So. ECDX 2019 has come and gone. Some thoughts I’ve had…
- Logistics… Coordination has always been a pain, and I’m glad I’ve never had to go through that. I know how much of a pain tournament staffing is in general, but ECDX is its own beast. Not only are the jenga pieces on fire and you’re trying to set up the game… The pieces are yelling at you. And the table is changing. And there’s an earthquake tidal wave coming at your house. And you find yourself with about five or six pieces that disappear the moment you have them in your hand. I don’t envy that position.
- The games were interesting! I got to work Windy/Paris and Philly/London, and those were both hard hitting games which brought me out of my comfort zone. I normally officiate high D3 leagues and working D1 was definitely a different beast. I help out periodically with D1 in scrimmages and whatnot, but learning the differences and styles of those who routinely do so was fun and enlightening.
- Just refereeing was fun. I decided to sign up for refereeing only, instead of dual-applying, and I think I made the right decision. While I didn’t get a ton of games, I got five over the three-day weekend and I’m glad I got down-time to actually spend time with people that I didn’t get to see or talk to much when I saw them at things like KTown Shakedown or River Valley Riot, where I was doing a thousand things at once.
- JRDA is fun. I don’t know why but I always tend to have hope when I officiate for both JRDA and MRDA. Mainly because I feel like (sometimes) the world of WFTDA in itself is stagnant and some old mentalities are causing issues with the growth and long-term viability of the sport. JRDA and MRDA, with their intellectual diversity, allow for new styles of play, and new talent to be added to the sport. Which, in my mind, is of benefit to us all. Also, seeing people who just enjoy the sport for what it is, is fantastic.
- Seeing long-lost friends. I was able to talk to people I’ve worked with, for, and adjacent to, this weekend. I think outside of everything else, getting to chat with people that I don’t get to talk to face-to-face terribly often was one of the highlights of the weekend. Especially those who I’ve been derby-friends with for over a decade (how did that happen) and we can reminisce and talk about how the times have changed and what the place looks like these days. I feel like it keeps us from feeling so isolated at times.
- High Fiving Forever - I was invited (or maybe I invited myself? Hopefully I didn’t), to be the High Five Bench Coordinator for the Shenanigans when they played the Gatekeepers’ B team. Apparently it helped with morale, and I’m glad it did—everyone should be having fun in this sport. Officials, skaters, volunteers—otherwise, why would we do it???
So. Five games.
- Windy/Paris
- Atlanta B/Texas B
- New Hampshire Jrs/Kbees Jrs
- Philly/London
- New Hampshire Jrs/Jersey Jrs
I had a very fun time.