It is the health of the skaters. As a former basketball official,
if I saw an injury on the court, and I thought it was at all
dangerous, I blew my whistle immediately and stopped the game.
Believe it or not some would argue that the injury should be taken
care of at the next dead ball. I would blow my whistle every single
time just to be safe, because that person's health and the spirit of
good sportsmanship, and the fact this is a game, demanded I watch
out for the safety and health of the competitors.

Have you ever seen a concussion at a roller derby event? I have,
and it is scary. The reason I bring this up is because I have just
read something from Roxy Rockett on her new web site. Basically she
is decrying short cuts that can end up hurting people. And I am
reminded that her visiion is solid for this sport. Yes she is a
great skater in my opinion, but she has a vision that is worth
considering by skaters, fans, officials, and volunteers alike for
roller derby.

Look at the poll question concerning if you were a jammer and you
saw somebody who you thought was hurt, would you call off the jam.
Well, if you honestly thought she was hurt, and you honestly cared
about all the skaters and their health on the track, I think you
should call it off. Scoring points takes a back seat to a broken
bone or a possible concussion. And yes, if the refs see it they
will probably call the jam off because they feel they have a
responsibility to protect the players. But unfortunately the refs
do not always see it immediately.

I think this is very similar to having just accidently kneed a
player, and going down with her to make sure she is alright, maybe
even protecting her if she is helpless. Yeah, that probably doesn't
help your team out, but this is a sister skater who may be in a bad
situation. This bit of good will, or sportsmunship (intentional
mispelling)I think does a lot for furthering the sport of roller
derby in the future.

Phil