MVP Star Ratings

2023: Our Star Ranking System is getting automated!
Please stay tuned for more info. We’re making big upgrades to our feedback system and automating it through VORC so that all registered students can easily review their classes, and the coaches will be able to log in and see your anonymous comments, as well! Super excited. More info TBA!

Debuted in 2018:  STAR rankings for MVP class sessions on the schedule!

In 2017 we hired “Secret Shopper” reviewers and also invited attendees to rank classes and give the coaches feedback.  Some classes are new this year, or didn’t (yet) get reviewed, so if there aren’t stars, that absolutely does not indicate that class isn’t a great session. But when you do see stars, we want you to know what it means – in short, that class was offered by that coach last year and our reviewers loved it!

How do the Reviews Work? 
We’ve asked for feedback from attendees for years (with mixed results), but 2017 was our first year with *hired reviewers* and full coverage of on skates classes. We shared their reviews directly with the coaches, and everyone loved it. In 2018 we expanded the program to continue to include on skates sessions, but also to cover as many off skates athletic sessions as possible, and some of the workshop and classroom seminars, too. Our goal is to review every session every year – but we’re not quite there yet.

What Gets Reviewed? 
We asked reviewers (attendees and hired) to rank classes 1-5 stars in several categories:
Would you recommend this class to others?
Would you take more classes from this coach?
Please rank:
– Communication
– Clarity of Instructions
– Preparedness
– Class Content
– Skill Level
We also asked the reviewer for an overall rank, and we averaged the rank from the categories. Classes had to be ranked 5 stars in every category – by every reviewer! – to be listed as a 5 star in our calendar – not an easy task! Reviewers also provide comments about what they liked, what could use improvement, and if they had other comments for the coaches. Check out our 2017 Review Form for an example. As soon as the schedule is finalized each year, we release a new review form you can use.

More about the Secret Shoppers
Our Secret Shoppers are roller derby players from varying backgrounds and every skill level from beginner to advanced. Several of them are coaches themselves. What they have in common is that they’re all enthusiastic about roller derby, and are willing to offer articulate, practical and precise feedback. They’re also not afraid to tell us when a class failed, and offer specific explanations for why they thought so. We assign them to classes, which they attend as students and review immediately after. We track their reviews by their initials, but do not share their identity with the coaches. We keep their reviews separated from attendee reviews.

Attendee Reviews vs Secret Shoppers
Anyone who attends a class is invited to review it – links to that year’s Review Form are in the program, and we email MVP passholders after RollerCon, as well. Generally speaking, attendees offer mostly very positive reviews, while our hired reviewers tend to be harder to win over.  So look for a distinction between star rankings from attendees vs hired reviewers when we list star reviews in the following year calendar.

Want to Help With Reviews? 
MVP Passholders should look for an email from us immediely after RollerCon. We’ll invite you to review as many of your favorite classes as you like while it’s all still fresh in your memory!