for the next step.

This is when the coach yells “Stop!” and they swing their leg out and apply pressure on  on the outer foot’s heel. Don’t overthink it!

Often, the kids are so small, their wheels are pretty hard for their weight. Totally cool in this instance because it gets that slide needed for the hockey stop.

Yeah, yeah, their arms are out. Once they’re introduced to the hockey stop and feel they can successfully execute it, encourage them to not use their arms. “Airplane” can then become just “Skate” or whatever you fancy.