Happy NSOvember!

If this is what they say beforehand, they actually do!

Yep. So somehow it's sprung up that November is the month in which we celebrate those unsung heroes of derby, the nonskating officials. We usually take their efforts for granted, but NSOvember is about changing that!

Okay, so I've NSOed a bit in a couple of different positions and THAT SHIT IS HARD. You're doing some realtime work, and how you perform affects the overall quality of the bout. Like, when I had to penalty track and do IWB, you have a set number of tasks that you have to do within seconds, really. Or when I did jam timing, you're responsible for how long the bout goes for, and that could affect which way the score goes. And your brain has to be switched on the WHOLE time. And, unlike skaters, you don't get breaks between jams--you spend those 30 seconds doing other work. And then half time is spent doing work. It's actually surprisingly tough.

So, props to you, NSOs. Everyone knows that it takes an army of NSOs to run a bout. We literally would not be able to do derby without your contribution.