Long ago the Bay Area was a lawless land where the Dead aimlessly roamed the streets and Outlaws fought Wrecking Belles. Weary of the ceaseless torment, the citizens of the bay sought a fierce group of whistle-toting nerds known for maintaining order in chaos. With their big brains and amazing skating skills, these nerds were B.A.D. The Outlaws were wrangled, the Dead buried and Belles were taught some B.A.D.-ly needed manners.
Once these B.A.D. Girls were put in their place, the citizens declared this nerd-herd their saviors and placed the roller skating horrors in their care. Instead of keeping these ladies of terror permanently contained, these nerds took them to the rink and thus, transformed into the B.A.D.-dest Referees ever seen. Punishment was now served in a penalty box and these three teams have been fighting for league domination ever since, protected by their fearless officials in stripes.
There’s a difference?
Yes, and here’s the low-down:
“Refs” are referees, and they too are a volunteer group of skating umpires that are experts on the WFTDA Rules and help keep the game on the up-and-up. Our refs also travel with our national team the All-Stars and work with other league’s refs to ensure a cohesive and safe bout is played during away games.
“NSOs” are Non-skating Officials, and you can find them on the track without skates (hence the name) and not wearing zebra print shirts. They are made up of a volunteer group of people that help keep order during the bouts, keep score, and track stats, penalties and timeouts.
Want to become a ref or NSO?
So, you love roller derby and you want to help out, but the hard hitting action has got you feeling like it may be too much for you right now. Why not volunteer to be a ref or an NSO? As a ref you can still skate and are an integral part of the league (since we cannot have a bout without them.) Can’t skate (or don’t want to)? Then you can still volunteer to be an NSO. Again, we can’t have a bout without them. PLUS! You get in free to all bouts, and what better way to make 100+ instant friends in the area?
