No, we won't move on to particular rules we don't like until we've had a chance
to see bouts under the new rules, and I am reserving judgment until I can
personally dig into the new rules set. With the hearsay information I have, I
am hopeful the cutting the track rule will have been substantially improved.
But until I dig into the rules, by readng them, and see them implemented through
the interpretation of the referees I should not anticipate improvement.

I think you don't seem to understand what an advantage you have in your position
on the reffing staff for your league. The rules came out on April 28th. Your
league implemented at least several of the new rules on April 25th. In talking
with some skaters and announcers, they just don't have access to the rules like
you have. They will scramble to understand and implement the new rules. In the
next 30 days or so, it's May now, some leagues will skate interleague bouts
under both sets of rules. Some leagues will skate an interleague bout under 4.0
and skate a league bout under 3.0/3.1. Skaters are concerned about
transitioning from one set of rules to the other.

While obviously Texas, Houston, and Atlanta feel comfortable enough with the
rules to implement them days after the release of the new rules, some leagues
will stall implmentation until considerably later. Whether you realize it or
not, this is a story related to sports. I think it would be unprecedented in
other sports if an entire rules set were implemented during a crucial stretch of
games, in essence the middle of the most important quarter to qualify for
regional tournaments.

I have been sent a few issue discussions on the new rules from refs, which are
always helpful. Gotham's discussion on their boards on the new rules have been
helpful. Discussing issues with skaters concerning the changes have been
helpful. I have been sent tools to help me absorb the new rules as quickly as
possible for these upcoming bouts. I'm scrambling, as I suspect announcers and
some skaters are. Some of us scramble all of the time, but would prefer to be a
little more deliberate.

So, after last year's new rules, I will not come out praising the new rule set
without having seen them in action, and without giving a thorough reading of the
rules. I will say I am hoping there are improvements, and the indications I
have is that the improvements are likely to be substantial. But last year's
missing of major rules changes despite my effort at a thoroguh reading, has me
being a little conservative on how I address the new rules this year.


Phil

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Hambone" <hambone@...> wrote:
>
>
> Phil, Willy, can we please move on to talk about any particular rules you do
or do not like in the 4.0 ruleset? DNN has produced a fairly easy-to-digest
summary of the changes.
>
> Your original complaints that leagues now only have a month to figure out how
to play by these rules simply don't hold water. WFTDA leagues who have chosen
to participate in the process and in the multiple rounds of Association-wide
rules votes have had early drafts of this 4.0 ruleset available to them for at
least three or four months. Any WFTDA leagues who shirked their privileges to
do so get the surprise they deserve.
>
> You are right that fans have a month to absorb the new rules. Call me crazy,
but I think derby fans and announcers are pretty smart, and I also believe that
with 4.0 the game isn't so fundamentally changed to render the existing 3.1 game
totally unrecognizeable.
>
> Eased cutting rules, new both-jammers-in-the-box procedures, and... well, to
the casual fan, that's really about it! Most of the rest of the changes simply
close language ambiguities to make reffing even more consistent
league-to-league.
>
> You complain that fan input was minimal. I believe if you can call a 'time
out' on posts complaining about the process and read the new rules you will find
that they are EXTREMELY HEAVILY influenced by the many comments distilled from
this forum and many other similar fan sources. These rules weren't made in a
fan-free vacuum!
>
> I, among others, came here yesterday hoping to read a "Halleluia! They
finally listened to me!" post from philar_72. It's not too late! Fans will
love these rules, I swear. Let's please move on to that possibility?
>
> - Hambone, Gotham
>
>
>