March 3, 2014
Should a change in relative position be measured strictly between the initiator of the block and the opponent that block was made against? How should gains in a teammate’s relative position be considered in assessing if a penalty is warranted?
A penalty should be assessed when, amongst other things, an illegal action causes the gain of relative position for the initiator of the block or their teammate involved in the action. The Officials should use their discretion to determine which skaters are involved in the action, and include all such skaters as markers in determining a skater’s relative position, not simply the initiator of the block and receiver. In order to determine the loss of relative position, an Official must observe actual advantage gained, not simply the opportunity for advantage to change. An Official should issue a penalty as soon as advantage is illegally gained; there is no ability to yield the advantage gained and “undo” the penalty. A penalty for causing a loss of relative position should only be called if there has been advantage gained due directly to an illegally committed action.
Some examples of gaining an advantage due to an illegal action are:
Example 1.1: A Blocker in a wall is pushed only slightly ahead of their teammates due to an illegal Back Block by an opposing Blocker. The wall has not lost its advantage, the Blocker was able to immediately return to their position in the wall and the opposing Blocker has not improved their position by moving in front of the wall, although the opposing Blocker’s hips may end up momentarily in front of the Blocker due to the Black Block. There is no loss of relative position (advantage gained) in this scenario and no penalty should be issued.
Example 1.2: In this same scenario, the opposing Blocker slips through an opening in the wall created by their Back Block. Advantage is gained due to an illegal action, therefore, a penalty should be issued.
Example 1.3: In a similar scenario, a Jammer immediately moves into an opening in the wall created by their illegal Back Block. If the Jammer gains an advantage while passing the hips of the Blockers in the wall and earns credit for the pass, even if the Jammer does not pass the wall entirely, a penalty should be assessed to the Jammer committing the Back Block.
Example 2: A Blocker is behind a three-wall of opposing Blockers. The Blocker makes illegal contact into the back of the middle opposing Blocker, pushing them forward out of the wall and creating an opening. The Blocker immediately passes between the two remaining opposing Blockers in the wall, who weren't illegally contacted, but remains behind the opposing Blocker who was forced out of the wall. There is no immediate opportunity for the wall to reform. The Blocker has gained an advantage directly due to an illegal block and a penalty should be assessed.
Example 3: Team A has a three-wall on the inside of the track with Team B's Jammer behind them. Their fourth Blocker is engaged with a Blocker from Team B on the outside of the track. Jammer B back blocks someone in the wall and the wall quickly reforms still in front of Jammer B. In the process, the wall and Jammer B have moved in front of the two Blockers on the outside line. Because the Blockers on the outside line are not involved in the play, there is no loss of relative position due to an illegal action for any of the skaters involved in the play. The Jammer should be credited with passing the uninvolved Blockers if they have not already passed them.
Example 4: A Blocker is trapped behind an opposing Blocker. Their teammate elbows the opposing Blocker allowing the Blocker to immediately pass the opposing Blocker they were trapped behind. The opposing Blocker does not fall, stumble, or change position relative to the Blocker’s teammate who made the hit. In this situation, an illegal activity causes a gain in advantage for one of the skaters involved in the play; thus, a penalty should be assessed against the Blocker’s teammate who elbowed the opposing Blocker.
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