The Colonel (announcer for Houston Roller Derby) has this amusingly low-fi podcast dispatch from the Texas Rollergirls' championship bout. Highlights include the betrothal of Jim "Kool-Aid" Jones, the retirement of announcer extraordinaire Whiskey L'Amour, and a controversial star drop that may have kept the Hotrod Honeys from closing the narrow gap on the Hell Marys.

Update: Read on for Gnosis' [non-authoritative] analysis of the controversy.

Caveat: I have no idea if the TX Rollergirls adhere to the WFTDA rules for their intramural bouts, but it's all I have to go on.

A quick review of the WFTDA rules does not reveal "yanking the star off" as a specific Major, but it's clear that such an intentional act would fall under the Major Illegal Procedures clause. Interference with a star pass is specifically listed as a Major, thought that's not actually what seems to have happened in this case. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything in the rules for "it fell off" or "no one knows what the hell happened".

I posit that in a case where the star is laying on the ground and no one is sure why, here's the rule that should apply: 3.5.5.1 If a hemet cover is removed from play by any means (dropped or knocked to the ground) it may only be recovered by the original jammer or original pivot.

This rule specifically governs droppage during a star pass, but it seems like a good rule for any case of unintentional star removal. The rule would indicate that the ref should not pick up the star but rather leave it laying there for the jammer to grab on her next pass (no going back allowed). Or, if the ref does pick it up due to safety concerns, he should give it back to the jammer. From the Colonel's account, it sounds as though the ref picked it up and refused to give it back, unfairly taking Rice Rocket out of the jam.