Why'd you let the Jammer go?!

If you're a nerd like me, who reads the rules for fun - you can check out the current ruleset here - www.wftda.com. (The newest ruleset will be implemented this summer.)

Rule 4.3.2 states "When a blocker or pivot is positioned more than 20 feet outside the pack or out-of-bounds, she is out of play and subject to penalties."

This means if I, a known jammer chaser, sprints ahead with the jammer I must knock her down or booty block her before we are 20 feet away from the pack. When the two of us reach that 20 feet point, the refs yell "let her go!" as a warning for me to, well, let her go unchecked.

So when it looks like I'm going to lay some earth-shattering block on that jammer and I abruptly stop and allow her through, this is what's happening. It's certainly not because I've changed my mind - I always want to send that jammer flying off the track. Always.

If I decided to ignore this warning, I'll be awarded a major penalty, which means I'll go straight to the penalty for one minute. While this might seem like a good trade for forcing that pesky jammer to go through the pack again, it's not. Going to the penalty box shorts your team a blocker. They'll have one less blocker to help your jammer and stop the opposing jammer. Having two blockers in the box is a bad, bad situation for the team.

The words of Denis Lemieux in the film Slapshot sum up the situation nicely: "You do that, you go to the box... You feel shame. And then you get free." Who wants to end up like the Hanson Brothers, who spend most of the game in the box!?