Stabby McNeedles Officiates 1000th Game
The gold-medal game of the 2018 International WFTDA Championships in New Orleans, La., U.S., was a thrilling display of athleticism, with the Rose City Rollers of Portland, Ore., U.S. defeating reigning champions Victorian Roller Derby League of Melbourne, Australia. For level-five WFTDA certified official Stabby McNeedles, of the Cincinnati Rollergirls of Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., the game held a special significance, however: after a decade of involvement in derby, this was her 1000th game.
She is the first official known to have officiated 1000 games. We congratulate Stabby on this extraordinary achievement and thank her for her invaluable contributions to the sport.
“I’m exceptionally proud of Stabby,” said WFTDA Vice President and Bay Area Derby coach Deadeye Knight. “This massive milestone points at the major contributions she has made to the derby community. Officiating has seen a lot of evolution and improvement and I thank Stabby for leading the way on that (and I’m not just saying that to get extra cookies from my derby wife).”
I am so dang proud of my friend, derby wife, and honestly the NSO that has always most inspired me to be awesome, Stabby McNeedles on hitting 1000 games at the 2018 Champs final. Enjoy your perfect attendance medal @Lumenia you are my #1! pic.twitter.com/aSllKYdhnY
— dedi (@kweerious) November 12, 2018
Stabby began officiating in 2008, dedicating many of her weekends to helping out local Midwestern leagues or officiating high-level WFTDA tournaments. She has worked over 125 games at the Playoffs level, and was Tournament Head NSO (THNSO) for the 2015 International WFTDA Championships in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Stabby’s officiating has even garnered her awards from leagues other than her own, including a 2018 Officiating Award from Gem City Roller Derby.
“Stabby McNeedles is the reason we don’t have NSO of the Year awards,” said Danger Muffin, WFTDA Certification Oversight and Bay Area Derby official. “She’d win them all.”
Off the track, Stabby has dedicated countless hours to WFTDA Certification, where she spent several years first as an NSO Certification Panelist and then as Certification Panel Chair. She has also played a significant role in the development of the WFTDA Statsbook and currently serves as chair of that committee.
Geoknitter, of the Lansing Derby Vixens says, “Stabby has been instrumental in shaping our officiating community for the better, and her mentorship has been an invaluable contribution towards my growth as an official.”
She is also an astounding baker, bringing cookies and other intricately decorated confections to every tournament she attends. When not working roller derby, she can be seen undercover at a live comedy show as her alter ego Stacey McNoodles, at a friend’s house for games night, or out for tacos and a movie.
