its a mad mad mad mad world

The Mad Rollin’ Dolls roller derby league will be hosting its fifth bout of the 2009 season at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center this Saturday. During this fifth season of roller derby in Madison, the Dolls have seen a lot of changes. But one element that remains tried and true -- and one without which roller derby could hardly function -- is the officials.
These friendly taskmasters in black and white never leave home without their whistles, make the tough calls despite dirty looks, and strive to maintain general law and order amidst the often chaotic enterprise we call roller derby. Other than spending significantly less time in the penalty box, where would we be without them?
Seriously, though, the officials are an integral part of the MRD machine. And despite any raucous fans who love to hate -- and let’s be honest, the skaters who love to protest -- the sport would be going in circles without them. If you’ve been to a bout, you’ve no doubt noticed a horde of officials on and around the track. While it may seem to the untrained eye like an overabundance, that’s what it takes to keep the show going.
On-skates officials inside the track include two jammer referees, each who keeps his or her eye on a specific team’s jammer, and a handful of pack referees, who watch the pack. The outside referees keep tabs on the pack from the outside of the track. Non-skating officials tend to duties like penalty tracking, score keeping, and jam timing. A different ref is designated “Head Referee” for each bout, and he or she has ultimate authority for that match.
For the Dolls, this group includes over a dozen staff and volunteers, many of whom practice their skating and officiating several times per week, train for multiple positions, and often travel all over the country to help officiate for other leagues. Perhaps most impressively, they study and memorize every intricacy of a thirty-page rule book. One thing’s for certain: they do their job, and they do it well.
The Daily Page spoke with a few refs about their experiences officiating the Mad Rollin’ Dolls and in the greater world of roller derby.

Marshall LawAaron Mazzone, a.k.a. Marshall Law, has been wearing the stripes for four-and-a-half years. Outside of derby, he’s also a regionally sanctioned Chinese martial arts judge and official.
The Daily Page: What is your favorite part about officiating for the Dolls? Marshall: Skating and being involved with a sport that I've seen grow tremendously over five years. I've watched it go from some type of sideshow attraction to a hard-core sport.
What is the most challenging?Trying to keep an eye on all the action, communicating with other officials, skating and avoiding other refs and skaters all at the same time. It's also what makes refereeing derby so fun. As a fan of the sport I have the best view of the action.
How has being involved with roller derby changed your life?I've been fortunate to make so many friends with people I would have never met. Here in Madison, as well as all over the country and world.
Have you done any roller derby officiating at the national level?I've been lucky to be involved from almost the very start. I've traveled all over the country and had chances to skate with teams from just about everywhere. You might think that these rough and tough ladies would be hard to deal with, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I am always so pleased when I travel that everyone is so friendly and willing to open their lives and homes to strangers. We share a bond that is this sport.

James BlondAndy Fenske, a.k.a James Blond, has been a referee for the Mad Rollin’ Dolls since November of 2005. Blond, who lives in Appleton and drives to Madison every weekend for practice and bouts, works as a teacher and plays semi-pro football for the Fox Valley Force. He is currently helping coach the league’s traveling all-star team, the Dairyland Dolls.
The Daily Page: How did you get involved with roller derby?Blond: I am engaged to [Quad Squad skater] Britnee Smears, who was a speed skater. When we heard about the Dolls we tried to get tickets but it was sold out. The next year she tried out and we have been coming ever since.
What is your favorite part about officiating for the Dolls?Jam Reffing! I have gotten to see some really awesome jammers. I have watched first hand some of the greatest jams the sport has ever seen.
Tell me about your experiences with roller derby outside of the league.Last summer I went to RollerCon in Las Vegas. I have worked with and learned from some of the best in the world. I am also the Head Ref for the Paper Valley Roller Girls in Appleton.
How has being involved with roller derby changed your life?I travel hundreds of miles every weekend to be part of the fastest growing sport in the world.

The Gorram ReaverH. Liz Walker, who goes by the handle The Gorram Reaver, began as a skater for the Unholy Rollers in 2006, and is currently in her third season of officiating. Off the track, she works in retail and is a passionate gamer.
The Daily Page: Have you officiated in any sports or events other than derby?Reaver: Yes! In lifeguard tournaments! It's not too different from officiating at a track meet, but sometimes you have to watch those lifeguards. Finishes involve having yourself and your equipment over the line, and some times the first person to cross the line isn't the first one to finish. You haven't seen an Aussie pissed off until you've just told him he lost a paddle board race to someone from Jersey.
What is your favorite part about officiating?My whistle! Proud owner and user of the Fox-40 Classic since 1995.
What different roles do you play as an official?For the 2007 and 2008 seasons I was a score keeper. This season I have been outside reffing. During games in which I don't actively ref I often spend time helping with the penalty tracking. I'm also on the Rules & Play Committee. Yay, rules!
Have you done any officiating in the broader world of derby?The March 21 bout marked my fourth bout in four weeks. That included two home bouts and two non-MRD bouts in other cities, one in La Crosse and one in Rockford. Working in different venues and with different systems and refs has given me a new appreciation for the high quality of training, communication, and teamwork that refs and non-skating officials experience here in Madison.
Good officiating is never something that "just happens". In addition to all the time spent on the track practicing what happens during a game, there is a lot of time spent off the track discussing what goes on in a game and how best to handle situations that may arise. It takes just as much teamwork and strong communication to officiate a bout well as it does to play a bout well. The more time I spend working with the men and women that are a part of the officiating crew for MRD, the more appreciative I am of the time and effort they bring to the league and to the world of derby. I am very honored and proud to be a member of their team.

Reverend RiotMatt Mantsch, a.k.a. Rev. Riot, has been a roller derby referee for just over three years. When he’s not on the track, the good reverend works as a driver for the South Central Library System and is involved with a local improv troupe.
The Daily Page: What different roles do you play as an official?Riot: I started off as a dedicated [non-skating] Head Referee, though in recent years that's evolved to include me skating as a Pack Referee in addition to filling the Head Referee position. I just Jammer Reffed for the first time, and I'm always happy to do whatever I can, but my heart's on the pack.
What is your favorite part about officiating? The camaraderie is really nice, but if I had to choose one thing more than anything else, it's the joy of making the toughest calls correctly, of nailing that over and over, and keeping the game moving despite everything else.
Has being involved with roller derby changed your life?Absolutely it has. I'm not the same person I was three years ago. I often tell people that it turns out I was a derby referee my whole life, it's just that up until four years ago I didn't know what roller derby was. It's made a lot of things make sense in retrospect, knowing I'm a referee at heart.
Tell me about your experiences officiating on the national level.I love MRD and everyone involved in it, but national play is a wholly fantastic other experience. Working a tournament where I get to referee the top tiers of the sport twice a day for three days straight is just exhilarating. It's the type of thing that leaves me totally exhausted and at the same time completely refreshed and excited to do twice as much as I was before to help this sport succeed.