C’MON STRIPES: EVEN THE 11 DAY POWER PLAY HAS REFEREES
Roy Dickey is in his third year of officiating the World’s longest hockey game fundraiser, the ‘11 Day Power Play.’ With three-hour long shifts taking place relentlessly for eleven straight days, there is still a rule book, and Dickey is there to enforce them, while giving his time and efforts to a good cause.
Here’s my conversation with Roy:
Roy Dickey: I was kind of late to the party. They’d been doing it for a number of years, going back where they had an original, just a group of two teams that played for 11 days straight. And then eventually, after a year or two of that, they came out with the community shift, which breaks down those 11 days over, what is it? 88 three-hour shifts, and then I was involved in a couple of games where I played twice in the community shift, and just being in and around the experience was such a joy for me to be able to give back a little bit of time and donate a little bit of money. But seeing all the effort behind the scenes that it takes just to have the ice ready and the building set and prepared for the teams, I saw there was an even bigger need there, and then there's a chance for me to fill with some of my time and my energy to divert into that aspect of it.
Jack Kreuzer: Do you have any personal relationship with cancer survivors or those that have battled in the past, or what draws you to this cause?
RD: Oh, absolutely, both sides of it, survivors as well, as well as folks that we've lost- my dad was about four years ago, to lung cancer. So certainly it's, it's prevalent anywhere you look. No one in particular that you know that I'm efforting for anybody that's going through it now or in the past.
JK: So when exactly did you first make the transition from playing in the event to being an official?
RD: Well, I'm still playing. I get one game a year. But the officiating, I started three years ago, so this is my third year doing it. Originally, I think I did one or two shifts and thought, thought it was okay, and then the last two years I've been efforting to get as many as is available that fits my schedule during those 11 days. So I think last year I did five, and this year I'm due for seven of the referee shifts. But yeah, this will be my third year doing it.
JK: Do you referee for any other leagues? No,
RD: No! That's kind of the beauty of it. It doesn't require a whole lot of training or any kind of accreditation, really, you just got to be able to be a proficient skater, have some general enough knowledge of the game, really, just kind of an open skate for three hours, just kind of making sure everybody's safe taking care of themselves out there, and there's not a whole lot of work involved in it.
JK: So have you ever had to call a penalty in one of these games?
RD: Oh yeah, yeah. There's been a penalty here and there. Today, the goalie cleared one up over the glass and into the bleachers, and we were forced to have a penalty shot. The gentleman did not score, so there was no harm done in it, but each game there's usually about one, whether it's a really egregious trip again, a puck over the glass. One time I did have to separate two fellas sometime last year, group of teams that knew each other well, things boiled over as it got a little more competitive than we might have thought.
JK: Is that the only instance you've had to almost break up a fight?
RD: Yeah, that was the only one. Thankfully, for the most part, everybody does recognize that we are there for charity. While, yes, it is competitive, everybody does look out for each other and try to make sure everybody's safe.
JK: When you schedule your shifts for this, are you refereeing games at 3:00 in the morning? What's that schedule like?
RD: Yes, I do have one 3 a.m. [shift] I think it's this Friday into Saturday. So there's a 3-6 a.m., I've got 9:00’s, I've got 12:00’s, I've got 3:00 yesterday, right before the opening ceremonies had started. So basically, when I'd signed up, the website's super easy to navigate. You basically enter in your availability, and then they kind of they sort it out and slot you in where you're available. Once the preliminary schedule comes out, they're pretty flexible, and there's plenty of room for anybody to get involved. Most of the shifts, I've only been a single ref out there, just kind of staying between the blue lines and being available to see when goals are scored. But it would be nice to have a second partner out there, so certainly there's always room for for an extra body to sign up to volunteer.
JK: Does the score matter?
RD: No, no. I think it does help to, I think drive some of the ebb and the flow of the game. When you come in and you see that the blue team's down 12 goals cumulatively over the last two and a half days, whatever it's been so far. And you know, there's a little bit of pride in trying to get some of those points back and try and even that score out. So it doesn't matter, no, but it is a game. It is a sport, and certainly the players that are out there are giving it their best effort.
JK: Inherently, hockey players, no matter what level, are competitive, so I'm sure that it's nothing more than a fun challenge for them when they get on the ice to try to either build onto or erase a 12-goal deficit. Exactly how much physicality. You mentioned the instance last year. Typically, how much physicality is there?
RD: It's bare minimum. There's, you know, there's only so much ice out there for 10 skaters. You know, people do bump into each other. Most of my experience, I've found that both of the teams have known each other, whether it's a group of, you know, 20 to 30 that form the two teams that have the game. Rare that it's been a single team against a single other team with where there's no familiarity. So for the most part, being that they know each other, whether it's to St Joe's marauders alumni teams, or whatever the case, there's definitely some level of physicality. But for the most part, they all kind of police themselves, and for the most part, behave.
JK: How does this affect your day job? With the timing of the shifts and everything, how do you balance that?
RD: For the most part, most of these are on my days off, and it's not an issue. The 3 a.m. one's going to involve some planning around I'll definitely need to get to bed early because I got to go to work rate from there, I get off at six and got to be to work by 730 so I'll have just enough time to come home and shower, grab a bite to eat and head back out.
JK: Hopefully you're not on your legs at work too much.
RD: Yeah, no, it shouldn't be too bad. Yeah, when putting into perspective what we're doing out there in that short three hour span, doesn't really compare to what we're fighting for and what we're out there for. So it makes it a little easier to compartmentalize the pain or the exhaustion with what you know, what real pain and exhaustion is.
JK: So how can people give to this organization, and where are the funds going? And how can people contribute?
RD: Well, if you don't know anybody individually involved, you could certainly go right to their website, and it's, I believe it's 11DayPowerPlay.com and they accept donations in any format right through the website. This year, they're right around 1.3 million. Money goes to Camp Good days. The money goes to Roswell. The money goes to make a wish.
This year, during the opening ceremonies, there was an extra $10,000 that they'd allotted for. Forgive me, I don't know the name of the group. Volunteers come in and they redecorate a child's bedroom to give them their dream bedroom, somewhere where they can be comfortable during their recovery or their treatment process, so those folks got a nice chunk of change to put toward those efforts too.
BLUE JAYS STARTING TO HEAT UP AS FIRST THIRD OF MLB SEASON HAS PASSED
The Toronto Blue Jays have been hovering right around .500 all season, but since the first third of the MLB Season has completed, Toronto’s ball club has been on a bit of a hot streak. After winning their series this week against the Diamondbacks, the Blue Jays have won 14 of their last 20 games. Other series victories this month came over the Cardinals, Twins, and Phillies.
The Blue Jays sit in third place in the American League East, with a 40-34 record, just three games back of the Division-leading New York Yankees. Unfortunately for Toronto, the AL East is the strongest division in Major League Baseball thus far, with four teams, including the Red Sox and Rays, all garnering at least 39 wins thus far, the only division of its kind.
If they can stay hot, the Blue Jays have a good chance to make up some ground in the division with back-to-back series, at Boston and vs the Yankees, at the end of the month. Toronto has been terrific at home, with 24 wins at home this season, ranking top ten in MLB. The Yankees will be in Toronto for a four-game series beginning Monday June 30, but first, the Blue Jays host the White Sox for a three game weekend series, opening tonight at 7:00 p.m.
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