Things We Learned* at ECDX 2012

*or, at least, were reminded of

Reflections on another amazing weekend in Feasterville, by the whole gang here at The Third Team:

• 4pm on Friday is the worst possible time to try to get from Connecticut to New Jersey. Fuck you, Tappan Zee Bridge. - Bender
  My total tolls for this trip back and forth from MA? $6, both for bridges ($1 one way, $5 over the Tap on the way home). Let me recommend traveling through scenic New Hope, PA (plus then you can see the Honey Badger scuplture). - Anne
• Hail can dent sheet metal.
• The womens bathrooms pretty much always have a line and smell bad. The mens rooms, less so. Maybe someone wasn't drinking enough water. Maybe there are just fewer dudes at the event. ProTip: check the Rink 1 bathrooms, they're often easier to get into and generally cleaner.
• No, seriously, drink more water. Even if there's a line at the fountain.
• Rita's Water Ice is amazeballs.
• When running an Inside Whiteboard, bring knee pads so you don't destroy your legs doing squats over and over.
• Rink 1 is not Outer Mongolia. It's disproportionately fun, in fact. Spend some time there. You're allowed to volunteer for unstaffed shifts there, too.
• Sweaty pads dry out pretty quickly when left to bake a little in the sun inside your car.
• Failure to take advantage of the healthy food options should get you blacklisted. Seriously, people, there's good food on-site. Not every tournament can say that.
• There's a Wegmans grocery store about 20 minutes away in Warrington, a straight shot down Street Road. Great place to pick up last-minute supplies like Clif bars, Gatorade, or bagels for your hotel room so you don't have to buy breakfast.
• No matter the job, one of the most important qualities of a good official is adaptability.
• Roomshare with other officials. It's fun, you can talk shop (even when one of your roommates starts the day with a rules question before he even gets out of bed and you're not even sure if he's talking in his sleep or not).
• This happened in New York. https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo/62408600
• I really need to get over to Europe to see the explosively growing derby scene over there first-hand. And to hang out with the amazing officials I keep meeting who are from over there.
• If you're used to New England Dunkin Donuts, Wawa may be a better choice in Philly when you need some coffee and food on the way in. Still, get there earlier than you think you need to. - Ian
  On the other hand, there's a DD between the Holiday Inn and Sleep Inn that's open 24 hours and rarely has a line at 7:30am. Unless it's full of derby people. - Bender
• Sunday morning B&W scrimmage is probably the most consistently fun thing I have ever worked at ECDX.
• When feeling grouchy and/or overtired, blast "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. Universal pick-me-up. Never fails.