Conversation with an NSO Superhero!
Well, Well, Well….here we are again, in August I had the uttermost privilege to sit down with one of Southern California’s best non skating official. Not only is he an outright badass, he is also a great mentor for the derby community.
If you ever go to Rollercon, I encourage you to take one of his classes! Now, without further ado, here is Mike SumNoyz! 
Me: We love that. How long have you been apart of the Roller Derby community?
Mike: For officials, it’s pretty much the same thing although now I would say always be willing to admit to anyone when you don’t know something. It’s the hardest thing, and the best officials are able to make that admission and then work through to create a solution.
photo taken by ConJobb
Me: First off, I’m not a journalist, I just like to talk to people.
Well starting off I’d like you to introduce yourself, imagine yourself at a podium in front of the whole world, what would you say about you and who you are?
Mike: I think in normal life obviously I’m Michael Kwan, a middle aged lawyer with a major insurance company, trial attorney with 32 years in service, 2 kids and 1 spouse who has been married since 1995. On the derby side I’m Mike SumNoyz and I’ve been involved in derby since 2011.
Me: Can we talk about your achievement in just your personal life? You have an amazing and supportive wife with two great kids. I’ve only met her a couple times but she’s great. It’s not a common thing so congratulations to you two on your success!
Mike: Thank you! Both boys are 22 and 24, living at home.
Me: Too be fair I’m 30 and I’m still living at home so I get it, its hard.
Mike: Yea the economy is just not making it easier for them. One of them is still on a gap year and the other one did two semesters while focusing on getting into the Marine Corps and work.
Me: Thats awesome! I hope he gets in! I hear it’s very difficult to get in now.
Mike: He’s done everything he needs to do, so now its up to them to decide.
Me: I hear its very difficult and I wish him well in this journey.
Me: So Mike SumNoyz officially
Mike: Yeah Derby name:]
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| photo by JM IV Photography https://www.instagram.com/jmivphotography/ |
Mike: Well doing officiating since November of 2011.
Me: Oh no way you’ve been doing it as long as I have.
Mike: Mhmm, I started that year during Thankscrimmage at the Rinks in Corona. I have been watching and going as a fan in 2010-2011.
Me: Have you always been with Angel City or did you go to LA Derby Dolls?
Mike: I started to go to LA Derby Dolls and also Long Beach
Me: OH WHEN IT WAS IN THE DOME?!?
Mike: Yeah when it was in the dome!
Me: That was so much fun, me and friends used to sneak out there to watch
*I got nostalgic and super excited here XD*
Mike: During 2011 I only went to one Angel City game in NOHO.
Me: Were they as big as they are now back then?
Mike: Kinda, they were right on the verge. There was another game during that year that I was going to go to, but it got rained out.
Me: UGH.
Mike: But I went to a few in 2012.
Me: So you had been with ACD since 2011?
Mike: I realized after about a year of doing stuff with San Fernando, Prison City.
Me: Wait Prison City? You probably saw me as a baby skater there.
Mike: Probably
Me: So I started with ACD newer skater program, but only for a couple of times because Prison City was just closer and I went there.
Mike: My first ever game officiating was actually MRDA.
Me: Oh Drive By?
Mike: Yeah and the Bakersfield team.
Me: Thats crazy.
Mike: 2013 is the year I finally joined up with Angel City
Me: Well alright then, getting to the heavy section of this interview. I deeply understand how burnout happens in the “industry” ESPECIALLY with officiating because it’s so drastic and dire, and limited officials. What are some non-derby ways you like to unwind?
Mike: For me, mostly reading, fountain pen collecting, journaling, and now trying to write letters often,
Me: I love writing letters.
Mike: I also have a BritBox subscription I’ve been getting into, and also Tarot Decks and Oracle Decks
Me: I’ve been finding that kind of interesting lately and also want to try it.
Mike: I should put in more time with studying them more.
Me: Thats the thing that puts me off, because there’s so many ways to interpret it I’m not sure I’d really understand.
Mike: You can pick up on some of the patterns though.
Me: A couple of my good friends go to a class to learn though.
*I might make this question a MUST if I ever sit down with another major person in the skate world.*
Me: Referring to the motion picture Twilight, are you Team Jacob or Team Edward?
Mike: I have noooooooo idea, because I have never seen or read anything Twilight.
Me: I’m so envious of you…
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| photo by Matthew Becker Photography https://www.instagram.com/mbeckerphoto/ |
Mike: If I had to go with a team, it would be Team Lestat
Me: I fucking love you for that.
ANN RICE NOVELS ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE TWILIGHT SERIES.
Me: I really love the Louisiana lore much more, and I think it suites it better than the PNW(don’t come for me State of Washington)
Mike: Well there’s also the Sookie Stackhouse books.
Me: YES! I recently started watching the show based on the novels, felt like it was a little more cheesy because of the period it was filmed so I might read into the books more.
Mike: I’ve only read the first couple, but they were pretty good.
Me: I did appreciate that it had a better storyline though it seemed.
Me: Getting back to the heavy and away from Vamps and Wolves. Was there ever a moment when you wanted to quit Officiating? If so, how did you handle that on a personal level?
Mike: I don’t think there’s ever been a moment when I wanted to straight table flip and stop and walk out of the rink like that. There have been moments where I really wondered why I am here?
Me: I 100 percent understand that.
Mike: But I still want to keep going, so I’ve cut back on some of the stuff I want to do and the amount of stuff I do and I really enjoy the amount of free time I have from that. I still however, want to do big events and tournaments, just not as much as I have done in the past.
Me: Lets do a fun question, If you were to sit down with any person dead or alive and ask questions, who would you pick? I know it’s kind of hard.
Mike: My instinct would be someone like JFK, I don’t want to go back too far and pick Julias Caesar.
Me: I get that, I don’t even speak Latin….
Mike: Even if there was a Whovian translator..
Me: Oh like the Hitchhikers Guide Babel Fish?
Mike: Yeah even then, I would want someone within the 20th Century.
Me: JFK would be interesting though, specifically CIA types of questions and of his family..
Mike: So given ANY person, historically speaking, it would probably be JFK.
Me: If it was me I’d ask, “Hey what was up with your Dad?”
*We continue to history nerd out on former presidents we would ask questions to. Here’s the TLDR for those who aren’t cool like us*
• We would both ask Theodore Roosevelt “Hey wtf were you thinking?”
• FDR got the shit end of the stick with his terms
• Trish needs to read more biographies and wander out of her fiction world.
We seriously could go on about the subject of History for Eons.
Me: You are probably one of the most cool under pressure people I know, how do you handle the stress of it all?
Mike: In game, I’m too busy. I can’t be overly stressed. I’ve reached a point to where now, if I make a mistake I can go “Okay, that was a mistake. KEEP ON GOING.” Some of my officiating colleagues will call it having “JAMnesia” where you forget what happened before.
Me: *laughing at the clever wordplay* Oh gosh that's so true! I get that
Mike: Yeah it’s like, you’re too busy to what’s going on, you just don’t dwell on it.
Me: Yeah I’ve caught myself in huddles trying to remember what in the heck happened one or two jams ago.
Mike: Just the regular game stress though, just staying focused helps a lot.
Me: Just keep going basically!!
Mike: Yep! Just keep swimming.
Me: alright, you’ll probably like this next question. Have you seen any Monty Python movie, if so what’s your favorite?
Mike: Uh, I don’t think there’s one I haven’t seen. I like Life of Brian a lot.
Me: Life of Brian is probably my favorite
Mike: The main one would have to be Holy Grail though.
Me: Holy Grail is a staple and I feel like everyone one loves Holy Grail.
Mike: Yeah its an entry point to Python.
Me: Good point, that’s how you get into them.
Mike: I mean, I remember watching Flying Circus on PBS and The Goodies.
Me: But what’s your favorite scenes?
Mike: In Life of Brian it’s where he’s teaching the formal Latin.
Me: That movie has so many good ones, my favorite part is when he’s running away from his newly formed “cult” of people. In Grail though, it’s so quotable that everyone knows a line that has seen it.
Mike: The good thing about Python is that it leads to other great things like “A Fish Called Wanda” and I’m a HUGE fan of Brazil which was directed by Terry Giliam
Me: They certainly have inspired many more people in Brit Comedy like my new favorite “Cunk on Earth” with the Philomenia Cunk Character.
*Carries on to do more Monty Python quotes that are silly.*
Me: Moving on, I know you’re a pretty heavy hitting bibliophile, what books are you reading lately? Anything you can recommend? If so, what's a BRIEF plot without ruining it?
Mike: Right now I’m reading a book by Christopher Clark called The Sleepwalkers which is an almost 700 page diplomatic history of the coming of the First World War.
Me: Thats gangster of fuck! That is a gnarly book to take on.
Mike: Yeah, my go to comfort books are mystery novels. So I’ve been watching a show called Death in Paradise, so the creator of that show did four novels using the same characters.
Me: Alright Mike, what are some events you have lined up for 2025 that you are looking forward to?
Mike: Cactus Cup and RollerCon. My work schedule is going to have a big effect on what events I can and cannot work. Money is going to be a bigger factor this year than in 2024 too. I splurged a bit last year.
Me: I hear that, I’ve had to cut down on a lot, and even RollerCon seems like so much financially now.
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| Photo taken by yours truly. RollerCon 2023 |
Me: What was the last song you listened to? Don’t give me shit if I don’t know it.
Mike: Like that I just finished or what I was just listening to in the car right now?
Me: I guess the one you thoroughly enjoyed?
Mike: So the one that most resonates right now is by Thomas Dolby called “I Love You, Goodbye”. It’s a fun story song with a great chorus.
Me: What genre is it?
Mike: Synthesizer/punk. You know, the guy who wrote She Blinded Me With Science.
Me: *trying to recall*Oof uhhhhhh, we come from two different worlds
Mike: I know.
Me: I’m genuinely sorry but you can’t blame me because I was raised on Sabbath. But I’ll definitely listen to it!
Me: You are an amazing mentor for the Derby community. I literally tell everybody that asks a question to hey go ask Mike he’s great at talking rules. If I was new to the derby world or new to officiating, what advice can you give?
Mike: If you’re new to Derby, the advice is read and study the rules. You don’t have to do it in one go, just take it a section at a time. Ask questions of what it all means and how it jigsaw fits together. As a skater, be confident that you can do this, even in those moments you don’t think you can.
Me: Such good advice!
Me: You’re right
Mike: I have a list of what new officials should always keep in mind.
Me: I’d get that tattooed and bust it out for people to look up.
Me: So what would you give to your younger official self.
Mike: It would boil down to the same things but most importantly, be more kind.
Me: Yessss! Thats great advice, i feel people will start to burnout faster from not doing any of those.
Mike: Well yes, but I know too many officials that get into their own authority and go into defense mode and you’re not listening actively to the concerns being brought to you. We also owe it to skaters to treat a lower level game the same as a high level game too. Time and context are key.
Me: My final question. So what has 2024 taught you in regards to the skating community including Derby?
Mike: The derby community can be the warmest, most welcoming community, while at the same time being one of the coldest and loneliest places. There are great people who care for you, but at the same time, most people will be indifferent to you. I’m not certain how to bridge or reconcile that. I just have to paraphrase Tom Lehrer again, the derby community is like a sewer, what you get out of it depends on what you put into it.
Me: I love that, I could put that on millions of t-shirts for people, and it could never be enough.
You can check out Mike's Instagram for more quotes and adventures at https://www.instagram.com/mkwanjdjt/
~Fin
Two of my favorite people. This feels like My Dinner With Andre, only derby version. Love it!
ReplyDeleteOooo thank you for the reading suggestions
ReplyDeleteA lot of good stuff in here