BECOME AN OFFICIAL
Skating Officials
These are the people who get to wear not only skates but also the infamous black and white stripes on game day. There are seven skating officials required for each game: two inside pack referees, two jammer referees, and three outside pack referees. Referees are allowed to wear either quad roller skates or inlines. In order to become a skating official you must be 18+ years old, complete boot camp, and attend league strategy and scrimmage practices. Before you are qualified to skate, we will teach you how to be a non-skating official which will help you learn the rules of the game. The time commitment to becoming an on skates official is pretty intensive, but well worth it.
You should bring a mouth guard for boot camp. We have pads, helmets and skates that can be borrowed for the first few weeks, though we highly recommend purchasing your own gear, to include a Fox 40 Classic whistle, once you start attending practices. Any of the qualified refs/skaters will be more than willing to answer your questions and give suggestions about what gear to buy.
Non-Skating Officials
Otherwise known as NSOs, our non-skating officials are off skates during games. These people work in tandem with the referee staff to provide a smooth-running game for the skaters and fans. We use as many as 13 NSOs to record the score, penalties and lineups, manage the penalty box, and time the game and the jams. We have an NSO position for any skill set! Being an NSO is a great way to familiarize yourself with the game of derby and to get involved with Tallahassee Roller Derby with a smaller, less intense time commitment. You won't need boot camp but, like the skating officials, you will be asked to attend league strategy and scrimmage nights for training purposes.