Rule 7.5.1.2 / 7.5.4

[Mr. Bill]

At last night's smackdown of Charm City, apparently Dolly Rocket of Charm City was ejected or expelled from the bout in the second period (I didn't see it but with 10 minutes left, she was sitting in the stands with her entourage). Just before that, one of her entourage threw a balled up piece of paper on the track. While sitting in the stands, she was seen squirting water on the track and immediately after that, another person in her group threw a poster on the track just before the last jam started. Rules 7.5.1.2 and 7.5.4 read in part, "The [ejected/expelled] skater must immediately leave the track and return to the locker room or staging area. She may not remain on the floor with her team or in an area where she may interfere with the skaters on the track." Here are the questions:
1) Does anyone know what she was tossed for?
2) Is an ejected/expelled skater prohibited from being in the stands after ejection for the very reason that they may toss something on the track, and if so, what is a reasonable enforcement of this rule (i.e., must stay in the locker?, barred from the entire stands area?).

[hambone]

The ejection was for accumulating five 'trips to the box' within one period of play. See 7.5.1.1.1

"she was seen squirting water on the track" - not by the refs. So, rules-wise, it didn't happen.

As I understand it, the origin of the rule that a skater has to leave the playing area derives largely from some incident(s) years ago and far away where ejected player(s) sneakily returned back in to play, causing, of course, major headaches -- nothing to do with interference as you describe.

[Mr. Bill]

Thanks for the clarification, but let me ask it this way. Understanding that the rule was originally designed to prohibit sneaking back into the bout after being tossed, and even accepting that a referee cannot enforce a rule violation that he or she does not see (squirting water on the track for example), should an ejected skater be allowed to go sit in the stands within feet of the track when the rules seem to prohibit it ("she may not remain...in an area...where she can interfere with skaters on the track") and there is the distinct possibility that the skater might engage in some sort of retaliatory behavior or mischief for being ejected (squirting water on the track for example)?

[Miss American Thighs]

While sitting in the stands, she was seen squirting water on the track and immediately after that, another person in her group threw a poster on the track just before the last jam started.

who DOES that? yeesh - bad behavior, and not in a good way.

[Ana Bollocks]

Huh. I missed all this somehow, other than poor Sug delaying a jam to get down on his hands and knees to pick ice up off the track. Must have been looking at the stands on the other side...

[DoubleClutch]

I heard from Knox that the offenders were escorted out of the venue by security.

[SugarDaddy]

Thank you for your question. Hambone has already replied on what the ejection was for and I can confirm that Dolly Rocket exceeded the allowable turns in the penalty box, thus was removed from active participation in the second period per WFTDA rules.

As Head Referee, I think the rule is very clear and an ejected or expelled skater must leave the area of competition which includes the track area and benches and return to the locker room or staging area. Skaters are responsible for legal play and officials enforce the rules to the degree specified in the rule set. It is my opinion that if a skater chooses to leave those facilities, she has quit playing the game and essentially did not finish. In NASCAR this would be noted as DNF. Once in the stands, all are held to the same standards and of non-interference with game play. I would expect skaters to know they are still representing their team and the sport of roller derby in a public way, even when they are no-longer involved in the competition, but that is simply my personal view. Interference in gameplay from the public areas during a bout is a security and bout production responsibility. As Head Referee, I may (and did) instruct security to remove any person involved with interfering with game play from the stands.

[Mr. Bill]

In fact, I saw you speaking with security right after the poster was thrown onto the track and the security guard turned around and escorted the offenders out right after that conversation.

[D Train]

Do we know what the policy is for other sports regarding ejections? Are athletes every allowed to go sit in the stands after being asked to leave the field of play?

[hambone]

Bobby Valentine is unimpressed.

[Ana Bollocks]

Not sure about the stands thing... I think it may be technically permitted in other sports for ejected players to go in the stands, except their leagues/clubs would have their butts in a sling afterward if they did. But I really don't know.

Anyway, too bad about all that mishegoss, because I thought Charm played well overall...

[theoriginaldonald]

Bobby Valentine is unimpressed.

I'm unimpressed with the 2-4 start.

The Original Mets fan
I EXPECTED it, but I'm still unimpressed

[RefInPeace]

NHL send you to the "dressing room" (not the locker room, oddly enough). http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26304 But they also have a Commissioner, and a fines structure and the like.

NBA sends you to the locker room. High School Basketball, however, keeps you on the bench "for supervision by a coach".

A more expansive article on Wikipedia details:

When the offender is ejected, he/she must leave the immediate playing area; in most cases, this means going to the locker room or other part of the venue out of sight of the playing area, or in extreme cases, leaving the stadium grounds.

As for spectator interference, the NHL has rules for handling game play when the spectator has physically interfered with gameplay like tossing something on to the ice, and states: "The spectator should be escorted out of the arena by the staff working at the ice rink."

NBA goes even further and has a "Verbal Fan Interference" rule:

Any spectator who verbally abuses players and/or coaches in a manner which, in the opinion of the game officials, interferes with the ability of a coach to communicate with his players during the game and/or huddles, will, at the direction of the crew chief, be given one warning by a building security officer. If the same spectator continues to behave in a like manner, the crew chief shall direct a building security officer to eject the spectator from the arena.

So other major sports out there have dealt with these kind of issues before.

[Hewlett Smackard]

NBA goes even further and has a "Verbal Fan Interference" rule:

Any spectator who verbally abuses players and/or coaches in a manner which, in the opinion of the game officials, interferes with the ability of a coach to communicate with his players during the game and/or huddles, will, at the direction of the crew chief, be given one warning by a building security officer. If the same spectator continues to behave in a like manner, the crew chief shall direct a building security officer to eject the spectator from the arena.

So other major sports out there have dealt with these kind of issues before.

This is the "Robin Ficker Rule." You know you're an obnoxious fan when a league makes a rule just for you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Ficker#Sports_heckler

The Wikipedia paragraph doesn't do justice to what this guy was like.

[theoriginaldonald]

NBA goes even further and has a "Verbal Fan Interference" rule:

Any spectator who verbally abuses players and/or coaches in a manner which, in the opinion of the game officials, interferes with the ability of a coach to communicate with his players during the game and/or huddles, will, at the direction of the crew chief, be given one warning by a building security officer. If the same spectator continues to behave in a like manner, the crew chief shall direct a building security officer to eject the spectator from the arena.

So other major sports out there have dealt with these kind of issues before.

This is the "Robin Ficker Rule." You know you're an obnoxious fan when a league makes a rule just for you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Ficker#Sports_heckler

The Wikipedia paragraph doesn't do justice to what this guy was like.

Robin Ficker was the Phil Arnold of basketball.