PENALTY TRACKER/WRANGLER MANUAL ROC CITY ROLLER DERBY. v. 3.0

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1 PENALTY TRACKER/WRANGLER MANUAL ROC CITY ROLLER DERBY v. 3.0 SEPTEMBER 2011 GRAVITY KILLS Questions? Comments? me at Manuals can also be found at Disclaimer: This is not a WFTDA- approved document. It is a guide to how Roc City Roller Derby does this job. The form and penalty codes used were designed by AK- 40 oz, Ian Fluenza, and Grand Poobah for WFTDA use and taken from the StatsBook July 2010 spreadsheet program available at

2 PENALTY TRACKER/WRANGLER MANUAL (A team effort) There are a lot of ways to handle incoming penalties. WFTDA s standard practice is 2 penalty trackers and 1 wrangler, but sometimes shortfalls in staffing may leave you with a different configuration. Unlike most of the manuals, the actual paperwork is in an appendix at the end. Tracking and wrangling penalties are probably the most complex of the NSO positions. Instead of focusing on one area, you are dealing with all of the referees, outside whiteboards, inside whiteboard, the penalty box, and paperwork to boot. It s not for the easily overwhelmed, or for people too shy to interact with the refs. Tasks of the Wrangler SECTION 1: JOB DESCRIPTIONS Serve as a central drop- off for penalties. Inside pack referees will directly relay penalties to you, as will jammer referees. (In some cases, an inside pack ref will handle relaying the jammer penalties. Find out ahead of time.) Monitor the outside whiteboards for penalties from the outside pack referees. Relay all penalties to the penalty tracker(s) Keep track of which skaters have 3 minor penalties or 6 penalty minutes, so that the IPR/Head Ref can be made aware immediately if a 4 th /7 th is incurred (League-Dependant) Check the penalty box to see if a whiteboard is being held up and notify an IPR if it is (notifies of waved- off skaters and skaters who departed early) Tasks of the Tracker(s) Use the penalty tracking form from StatsBook to document which penalties are incurred by whom in which jam (see appendix at the end.) Notify the inside whiteboard operator of penalties so they can keep an easily- visible account of penalties for the coaches, captains, and referees. Confirm with referees and the wrangler when penalties are received. Echoing the penalty assures them that you have it down correctly. Notify the wrangler of skaters with 3 minors or 6 penalty minutes.

3 If 1 tracker and 1 wrangler SECTION 2: TRACKING ARRANGEMENTS The tracker will be keeping track of both teams using the single penalty tracker sheet from StatsBook. It is the filled out the same as the single penalty tracker sheet; it just has space for both teams. The boxes are smaller. The wrangler will want to keep a running list of penalties incurred in each jam to check against at the end of the jams in case of penalty floods. Penalties will likely be called to both wrangler and tracker. Communication between the two is vital. The penalty tracker will confirm with the inside whiteboard operator to update the board correctly. If 2 trackers and 1 wrangler (recommended) There will be one tracker per team. Colored armbands may help the wrangler and referees to know who is handling which. The wrangler becomes the central distribution point so the refs don t have to figure out who is tracking which team while on the fly. Trackers will have to communicate penalties to each other if they are called to them incorrectly, or if they spot a whiteboard intended for the other tracker. Both trackers will communicate with the inside whiteboard operator to update the board correctly. If tracking with no wrangler Trackers are responsible for collecting penalties from inside pack refs, jammer refs, and outside whiteboards. This is complicated, but with practice, absolutely possible! Inside whiteboard operator becomes responsible for checking the penalty box whiteboard. Trackers handle getting the referee s attention for 4 th minors/7 th penalty minutes. Inside whiteboard operators become more important as additional penalty catchers, serving as an extra set of ears for incoming calls. Stationary vs Mobile Wrangler Some leagues prefer stationary penalty wranglers. Others, RCRD included, prefer one that moves with the referees. Depending on how many people are in the middle of the track, obstructions in that area, and how wide a lane the referees choose to claim, a stationary wrangler may be better just so they don t get run over. Stationary Wrangler

4 o Picks a place to stand and stays there o Referees drop penalties to the wrangler o Checks the outside whiteboards and penalty box whiteboard between calls o Notes penalties under the correct team heading and feeds them to the tracker(s) as they are received o Confirms the penalties at the end of the jam, wipes the board, repeats Mobile Wrangler o Walks/jogs alongside the inside pack refs and collects penalties as they are called o Checks the outside whiteboards and penalty box board as he passes them o Notes penalties on his whiteboard under the correct team heading o Drops the penalties to the trackers as he passes them o Confirms the penalties at the end of the jam, wipes the board, repeats Working with Inside WB SECTION 3: PENALTY MANAGEMENT The inside whiteboard serves as a way for the coaches, captains, and referees to know how many penalties each skater has, and keeping it accurate is vital. Double- check for accuracy between jams, as frequently as possible. The easiest way to relay penalties is to verbally echo them in confirmation to the wrangler or referee, so the inside whiteboard will hear it as it happens. It also clarifies communications with the wrangler and refs. The inside whiteboard will be noting down the penalty codes for the major penalties. If the whiteboard operator does not have those codes memorized, you may have to assist ( Green 187 Major P instead of Green 187 Major Out of Play ) Whiteboards are often staffed with the least experienced NSOs, so check with them at the start of the bout to be sure. Working with Outside WBs The outside whiteboards will be relaying penalties from the outside pack referees by writing down the penalty code and skater number underneath the appropriate team color. They should also circle major penalties. They will hold up the whiteboard until you give them a thumbs- up to indicate that you have received the penalty. Remember to check on them frequently so penalty enforcement doesn t get delayed (and so their arms don t fall asleep! Be kind!)

5 Working with Penalty Box If the penalty box is full when a third blocker is sent off for a penalty minute, they will have to wave the skater back onto the track until a seat becomes open. When that seat becomes open, they will hold up a whiteboard with the skater s number and color on it. This needs to be relayed to an inside pack referee to call the skater off If a skater leaves the penalty box early, the penalty box will hold up the skater s color and number with a circle around it. The inside pack ref needs to be notified that the skater needs to be returned to the box with an additional minute for a major Illegal Procedure. Once the ref has called that Illegal Procedure, note it down as a major penalty and alert the inside whiteboard of it Between periods, it can be helpful to check the penalty box paperwork against the penalty minutes on your sheets. This tells you if any majors were served and not written down. If this happens, tell the head referee immediately and do your best to straighten it out. Sometimes, a skater sat when she didn t necessarily have to (minor served as a major), sometimes other things happen the head referee will be the last word on these. Working with IPRs and Jam Refs Introduce yourself to the inside pack referees and jam referees before the start of the game and let them know what you are doing (wrangler, tracker for team A, tracker for both teams) so they know who they will be communicating with when. The challenge of catching penalties from referees is in positioning. The referees will be facing away from you in order to keep their focus on the game and on penalties being committed. This means they will be speaking and signaling away from you. This is where a mobile wrangler becomes very useful. If you stay close to the referees, you will hear them better. If you are able to run backwards ahead of the referees, you will see their signals and be in a better position to hear them just be careful! Make a note at the start of the jam who the jammers are. When the jam refs call in their penalties, the vast majority of the time it is on their jammer, and often, they will not call the skater s number. Your awareness could save a few moments of having to question and search. If you do not hear something or if something doesn t match up (a skater number being called incorrectly, a skater being called by the wrong color, etc), ask the ref immediately. If that is not possible, ask between jams at the very latest. Memories are finite, especially during bouts full of adrenaline and having to keep an eye on ten skaters at a time.

6 If there is a clarification you can logically make (There is no 185 Blue, but there IS an 1852 Blue, she s on the track, and there are no other close numbers on the track), make it, note it, and confirm at the end of the jam. If a referee is not being loud enough, politely ask between jams if they can speak up a touch. Also, do your best to help by being in position to hear, and watch for hand signals. The more hand signals you know, the better off everyone is. If you can anticipate the penalty coming in from the signal, all you have to listen for is color and number. Know who to tell if a skater gets 4/7. If it s a jammer, the jam ref should already be aware that it s her 4 th minor and will send her off immediately. If it s a blocker, tell the head referee or inside pack referee (depending on what they prefer.) If it s a 7 th penalty minute, tell the head referee.

7 APPENDIX 1: THE PENALTY TRACKING FORM You will be working with this form: You will receive a penalty sheet with the skaters' names and numbers already on it in numerical or alphabetical order. If the sheet does not already have them written down, you will need to get the rosters from the bench coaches or captains and write them down yourself. Write them down in the same order on the inside whiteboard- it will be a lot easier to double-check if you can just run down the list. Most leagues/sheet-printing programs will put the letters-then-numbers in a cluster before or after the plain numbers/numbers-then-letters. Only record the official up-to-4-digit alphanumeric number. 32 Skidoo becomes 32, 2/3 becomes 23. If a league is still using illegal numbers, talk to the head ref before the bout to figure out what they ll be called. (It happens, especially with newer leagues.) Some leagues and tournaments arrange the letters in alphabetical order. This results in a list like 1, 112, 2, 23, 3, 3111, A1. Others use numerical order, which would be 1, 2, 3, 23, 112, 3111, A1. Some mix in the alphabetical numbers, which would be 1, A1, 112, 2 etc. Be aware of how they are being handled, and be consistent. Otherwise, things get really confusing really fast. The form has the list of codes for the penalties that may be called down the right-hand side of the form. Be aware of the Verbal Cues listing of penalties. There are several types of Out of Play, Direction of Gameplay, and Illegal Procedure penalties. (See Appendix 2)

8 Minor Penalties To track minor penalties, the form is filled out with the penalty code in the top box, and the jam in which it was incurred in the bottom box. The boxes are filled out left to right. So, if a referee calls Blue, Number 8, Elbows! during the fourth jam... When 4 penalties have been received Alert the inside pack referee or head referee (or, if it s the jammer and the jammer ref hasn t already handled it, the jammer ref.) When you have done that, and the skater is on her way to the box, go to the Penalty Minutes section and note a 4 for 4 Minors, and the jam that fourth minor was incurred. Major Penalties Major penalties are tracked the same way as minors. Left to right, penalty code on top, jam number incurred on the bottom.

9 Fouling Out When 7 penalty minutes (combinations of sets of 4 and major penalties, aka trips to the box, ) are incurred, the head referee is notified and the skater fouls out of the game. Write down PM for Penalty Minutes as the penalty code and the jam number the final penalty was incurred in under the EJ/EXP column. Expulsions If a skater is expelled from the game, write the penalty she was ultimately expelled for in the penalty code spot, and the jam during which she was expelled, in the EJ/EXP column. BE SURE to get this information from the head referee. Expulsions are usually complicated and messy, and it s easy to lose track of what the penalty information was in the chaos. Keeping Track of Jams To keep track of what jam you are on, there is a track of numbers running along the bottom of the form. When a jam ends, cross out the jam number. If you do lose track, you can ask a lineup tracker or scorekeeper (if they are handy or you can get their attention.) Halftime At halftime, transfer the number of minors and majors each skater has received to the second period sheet. This is done by either drawing a single large X through each set of boxes, or shade them in. Don t do small X s, as they can be mistaken for Cutting the Track penalties. Double-check the inside whiteboard to make sure it matches your form. If you are doing so, check the penalty minutes against the penalty box forms. Then, take a break!

10 APPENDIX 2: WFTDA S PENALTY CODES AND VERBAL CUES The penalty codes and primary verbal cues* for the penalty tracking sheets are as follows: B Back Block H Blocking With the Head X Cutting ( the Track ) C Direction of Gameplay E Elbows F Forearms ( Hands ) A High Block I Illegal Procedure L Low Block ( Tripping ) M Multiple ( Multi ) Player Block O Out of Bounds Block P Out of Play S Skating Out of Bounds N Insubordination G Misconduct/Gross Misconduct *() = Not official WFTDA verbal cues, but often used erroneously or, in the case of Multi-Player Block, for expediency. Some penalties can be called by multiple things. Direction of Gameplay, Out of Play, and Illegal Procedure are called by the actual type of action taken. Misconduct/Gross Misconduct Misconduct is a major penalty. Gross Misconduct is an expulsion. Direction of Gameplay Clockwise Block Stopped Block Clockwise Assist Stopped Assist Out of Play Failure to Re-Enter Failure to Reform Out of Play Block Illegal Return Out of Play Assist Destroying the Pack Illegal Procedure False Start Penalty Box Violation Too Many Skaters Improper Uniform Too Many Pivots Star Pass Violation Illegal Call-Off Bench Staff Violation Illegal Re-Entry Equipment Violation Illegal Engaging