While Part 2 of this multi-part blog (Part 1 can be found here) will primarily discuss jammers, it should be noted that the rules applying for those that wear the star, also apply to blockers and pivots.
The happenstances which will be discussed happen to jammers a lot, and it may be easier to envision these occurrences happening to a jammer.
Where as Part 1 dealt with keeping control and managing your team's penalties both as a player and as bench support staff, Part 2 will focus entirely on the track play and requires the astute attention of your players.
Cutting the pack penalties (and to some degree the Illegal Procedure plays in regards to players exiting the penalty box) are contingent upon the offending player's relative position to and within the pack.
In order to commit a Cut a player must step out of bounds and gain illegal advantage on one or more skaters.
There is no significance on which team member she passes. An offending player will obtain the same penalty whether she cuts and opposing player or one of her own.
The key definition for a Cut penalty is relative position within the pack, which means two things:
1.) The Cutting infraction is NOT relative to your exit point on the track (unless upon re-entering at that point you've still ceded any and all advantage to the other players).
2.) The Cutting infraction is relative to the pack and only incurs upon an offending player who gains an illegal advantage on in-pack skaters. Thusly, if there is no pack or skaters are not in-play (within 20 feet of the engagement zone, upright and moving, and on the track -- there should not be a Cut penalty called.
That's not to say that in the heat of the moment the referees are not entirely sure of the pack structure, and possibly give a skater a penalty. It will happen, as pack restructuring is happening faster and faster as the strategies evolve, but also the higher levels of players are able to reform a pack on a dime.
Legal passes
Legal passes won't concern a blocker, but jammers live and die by legal passes.
I should also point out that even if you wouldn't earn a penalty for passing someone who is out of play while you're out of bounds, it is still not considered a legal pass.
Legal passes on the first lap of the pack determine lead jammer status, as a player who incurs an illegal pass (or a non-legal pass -- which there is a difference) will not earn lead jammer unless she cedes advantage and tries to repass legally.
Legal passes on the second lap and subsequent laps are relative to individual points. Illegal passes or a non-legal pass, which is defined as the No Pass, No Penalty hand signal, are not scored, however any illegal passes will be reported as penalties.
This becomes the tricky part. On the first pass, it's in a jammer and her team's best interest to earn Lead Jammer and to maintain Lead Jammer status as long as possible. You are more likely to see a jammer cede an illegal pass or a No Pass, No Penalty in order to repass legally so that she may earn Lead Jammer status. On subsequent passes, that same jammer my happily take a No Pass, No Penalty -- forfeiting the point -- to not lose position within the pack particularly if the opposing jammer is close by.
Leave the cannoli, take the gun
That little play on a famous movie quote is intentional. In this instance the cannoli is the point you forfeit so you don't lose position in the pack.
In Part 1 I talked about watching your's and the opposing player's feet when you travel out of bounds. As long as you don't gain advantage on other players in doing so, once your opponent steps out she becomes out-of-play and you can step back on the track without incurring a Cut penalty.
By waiting for your opponent to move forward or to actively re-enter legally, a skater may lose valuable pack position, dropping back two, three or more spots - which can be crucial in key games.
You see many high-level skaters (I'm looking at you, Suzy Hotrod!) make that kind of decision in a matter of milli-seconds.
Sometimes those one or two points can be the big difference in close games, but in less crucial situations, it is almost always beneficial to forfeit the one point and get back in as soon as possible.
Where's the pack?!
You can usually here me along the benches yelling "Call the pack!." I'll do this reffing, too. "Call the pack!" should be a staple in any referee's vocabulary. Defining the pack is key for so many other penalties, and sometimes in the heat of the moment you don't want to look away to see where the pack is located (Like if you're jam reffing). "Call the pack!" is a cue for someone to either say "Pack is here" or "No pack."
I'm a bigger fan of "Pack is here," "Pack is up," "Pack is back," "No pack" or "All in." (Thank you, Pork Chop!) These cues give you a much better idea of where the pack is without taking your eyes off gameplay.
As a coach I'm not usually one to scream that someone is out of play (OK, I lied). Recently, I've tried to get in the habit of yelling "Call the pack" because the pack definition determines Out Of Play and Cutting penalties. It asks a lot of the referees, but from the standpoints of being a referee, (pseduo) player and a coach, I recognize that 90 percent of roller derby game play relies on pack definition.
A good player will have an eye on the pack definition (and a really good player will use that to her advantage).
By passing a player (while you yourself are Out of Bounds) who is not considered in play because he or she is outside the engagement zone will not earn you a penalty, and will in face be a No Pass, No Penalty.
Here's an example from Uproar on the Lakeshore, the WFTDA 2010 championships: http://vimeo.com/16595182
At 0:44 during the Gotham-Texas footage. Belle Star, the Texas blocker in white, manages to force Gotham jammer Suzy Hotrod out of bounds. Suzy keeps an eye on Belle, watching for one of her feet to come out of bounds. Instead, Belle loses her balance and falls, becoming Out of Play, at which point Suzy jumps back on the the track.
Jammers passing players who are Out of Play to the rear of the pack should attempt to do so legally to earn a legal pass or a point for each said player. By earning points on the rear-most opposing blocker, the jammer also earns points for players in the box. This may be the one example where it is a bad idea for a jammer to forfeit the point for pack position. If the opposing blocker(s) is out of play, she should be able to pass them without much effort. (If I'm the opposing players who just got passed, I hustle to the pack to re-engage the jammer again.
Jammers at the top of the pack, stuck behind an Out of Play opposing blocker, can pass her out of bounds without incurring a Cut penalty, but must be sure that in doing so that that player remains out of play. Cutting the foremost blocker will result in a major. It is highly recommend that passing an Out of Play blocker by skating out of bounds should be the last option, after all other options are extinguished.
The same standard holds true when there is a No Pack situation defined. A player should not incur cutting penalties when there is a No Pack situation, since Cutting requires gaining advantage on in-play skaters.
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The championship invitations are punched
Kansas City, Mo., reigns supreme in the South Central, upsetting Austin, Texas, in the regional finals. Nashville surprised almost everyone taking third place over Atlanta, the South Central's third seed, to take the SC's third seed heading to Chicago for Uproar on the Lakeshore.
The Texas-Kansas City was the bout to watch, capping off the three-day tournament with seasonally experienced roller derby.
The contest between the Kansas City Roller Warriors and the Texacutioners was intense from the beginning to the very end with a major lead changes. Texas started out on top 41-40 with 10 minutes left in the first half, with Kansas overtaking the lead 64-49 at the half. Texas and KC would tie 98-98 with 15 minutes left in the bout, making it anyone's game.
Both halves had plenty of action, but in the second half Texas struggled to adapt to two events that radically changed the course of the bout. Texas had already burned their challenge early in the game (I believe for a point dispute) when Curvette, No. 76, was called on a major low block, which was later upgraded to a gross misconduct and an ejection, when she attempted to step around the Kansas City jammer.
Chasing the jammer, Curvette was behind a half-step and tried to work her away around the inside of her opponent. Curvette inadvertently kicked the jammer and as she brought her leg around the jammer's front she used her upper right thigh to block the Kansas City skater, causing the KC jammer.
Having seen the "inadvertent kick" and after the jammer falling her jam ref called Curvette on a major low block, and upon the completion of the jam, the referees conferred and expelled Curvette for the illegal low block.
Their challenge expired, Texas had to sit by and watch Curvette as she skated back to the tournament's staging area.
Texas would also have problems with Kansas City's up tempo and frustrating defensive/offensive onslaught, with KC at one point with a four-wall in the rear of the pack holding back the Texas jammer.
Texas faced a choice of trying to slow down and pick off the Kansas City blockers hoping their jammer could get through or speeding up and forcing out-of-play calls on the KC defense and possibly "destroying the pack calls" on Texas.
TXRG chose to try and pick off the blockers, clogging up the track with plenty of bodies and making an impenetrable wall that their jammer couldn't navigate.
Later in the second half, each jammer from their respective teams was called on almost simultaneous cutting majors. Both jammers reported to the box sat at the same time.
The jammers seem confused as when they were to be released, and Kansas City Coach Ice screamed for his jammer to return to the track.
The crowd audibly upset, the referees took an official timeout at jam's end to discuss the previous events. It would be one of a couple official timeouts the zebra herd would take, with the action happening fast and the stakes at hand extremely high for both teams.
What had transpired was Dementia mistakenly thought the major track cut that was called on Texas jammer Oliva Shootin' John was directed at the KC jammer. When both jammers did return to the track and the jam ended upon Dementia's successfully calling off the jam, OSJ was instructed to return to the penalty box to serve her time, but the referees still awarded her the points she earned on her scoring passes.
However if both players had been called for major penalties and they indeed sit at the same time they would be instructed to stand, and both jammers would serve 10 seconds and be released back to the track.
As per WFTDA rules as of May 26, 2010, Section 7.4.2, if both jammers are seated in the box at the same exact moment, both Jammers will serve 10 seconds before they are simultaneously released back into play by the penalty box official.
The debacle illustrates a key point for both jammers and their respective jam ref. Upon sitting in the box, the jammer should look to her jam ref and ask what the call was, but the jam ref should also communicate what the skater was sent off for. If the jammer mistakenly went to the box, that would be the proper time for the jam ref to instruct her to return to the track.
KC's Kelley Young, formerly Snot Rocket, managed a huge 29 point jam with a minute left to play to put Kansas City on top 153-123.
KC, Texas and Nashville will join the ranks of Gotham, Philly, Charm City, Windy City, Minnesota, Madison, Bay Area Derby, Rocky Mountain and Oly to play for the coveted Hydra Trophy, the WFTDA championship.
Hometown favorites No Coast leaped three regional spots, from South Central No. 8 to No.5 beating two Derby News Network nationally ranked Top 25 teams (as of September 2010), Dallas (SC4, DNN25) and Tampa (SC6, DNN 24), their only loss to the South Central No. 1 seed Texas. No Coast also got some redemption for some losses earlier in the season against Tampa. No Coast jammer Flash Gloria won the tournament MVP, working incredibly hard in No Coast's jammer rotation.Amber Waves of Pain, the South Central Region tournament, is over, determining the final spots in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association's championship tournament.
Kansas City, Mo., reigns supreme in the South Central, upsetting Austin, Texas, in the regional finals. Nashville surprised almost everyone taking third place over Atlanta, the South Central's third seed, to take the SC's third seed heading to Chicago for Uproar on the Lakeshore.
The Texas-Kansas City was the bout to watch, capping off the three-day tournament with seasonally experienced roller derby.
The contest between the Kansas City Roller Warriors and the Texacutioners was intense from the beginning to the very end with a major lead changes. Texas started out on top 41-40 with 10 minutes left in the first half, with Kansas overtaking the lead 64-49 at the half. Texas and KC would tie 98-98 with 15 minutes left in the bout, making it anyone's game.
Both halves had plenty of action, but in the second half Texas struggled to adapt to two events that radically changed the course of the bout. Texas had already burned their challenge early in the game (I believe for a point dispute) when Curvette, No. 76, was called on a major low block, which was later upgraded to a gross misconduct and an ejection, when she attempted to step around the Kansas City jammer.
Chasing the jammer, Curvette was behind a half-step and tried to work her away around the inside of her opponent. Curvette inadvertently kicked the jammer and as she brought her leg around the jammer's front she used her upper right thigh to block the Kansas City skater, causing the KC jammer.
Having seen the "inadvertent kick" and after the jammer falling her jam ref called Curvette on a major low block, and upon the completion of the jam, the referees conferred and expelled Curvette for the illegal low block.
Their challenge expired, Texas had to sit by and watch Curvette as she skated back to the tournament's staging area.
Texas would also have problems with Kansas City's up tempo and frustrating defensive/offensive onslaught, with KC at one point with a four-wall in the rear of the pack holding back the Texas jammer.
Texas faced a choice of trying to slow down and pick off the Kansas City blockers hoping their jammer could get through or speeding up and forcing out-of-play calls on the KC defense and possibly "destroying the pack calls" on Texas.
TXRG chose to try and pick off the blockers, clogging up the track with plenty of bodies and making an impenetrable wall that their jammer couldn't navigate.
Later in the second half, each jammer from their respective teams was called on almost simultaneous cutting majors. Both jammers reported to the box sat at the same time.
The jammers seem confused as when they were to be released, and Kansas City Coach Ice screamed for his jammer to return to the track.
The crowd audibly upset, the referees took an official timeout at jam's end to discuss the previous events. It would be one of a couple official timeouts the zebra herd would take, with the action happening fast and the stakes at hand extremely high for both teams.
What had transpired was Dementia mistakenly thought the major track cut that was called on Texas jammer Oliva Shootin' John was directed at the KC jammer. When both jammers did return to the track and the jam ended upon Dementia's successfully calling off the jam, OSJ was instructed to return to the penalty box to serve her time, but the referees still awarded her the points she earned on her scoring passes.
However if both players had been called for major penalties and they indeed sit at the same time they would be instructed to stand, and both jammers would serve 10 seconds and be released back to the track.
As per WFTDA rules as of May 26, 2010, Section 7.4.2, if both jammers are seated in the box at the same exact moment, both Jammers will serve 10 seconds before they are simultaneously released back into play by the penalty box official.
The debacle illustrates a key point for both jammers and their respective jam ref. Upon sitting in the box, the jammer should look to her jam ref and ask what the call was, but the jam ref should also communicate what the skater was sent off for. If the jammer mistakenly went to the box, that would be the proper time for the jam ref to instruct her to return to the track.
KC's Kelley Young, formerly Snot Rocket, managed a huge 29 point jam with a minute left to play to put Kansas City on top 153-123.
KC, Texas and Nashville will join the ranks of Gotham, Philly, Charm City, Windy City, Minnesota, Madison, Bay Area Derby, Rocky Mountain and Oly to play for the coveted Hydra Trophy, the WFTDA championship.
Hometown favorites No Coast leaped three regional spots, from South Central No. 8 to No.5 beating two Derby News Network nationally ranked Top 25 teams (as of September 2010), Dallas (SC4, DNN25) and Tampa (SC6, DNN 24), their only loss to the South Central No. 1 seed Texas. No Coast also got some redemption for some losses earlier in the season against Tampa. No Coast jammer Flash Gloria won the tournament MVP, working incredibly hard in No Coast's jammer rotation.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Bring on the pain
After a weekend of surprising upsets at Rollin' on the River 2010, the best in the west are heading to Chicago.
Rocky Mountain ended Oly's 22-bout win streak to snatch the No. 1 seed going into the Women's Flat Track Derby Association's Championship Tournament on November 5-7. Oly was unable to ride its 287 point differential from its first two games to a first place finish, upset in the last game 127-86, despite several lead changes.
Bay Area Derby overcame it's 6th seed in the Western Region, upsetting Denver in the first round 132-128. BAD lost to eventual champion Rocky in the second round, but then took third place in the tournament with a win over Rose City.
Now the action turns to the Midwest once again as the regional tournament stops in the land of Nebraska for the final WFTDA regional tournament.
The No Coast Roller Girls will host Amber Waves of Pain, the South Central Region Tournament on October 8-10 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Tournament staples Texas and Kansas City look to maintain their roller derby dominance, and take two of the top spots into Uproar on the Lakeshore in Chicago.
Thus far the No. 1 seed has made it into the the top three of each region, thus securing a bid in the championship tournament. Gotham and Windy City maintained their lock on the No. 1 seed, and secure a first-round bye in Chicago. Rocky and it's upset of Oly will get the bye after taking first place in the West.
Three more spots in the championship tournament remain open as the Top 10 teams in the South Central Region vie for a spot in the (inter)national spotlight.
Both Kansas City and Texas have won the WFTDA national championship previously, before the inception of the Hydra Trophy. Texas became the first WFTDA champion ever in 2006, while Kansas City won a year later in 2007.
Texas advanced to the final game in the 2009 WFTDA national tournament at Declaration of Derby in Philadelphia, losing to Oly Rollers 179-100 in the championship game, and thus earning second place in the tournament.
South Central No. 1 seed Texas looks like a shoe-in.
"All in all, Texas has always been a derby powerhouse!" says Christine "Sylvia Bullet" Newell, No Coast blocker. "I think their chances are pretty good, but I wouldn’t put them past an upset."
Bay Area Derby, originally ranked sixth in the Western Region, and Minnesota, originally ranked seventh in the North Central Region, both managed key upsets to place into the championship tournament.
Underdogs No Coast are keeping their focus positive on their chances in the South Central Region.
"Minnesota’s Cinderella story reminds us that it’s possible for No Coast to break into the top three and make it to Chicago in November," Newell says. "To make it to Chicago we’re going to have to play smart, play clean, and stay focused."
No Coast will have to beat Hard Knox, No. 9 seed in the first round of the South Central, to get a chance to play Texas, No. 10 in the nation according to Derby News Network's September 2010 power rankings.
"We aren't looking past Hard Knox, but we are planning on playing Texas and are looking forward to it," Newell says.
Atlanta Rollergirls will face the winner of the first round matchup between Houston and Memphis. Other Amber Waves of Pain participants include Dallas Derby Devils, Nashville Roller Girls, and Tampa Bay Derby Darlins..
South Central Rankings
SC01 Texas Rollergirls (DNN 10)
SC02 Atlanta Rollergirls (DNN 20)
SC03 Kansas City Roller Warriors (DNN 18)
SC04 Dallas Derby Devils (DNN 25)
SC05 Nashville Roller Girls
SC06 Tampa Bay Derby Darlins (DNN 24)
SC07 Houston Roller Derby
SC08 No Coast Roller Girls
SC09 Hard Knox Roller Girls
SC10 Memphis Roller Derby
Top 3 finishes per region
Here are the top three finishes for each region. The number one seed for each region gets a bye in the first round of the championship tournament. The No. 2 seed from each region will play a No. 3 seed from a different region. Teams seeded No. 2 or No. 3 will have to play three games if they want to make it to championship finals and a loss in the first round will knock them out completely. Second round losers will still get an opportunity to play for third place.
Rocky Mountain ended Oly's 22-bout win streak to snatch the No. 1 seed going into the Women's Flat Track Derby Association's Championship Tournament on November 5-7. Oly was unable to ride its 287 point differential from its first two games to a first place finish, upset in the last game 127-86, despite several lead changes.
Bay Area Derby overcame it's 6th seed in the Western Region, upsetting Denver in the first round 132-128. BAD lost to eventual champion Rocky in the second round, but then took third place in the tournament with a win over Rose City.
Now the action turns to the Midwest once again as the regional tournament stops in the land of Nebraska for the final WFTDA regional tournament.
The No Coast Roller Girls will host Amber Waves of Pain, the South Central Region Tournament on October 8-10 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Tournament staples Texas and Kansas City look to maintain their roller derby dominance, and take two of the top spots into Uproar on the Lakeshore in Chicago.
Thus far the No. 1 seed has made it into the the top three of each region, thus securing a bid in the championship tournament. Gotham and Windy City maintained their lock on the No. 1 seed, and secure a first-round bye in Chicago. Rocky and it's upset of Oly will get the bye after taking first place in the West.
Three more spots in the championship tournament remain open as the Top 10 teams in the South Central Region vie for a spot in the (inter)national spotlight.
Both Kansas City and Texas have won the WFTDA national championship previously, before the inception of the Hydra Trophy. Texas became the first WFTDA champion ever in 2006, while Kansas City won a year later in 2007.
Texas advanced to the final game in the 2009 WFTDA national tournament at Declaration of Derby in Philadelphia, losing to Oly Rollers 179-100 in the championship game, and thus earning second place in the tournament.
South Central No. 1 seed Texas looks like a shoe-in.
"All in all, Texas has always been a derby powerhouse!" says Christine "Sylvia Bullet" Newell, No Coast blocker. "I think their chances are pretty good, but I wouldn’t put them past an upset."
Bay Area Derby, originally ranked sixth in the Western Region, and Minnesota, originally ranked seventh in the North Central Region, both managed key upsets to place into the championship tournament.
Underdogs No Coast are keeping their focus positive on their chances in the South Central Region.
"Minnesota’s Cinderella story reminds us that it’s possible for No Coast to break into the top three and make it to Chicago in November," Newell says. "To make it to Chicago we’re going to have to play smart, play clean, and stay focused."
No Coast will have to beat Hard Knox, No. 9 seed in the first round of the South Central, to get a chance to play Texas, No. 10 in the nation according to Derby News Network's September 2010 power rankings.
"We aren't looking past Hard Knox, but we are planning on playing Texas and are looking forward to it," Newell says.
Atlanta Rollergirls will face the winner of the first round matchup between Houston and Memphis. Other Amber Waves of Pain participants include Dallas Derby Devils, Nashville Roller Girls, and Tampa Bay Derby Darlins..
South Central Rankings
SC01 Texas Rollergirls (DNN 10)
SC02 Atlanta Rollergirls (DNN 20)
SC03 Kansas City Roller Warriors (DNN 18)
SC04 Dallas Derby Devils (DNN 25)
SC05 Nashville Roller Girls
SC06 Tampa Bay Derby Darlins (DNN 24)
SC07 Houston Roller Derby
SC08 No Coast Roller Girls
SC09 Hard Knox Roller Girls
SC10 Memphis Roller Derby
Top 3 finishes per region
Here are the top three finishes for each region. The number one seed for each region gets a bye in the first round of the championship tournament. The No. 2 seed from each region will play a No. 3 seed from a different region. Teams seeded No. 2 or No. 3 will have to play three games if they want to make it to championship finals and a loss in the first round will knock them out completely. Second round losers will still get an opportunity to play for third place.
South Central region, Oct. 8-10, 2010
1. To be determined
2. To be determined
3. To be determined
Western region, Sept. 29-31, 2010
1. Rocky Mountain (W2, DNN3)
2. Oly (W1, DNN2)
3. B.A.D. (W6, DNN8)
Eastern region, Sept. 22-24, 2010
1. Gotham (E1, DNN1)
2. Philly (E2, DNN4)
3. Charm City (Baltimore) (E4, DNN9)
North Central, Sept. 10-12, 2010
1. Windy City (Chicago) (NC1, DNN11)
2. Minnesota (NC7)
3. Dairyland Dolls (Madison) (NC3, DNN14)
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