WFTDA Rules May 26, 2010 Section 9 - Officials

9 - Officials

9.1 - Staffing

9.1.1 - Each bout will have no less than three skating referees and no more than seven referees total. It is strongly encouraged that at least one referee be WFTDA Certified.

9.1.1.1 - All referees must be on skates.

9.1.1.2 - In tournament play each bout must have at least one WFTDA Certified Referee.

9.1.2 - One referee is designated Head Referee; the Head Referee is the ultimate authority in the game. The Head Referee will assign positions and duties to the other referees and non-skating officials.

9.1.2.1 - The Head Referee is the only referee with the authority to expel a skater, manager or coach. All other referees and officials must make recommendations to the Head Referee if they observe actions which warrant expulsion (see Section 7.5.2.1).

9.1.3 - Jammer Referees: Two referees are responsible for observing Jammers, one per team.

9.1.3.1 - Jammer Referees wear an identifier (wrist band, sash, helmet cover, etc.) corresponding to team colors to indicate the team for which the referee is responsible.

9.1.3.2 - At the end of a period, the Jammer Referees switch the team they are responsible for and the identifier corresponding to each team.

9.1.4 - Pack Referees: The remaining referees observe the pack. The primary responsibility for Pack Referees is to call penalties. Pack Referee assignments and specifics regarding Pack Referee positioning can be found in the WFTDA Referee and Officiating Standard Practices document.

9.1.4.1 - No more than two Pack Referees will be stationed inside the track.

9.1.5 - Non-Skating Officials

9.1.5.1 - Scorekeepers: A game will have at least two scorekeepers. The scorekeepers record the points reported by the Jammer referees and keeps the official score.

9.1.5.2 - Penalty Trackers: A game will have at least one penalty tracker. The penalty tracker records the penalties reported by referees and keeps track of the official penalty tally.

9.1.5.3 - Penalty Timing Officials: A game will have at least two officials to oversee the penalty box. The penalty timing officials time penalties and assist referees in ensuring a team skates short when they ought.

9.1.5.4 - Scoreboard Operator: A game will have one scoreboard operator. The scoreboard operator posts the score from the scorekeeper and the penalties from the penalty tracker.

9.1.5.5 - Jam Timer: A game will have one jam timer. The jam timer is responsible for starting jams and for timing thirty (30) seconds between jams. The jam timer is also responsible for ending jams that run the full two (2) minutes.

9.2 - Duties

9.2.1 - Assessing team readiness for each jam

9.2.1.1 - The referees are responsible for determining that both teams have the correct number of skaters in the jam, taking into account skaters in the penalty box. (See Section 2.4.4 for details on starting with too few skaters.)

9.2.1.1.1 - If the jam starts with too many skaters, the referees must pull the last Blocker who entered the floor; if that skater cannot be identified, the Blocker that is closest to the referees must be pulled off of the floor. The team must be penalized according to Section 6.12.5.

9.2.1.1.2 - If the jam starts with too many skaters and the extra skater cannot be pulled, the referee must stop the jam. The team must be penalized according to Section 6.13.6.

9.2.1.1.3 - Referees do not warn teams when too many skaters line up on the track.

9.2.1.1.4 - Referees do not warn skaters or teams when they line up out of position (e.g. Blockers lining up in front of the Pivot line).

9.2.1.2 - The referees will ensure that the skaters are wearing all required safety equipment, the correct uniforms, and the correct skater designations.

9.2.1.3 - The referees will determine that the skaters are in the proper formation.

9.2.2 - Signaling pack and Jammer starts

9.2.2.1 - The officials will whistle the start of the pack.

9.2.2.2 - The officials will whistle the start of the Jammers.

9.2.3 - Assigning and communicating Lead Jammer status

9.2.3.1 - The referees determine who has earned Lead Jammer status. Lead Jammer status is indicated by official hand signal, by blowing two short whistle blasts, and by pointing at the Lead Jammer.

9.2.3.2 - The referee will continue pointing to the Lead Jammer for the duration of the jam.

9.2.4 - The Jammer referees are responsible for counting and signaling score according to the guidelines laid out in Section 8 - Scoring. They must communicate this score after each jam to the scorekeeper or scoreboard as per the WFTDA Referee and Officiating Standard Practices document.

9.2.5 - Safety is the number one priority for Referees. Illegal game play that causes an unsafe environment is not to be tolerated. The referees are to assess and enforce penalties and expulsions as described in Section 6 - Penalties and Section 7 - Penalty Enforcement. Referees will use their discretion and their decisions are binding.

9.2.5.1 - Referees will use all officially designated hand signals as means to properly communicate to scorekeepers/penalty trackers, skaters, announcers and fellow referees.

9.2.5.2 - Referees will:

9.2.5.2.1 - Whistle, hand signal and vocally call out all major penalties.

9.2.5.2.2 - Perform hand signals for all penalties.

9.2.5.2.3 - Vocally call out minor penalties.

9.2.5.2.4 - Exclusively use a skater’s team color and charter number for calling penalties on that skater.

9.2.5.3 - Referees will not:

9.2.5.3.1 - Use officiating numbers, charter names, or other abbreviations or systems outside of a skater’s number and team color.

9.2.6 - A referee calls off a jam by four short whistle blasts.

9.2.6.1 - A referee may call off a jam for any of the following reasons:

9.2.6.1.1 - Referees call an Official Timeout.

9.2.6.1.2 - Injury—Referees will only call off a jam in the case of a serious injury or an injury that could endanger another skater.

9.2.6.1.3 - Technical difficulty or mechanical malfunctions (including skate trouble).

9.2.6.1.4 - In response to a major penalty.

9.2.6.1.5 - Any skater is unduly interfered with by spectators.

9.2.6.1.6 - Emergency.

9.2.6.1.7 - Disruption of the skating surface (debris or spills).

9.2.6.1.8 - Too many skaters on the track. After the jam has started referees will expeditiously pull any extra skaters so that the jam does not have to be called off (see Section 9.2.6.2.6).

9.2.6.2 - A referee must call off a jam for any of the following reasons:

9.2.6.2.1 - Lead Jammer calls off the jam by repeatedly placing her hands on her hips.

9.2.6.2.2 - End of two (2) minute jam clock or the end of the period’s final jam.

9.2.6.2.3 - An injury that is a safety hazard to continued game play.

9.2.6.2.4 - Fighting.

9.2.6.2.5 - Technical difficulty or mechanical malfunction (including skate trouble) that is a safety hazard to continued play.

9.2.6.2.6 - Too many skaters on the track that gives that team a competitive advantage.

9.2.6.2.7 - Venue malfunctions (including power outages) that are a safety hazard to continued play.

9.2.6.2.8 - Physical interference (including fans on the track) that interferes with continued play.

9.2.6.3 - In the event that a referee must call off a jam prior to its natural conclusion (per Sections 9.2.6.2.3–9.2.6.2.8) with time remaining on the jam clock, but not on the period clock, the points from the jam will remain and an additional jam may occur at the Head Referee’s discretion.

9.2.6.3.1 - The WFTDA Games Committee may review the Head Referee’s decision for an additional jam for WFTDA Sanctioned bouts.

9.2.7 - Declaring a Forfeit

9.2.7.1 - The Head Referee may call a forfeit for the following reasons:

9.2.7.1.1 - A team has five or fewer un-injured rostered skaters remaining due to expulsions.

9.2.7.1.2 - A team refuses to field skaters on the track to continue play.

9.2.7.2 - The Head Referee must call a forfeit for the following reasons:

9.2.7.2.1 - A team fails to show up to a WFTDA sanctioned bout or tournament. The Head Referee must make this decision in conjunction with WFTDA Game Committee Representatives.

9.2.7.2.2 - A team elects to forfeit rather than continue play.

9.2.8 - Referees may break up fights at their discretion and play will resume as quickly as possible.

9.2.9 - Referees have the option of calling an Official Timeout if they feel that there is a situation that would interfere with safety of the skaters or crowd, or that would interfere with proper game play.

9.2.10 - In the event that there is a disagreement regarding a referee’s call or scoring, only the Captains or their Designated Alternates may discuss the ruling with the referees. Skaters, coaches or managers may act as Designated Alternates.

9.2.11 - Official Review: A team request for a review of a referee decision.

9.2.11.1 - A Captain or Designated Alternate requests an Official Review by asking the Head Referee for a timeout.

9.2.11.2 - The Head Referee, in order to allow the Official Review, can grant a team timeout, take an Official Timeout (not charged to either team, see Section 2.6.4), or decide to wait until the end of the period. The Head Referee will never wait until the end of the final period.

9.2.11.3 - During the Official Review, all referees will conference with both Captains.

9.2.11.4 - The Captain requesting the review will explain the grievance.

9.2.11.5 - The Head Referee will investigate the grievance with the other referees, and together determine merit.

9.2.11.6 - The Head Referee will announce a decision. This decision is final.

9.2.12 - A team may be granted up to one Official Review per period.

9.2.13 - Official Reviews must be requested before the following jam starts. Only the immediately preceding jam is subject to Official Review.

9.3 - Referee Discretion

9.3.1 - The consensus of the referees will be the final decision on any disputed point that is not clearly spelled out in these rules. The referee may increase the severity of a penalty at his or her discretion (i.e. in response to potentially harmful game play, an illegal block that normally results in a minor foul could be called as a major foul). Similarly, the referee may decrease the severity of a penalty to a warning as s/he sees fit.

9.3.1.1 - Issuing penalties takes priority over issuing warnings. A warning does not have to be issued in order for a penalty to be given. Issuing penalties is always the priority over issuing a warning of any sort.

9.3.1.2 - Referee discretion is intended ONLY to allow referees to keep the game safe, fair, and consistent in the event that an unexpected situation arises. Discretion does not allow referees to change rules.

9.3.2 - If the referee is in doubt on a call, i.e. she/he sees the effects of a hit but does not see the action, she/he must not call a penalty.

9.3.3 - If the referee is in a position where intent must be inferred but is not clear, she/he must presume legal intent.

9.3.4 - If the referee is not sure whether an action warrants a minor or a no impact/no penalty, it must be called as no impact/no penalty.

9.3.5 - If the referee is not sure whether an action warrants a major or a minor, it must be called as a minor.

9.3.6 - If the referee is not sure whether an action warrants an expulsion or a major, it must be called as a major.

9.4 - Required Equipment

9.4.1 - Referees are permitted to wear inline skates, but are strongly encouraged to wear quad skates.

9.4.2 - Referees must be uniformed in a manner that makes them easily identifiable as the officials for the bout, e.g. a black and white striped shirt.

9.4.2.1 - Non-Skating Officials are strongly encouraged to dress in an un-obtrusive uniform differentiating themselves from Referees.

9.4.3 - Each referee participating in a bout must visibly and clearly identify his/herself on the back of his/her jersey. A referee may use any of the following as identification:

9.4.3.1 - Name

9.4.3.2 - Name and number

9.4.3.2.1 - If a referee chooses to wear both a name and a number, there are not any restrictions on the number (i.e., it may contain letters and symbols). The referee’s name will be the identifying item.

9.4.3.3 - Number

9.4.3.3.1 - If a referee chooses to be identified solely by a number that number may only be a 1–4 digit numeral (i.e., it may not contain letters and symbols, regardless of their size).

9.4.4 - Each referee will provide a working regulated sports whistle that will aid in the appropriate whistles for jam play and calling penalties. Fox 40 Classic strongly encouraged.

9.4.5 - Safety Gear: referees are required to wear the following safety equipment with hard protective shells or inserts, in addition to that which is required as a minimum by the liability insurer:

9.4.5.1 - Helmet

9.4.5.2 - Knee Pads

9.4.5.3 - Wrist Guards

9.4.5.4 - Elbow Pads