Scottish Roller Derby Blog (Posts about nso)

It's Late n' Lite with DRG

wearethedrd — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 10:00:13 GMT

Dundee Roller Girls' popular Late n' Lite officials bootcamp is back for 2017. On the 3rd of April at Manhattan Works, Dundee, DRG officials are opening their doors at 7pm for a three hour bootcamp, all for a fiver!

Obligatory after bootcamp photo!

Last year saw three instalments of this officials orientated bootcamp, inviting NSO's, Referees and anyone that wanted to expand their rules knowledge to DRG's Manhattan Works venue in Dundee. Not only do they offer the chance to learn from some of the most experienced referees in Scotland but also to try out the tiled sports court that is so common across the US derby scene!

Their previous Late n' Lite's have covered a variety of topics to help veteran and new officials alike! The first, in 2016, covered “Oddly phrased Skater Queries” and “Official Reviews”; the second: “OPR like a Pro” and “Positive Self Talk!”; with the third covering “Defusing Difficult Situations” and “Level up your JR and OPR positioning”.

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Each mini-bootcamp consists of two 45 minute off-skate sessions, usually one broad subject is covered initially and then another role-specific focus is brought out. After which, on skates referees are given the chance to put these new skills to the test by refereeing the Dundee Roller Girls skaters in a final hour scrim!

To learn a bit more about the reasoning behind these bootcamps, and just have a wee catch up with some of Scotland's referees, we had a wee chat with Ruby RaGe (R) and Tiny Tearaway (T) (head officials for DRG 2017).

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Q: So to start us off, how did these bootcamps come around? Was it something that DRG officials were working on for a long time?

R: I guess we started having a chat amongst the group and Righteous Oxide came up with the idea!

T: I wasn’t actually part of the league when the bootcamps were first talked about. I think it was commented on that there wasn’t anything like this already in Scotland and it would be a good idea to look into it. A few months later the first bootcamp popped up!

Q: There's quite a lot of you DRG officials isn't there? Do you all take it in turns for leading a session or how is it all planned?

R: What tends to happen is that folks volunteer to take a session. When it comes to the ‘classroom’ stuff it’s not everyone’s bag to stand up in front of a room full of people. I think the great thing is we all bring something different to the table. This makes it really varied and interesting.

T: All of the officials at DRG have their own amazing skillsets. We have a wee chat about topics for a bootcamp and usually someone volunteers to take a session on a specific subject. I was really excited to do my session on jam reffing as I can get quite passionate about it and want all the refs to love it as much as I do 

Q: What's planned for your fourth installment then?

R: Ahhh, I’m not part of the planning for this one, I'll let Tiny take this question..!

T: The fourth bootcamp is probably going to be the most exciting. So far we have focused mainly on skating officials but with so many people at DRG and across all of the Scottish leagues taking an interest in the non skating side of things, we decided to make the bootcamp for skating officials as well as anyone wanting to delve into the wonderful world of nso’ing. We are delighted that the very talented Peggy Kreugar from ARRG has agreed to take this session. After the theory side of things all of the officials get the chance to ref and NSO a scrim with the lovely skaters from DRG.

Q: How do you feel running bootcamps like these impacts the movement of Scottish Officials? Especially when specific focus is being put into our lovely NSOs?

R: I think what our league is offering is very special. It’s fair to say that NSO’s are sometimes overlooked and we very much feel they are part of the big picture. Nurturing on & off skates officials is integral to the sport.

T: It is a bit of a laugh between the Scottish officials that DRG have all the refs in Scotland. This isn’t quite true but we are very lucky to have 10 referees who ref at different levels throughout Scotland, the rest of the uk and the rest of the world. We are a league who have an open door policy when it comes to helping anyone who wants to learn how to ref or nso. We saw the bootcamps as a way to help newer officials and newer leagues with fewer refs.

Q: Are there any major barriers you feel for Scottish Officials breaking through into officiating outside of bonnie Scotland or even into international derby?

R: I think you have to get yourself known & put yourself out there. It will get harder as the pool of Officials increases but it’s good to have contacts!

T:The Scottish officials are a very close community. We are always happy to help each other out and because of this I think we have built a reputation of being knowledgeable, fair and reliable. I think for a lot of newer officials it is quite daunting to start applying to events and games over the border and abroad. The advice I was given was apply to everything, get your name out there and get known. If you get rejected, although it sucks at the time there will always be more opportunities. Work hard, ask for help and be the best you can be.

Q: To finish off, do you guys wanna give us some hints to the next few bootcamps? What are your main goals for these?

R: Well there will be lots of OPR training from our wonderful Shuggs Bunny and of course some great insight into Jam ref’ing like a true super star from Tiny. I’ve done some of the more mental rather than physical aspects of Derby in the past (positive self-talk) and would love to do something similar again this year. We just love the fact that lots of Officials are prepared to travel some distance to attend these Boot Camps. I think we must be doing something right!

T: Yeah, just what Rubes has said, having the next few bootcamps continuing along the same path. Looking at focused and specific learning, but at the same time making sure there is a bit of something to keep everyone interested. It is great to see that other leagues such as Glasgow Roller Derby are offering more officiating events, aimed more at nso’s but also welcome refs. I think if leagues continue with these bootcamps and training sessions the future of Scottish officiating can only become stronger.

So if you want to polish up your NSO skills, OPR like a PRO and have some scrim time practice then DRG's Late n' Lite Bootcamp is for you!

Doors open at 7pm at Manhattan Works, Dundee. Check out the facebook event page for more details!

TDTM Awards: The NSOs

aoanla — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 14:07:56 GMT

As you're probably aware, the second ever Talk Derby To Me Listener Awards are currently up for votes, with an extended set of categories since last time. Several of those categories were added to allow nominations for roles which are frequently under-represented, and less visible, than those of Skaters - Referees, NSOs, Announcers and so on.

However, it became somewhat clear that one of the issues with NSO awards is that... well, NSOs are less visible (some of them would argue that if they're visible, they're doing it wrong), and less public than Skaters, and people don't really know what the nominees were have been doing. And many of them have been doing a huge amount, and some very big things - as well as being necessary for the running of every game (and even more important for tournaments, where there's geometrically increasing amounts of organisation needed), they're also in the background keeping stats and data safe and up to date, both locally and in shared community resources like Flat Track Stats.

So, in the spirit of the Award itself, we've given each Nominee for the NSO Award a small (too small!) amount of space to say something about what they did this year... which we've topped with a brief description of their association and history. NSOs were also given the opportunity to provide a photo - if they didn't, we've applied the universal NSO placeholder!

NSOs are covered in the order they appear in the TDTM Awards Voting form, here. We've added their "actual" NSO name after their name on the form, if it differs.

Blind Io

Photo: John Hesse

Blind Io is an independent NSO in the Edinburgh area. He's been NSOing for 3 years. His favourite event to NSO this year was The European Smackdown. "I became an Independent NSO at the start of this year, helped manage 2 WFTDA Recognised Tournaments as a GTO, visited 5 countries and NSOed my first ever WFTDA D1 & Top-10 games!"

Bomb Weasley

Bomb Weasley is an independent NSO based in Wales. She's been an NSO for 2 years now, and her favourite event to NSO was the Louisey Rider Cup, as "I was the PBM and had two unicorn PBTs. AND GLITTER. " "This year I have been DHNSO for BCW-T4W, HNSO for Wales Men and have transferred to a new league. I have also been to Mons for my first tournament abroad, attended a WFTDA clinic and co-THNOsed for the first time. I have officiated across the UK and Ireland, making new friends, catching up with old ones and sampling many many many gins on the way."

Pettichoke

Petti is in the left hand side here...click here for closeup Photo: Ken LeBleu ("JammerTime")

Petti is affiliated with Eastbourne Roller Derby, and has been NSOing for 5 and a half years. Her favourite event to NSO this year was the Japan Open, in Okinawa, as "sorry to break loyalty to Eastbourne Extreme, but crew heading the first ever tournament in Asia was pretty frickin special!" "I became the first level 3 WFTDA certified NSO in Europe from a non-WFTDA league. NSOd to Japan and back, as well as being mentor to many. If you haven’t seen the work that I do…then I’m doing it right. NSOs are the glue that make things awesome :-)"

Sara Tonin

Photo: Shirlaine Forrest

Sara Tonin is an independent NSO based in the Manchester area. She's been an NSO for 2 years, and her favourite event to NSO this year was the Men's Roller Derby World Cup in Calgary. "I was HNSO with Manchester Roller Derby until recently, I've been THNSO of the men's side of British Championships, and I was lucky enough to LT at MRDWC in Calgary, as well as travel to Rollercon. I've had a busy year, nearly hitting the 200 game mark!"

Dr Stevel

Photo : John Hesse

Dr Stëvël is NSO for Southern Discomfort Roller Derby, and has been NSOing for 5 years. His favourite event to NSO this year was The European Smackdown. "Being heckled by close to a thousand people has to be the highlight... It was great to see the crowds having so much fun. I have been mainly Jam Timing or hiding from Team Heckle"

Disorder Lee

DisorderLee is affiliated with London Rockin' Rollers, where she also skates. She's been NSOing for almost 5 years now. Her favourite event to NSO this year was the Men's Roller Derby World Cup in Calgary. "I've NSO'ed a lot of close door/challenge team games, NSO'ed some games in Tier 2 South British Champs, as many of the Tier 1 Men's British Champs as I could go to (dates sometimes overlap as I also skate), including my first open door game as HNSO, most of our B teams home games and the Men's World Cup in Calgary, CA."

Iain Wilson [Dor-Iain Grey]

Photo: Graeme Willetts

Dor-Iain NSOs for Bath Roller Derby Girls, where he has been for 2 years. His favourite event to NSO this year was The Louisey Rider Cup. "This year I was a Divisional HNSO for British Championships, and a Crew Head for the promotion playoffs. I officiated at The European Smackdown in Sweden, the first WFTDA recognised tournament outside of America, as well as Eastbourne Extreme, Men's European Cup, Road to TBC and many more, covering 70+ games in total."

Bath Vader

Bath Vader also NSOs with Bath Roller Derby Girls, where they've been for 14 months. Their favourite event to NSO was the Suomi Cup Final. "NSOd Champs Tier 3 South, SWUK, BRDG closed door games, playoffs, hyper unicorn tourney, Road to TBC, Soumi Cup final, Oslo, London Brawling, Tattoo Freeze. Lots still to learn which is why it's great when I get to work with really seasoned NSOs."

V-ictoria Tickle [Miss Tickle]

Miss Tickle NSOs for Glasgow Men's Roller Derby, as of only a month ago - she was previously independent. She's been NSOing for 1 year, after stepping down from skating. Her favourite event to NSO this year was 5th Blocker's 5th Birthday Party, as "it was my first time NSOing a Junior game!". "I've travelled the length and breadth of the UK for scrims, bouts & tournaments. I’ve learnt to be Jam Timer as well as a penalty box official and can now confidently be PBM! When all NSO roles were filled, I’ve been LUM, Bench as well as photographed many a game!"

Krystal Vice

Krystal Vice Head NSOs for Seaside Sirens Roller Girls and Southern Discomfort, as well as both Team Englands. She's been an NSO for 5 years. Her favourite event to NSO this year was The European Smackdown, as "Crew Head - terrifying but awesome (got to CH with Acid!)" "HNSO for two leagues and two national teams, THed Sevens x 2, MEC and Suomi Cup. Went to RollerCon and MRDWC, West Track Story, Mayday, Sci Fight, London/Gotham, ERDT, HUUEB, DDT, Road to TBC, among other things! :)"

Peggy Kreuger

Peggy Kreuger is Head NSO for Auld Reekie Roller Girls, and has been NSOing for about 3 and a half years (in Edinburgh and Aberdeen). Her favourite event to NSO was the WFTDA Clinic, although she also includes "reaching 100 games and the charity games where everyone dressed to a theme". "Increasing my knowledge as a NSO through Head NSOing and helping the training of others. I've head NSO'd single games, double headers, a Sur5al and even a small tournament [ARRGmageddon]! This year has taught me a lot and NSOing will only teach me more in time. "

Resting Bexface

Resting Bexface NSOs for Newcastle Roller Girls and Tyne & Fear Roller Derby, where she's been for 18 months. Her favourite event to NSO was Newcastle's first C Team game. "Mostly developing my skills and learning lots. Started the year with 6 months experience, half way through the year was HNSO for two big leagues. Lots of learning. Lucky to have worked with some amazing people who have helped me so much."

Emily of the State

Emily of the State NSOs for Rainy City Roller Derby, where she's been for 3.5 years. Her favourite event to NSO this year was SKOD: A Skate Odyssey, for the "great officials, great derby, great graphics!" "I have done loads of travelling to various tournaments including The European Smackdown, The Big O, A Skate Odyssey, Skates of Glory, MEC and The Suomi Cup. As well NSOing many other games in and around the UK for British Champs. (As well as dipping my toe in the ref lane back at the Thunderdome!)"

Linz & Needles

Linz & Needles is affiliated with Oxford Roller Derby and Southern Discomfort Roller Derby, and has been NSOing for 3 and a half years. Her favourite event to NSO this year was the Men's European Cup. "I officiated at 7 tournaments (including my first NSOing trips outside the UK, to Canada for MRDWC and Belgium for ERDT). I worked games from multiple tiers of British Champs, and was a divisional Head NSO. I became MRDA Recognised! I spent about 36 hours in the penalty box…"

Yoshi [DominAsian]

Photo: John Hesse

Yoshi NSOs for Suffolk Roller Derby, and is one of the longest serving NSOs up for an award, having been NSOing for 7 years! His favourite event to NSO this year was Eastbourne Extreme. "Stepped in as a Divisional Head NSO for Brit Champs in Tier 3 Mens. Jam timed everywhere. Popped my Mainland Europe officiating cherry at ERDT 2016. Teamed with Funk as Puck to run a couple officiating boot camps. NSO’d Road to TBC. WON SO MANY AFTERPARTIES!"

Halo Jones

Photo: Eloise Rees

Halo Jones is affiliated with Oxford Wheels of Gory, and has been NSOing for more than 3 years. Her favourite event to NSO was Essex Sevens, as "every year it gets better!". "All the Sevens format games it feels! Handling the Men’s Southern Sevens Cup was amazing-I got to work with great officials. That experience was reflected throughout my year, working with shiny new officials and brilliant veterans. 2016 was a lot of teaching others, watching others and importantly, learning from others!"

Flamingo image licenced CC:BY by Creative Tail

Thanks to Blind Io for making contact with the other NSOs and generally supporting this project.

Team NSO aka Team Awesome

frockyhorror — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:34:59 GMT

I have always loved watching tennis - well, ok, maybe just Wimbledon. I love everything about it - the players, their outfits, their skills, their reactions, the will we / won't we get a British player in the final.... (well, will we?). I've got to be honest though and say I've always felt a bit sorry for the ballboys and girls (or BBGs as they are known). They are on alert the whole match, ready to retrieve balls, distribute balls, hand out towels etc etc, and they never seem to get acknowledged. Watching Wimbledon this week it struck me that the role of a BBG isn't too different from that of an NSO - Non Skating Official. They are impartial, they are not allowed to watch the game, they have expert rules knowledge and if they are doing their job properly no-one knows they are there.

Here the similarities end. Wimbledon BBGs apply in their hundreds for a 1 in 3 chance of being chosen for the coveted position. They train for months in a regime that hasn't changed in decades, which constantly challenges and develops their fitness and rules knowledge. They practice drills again and again until they are perfect. A huge amount of time and money is invested in each new generation of BBGs to ensure the consistently top level standard is maintained.

How many leagues can hold up their hands and say they do the same with their NSOs? Before we start admonishing leagues for this let's look at who our NSOs are. Fresh Meat? Baby Zebras? Injured or recovering skaters? Do you see a theme - these people are passing through, serving their time as NSOs for a variety of reasons. How many people are NSOs because that's what they want to be? Being an NSO should be desirable, not just something you do by default or because you're on your way to bigger and better things. How an individual feels about an NSO role can be influenced by how their league feels about NSOs and the value placed upon them - the time taken to train, nurture and develop them.

Unlike Wimbledon, modern flat-track roller derby doesn't have a 135 year history steeped in tradition and an unchanging, failsafe training regime for NSOs. We're new, we adapt, we're free to promote the role of an NSO as an aspirational one. Roller derby is about empowerment - go ahead and empower your NSOs - train them, value them and love them. They are awesome!

To celebrate the awesomeness of roller derby NSOs, over the coming weeks I will be profiling NSOs from various leauges. Feel free to nominate an NSO from your league as a way of saying thanks for doing a great job :-D

Dundee Roller Girls Referee Recruitment

cillablock — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:14:38 GMT