A taste of roller derby is oh so sweet when we return to Skateworld for this public scrimmage! It's only $5 at the door and kids 12 and under are free! Come on out to the Bada Bing Lounge afterwards and party with us and our friends Atomic Johnny!
937-294-4032
Sunday, June 08, 2008 5:00PM
The Age of Aquarius
Club Aquarius-135 E. 2nd St.
This little shindig runs from 5pm til 11pm! It's $5 pre-sale from your favorite rollergirl and $6 at the door! Stay tuned for the specifics!
What is roller derby anyway? 'Roller derby is a sport that started in 1935
by a sports promoter named Leo Seltzer. It began as a simulation
of cross-country roller skating, in that participants circled
the track thousands of times to "cover the distance" between
Los Angeles and New York City. Of course, there were occasional
collisions, and as Seltzer realized the excitement involved
with the crashes, he "tweaked" the spectacle to maximize the
contact nature of the event.' -
from Wikipedia.org
Roller derby originally involved both male
and female players on the same team. It has evolved most prominently
into all female flat and banked track leagues. Don't confuse
roller derby with "Roller Jam", which focused more on the
entertainment aspect and less on the sport involved.
The roller derby that is played in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is 100% real. The
fights are not staged, the hits are not fake, and the injuries
hurt like hell. There is a very lengthy set of rules we follow
when playing, just like any other sport. We have trained referees
to make penalty calls. Our skaters have to meet minimum skill
requirements to play. We practice and train hard. This isn't
the WWE, we're not just putting on a good show.
How
do you play?
General Terms
BOUT - A game of three
periods played between two teams. The team with the highest
point total at the end of three periods wins the game. Period
lengths are set to 20 minutes by WFTDA standards.
TEAM - Composed of up
to 14 women with a maximum of five members on the track
at a time, consisting of: One pivot, three blockers, and
one jammer.
PACK - Consists of the
pivots and blockers from both teams, a maximum of 8 skaters,
skating around the track in formation at a steady pace.
JAM - A unit of play within
the bout. There are an unlimited number of jams allowed
in each period. Jams are ended after 2 minutes has elapsed
or when the Lead Jammer calls off the jam by placing her
hands on her hips.
PIVOT – Pivots (designated
by a striped helmet cover) determine the pace of the pack.
They are the last blocker passed when determining lead jam
position. A pivot may take over the position of her team's
jammer at anytime after the lead jammer, or lack thereof,
is established. The jammer passes her position by removing
the star from her helmet and handing it off to the pivot.
When the jammer hands off to the pivot, the jammer takes
the pivot position for the remainder of the jam. A pivot
may never call off a jam, regardless of whether or not her
team's jammer held the lead jam position before handing
off.
BLOCKER - Blockers play
the defensive role by attempting to prevent the opposing
team’s jammer from getting through the pack and by aiding
their own jammer in getting through the pack.
JAMMER - The jammer is
designated by a starred helmet cover. Jammers are the point
scoring players. Jammers race to break through the pack
and establish lead jam position. Jammers continue to race
around the track and score points for passing opposing players
-- in bounds -- on each subsequent trip through the pack
(called lapping). A jammer may pass her position to her
team's pivot at any time after the lead jammer, or lack
thereof, is established. The jammer passes her position
by removing her helmet cover and handing it off to the pivot.
The pivot then dons the helmet cover, and sprints to race
against the opposing jammer.
LEAD JAMMER - The lead
jammer is the first jammer to break through the pack (leader
is determined by her chest), passing all of the opposing
team's blockers and pivot while remaining in bounds on the
initial trip through the pack. In order to become lead jammer
no part of the jammer’s skates may be on the ground out
of bounds when she passes an opponent. In order to become
lead jammer, the jammer may not have committed any penalty
while passing opposing players during the initial trip through
the pack.
Track
The roller derby track can be either flat or banked. In the
WFTDA, we obviously use a flat track. The track is an oval,
measuring 52' across and 88' long, with the width of the actual
skating area varying from 13' to 15'. For flat track, the track
is delineated by anything that works - rope, rope lights, etc.
The inside area of the track is called the "infield" and is
not part of the playing surface - considered out of bounds.
Team Structure
Each team has 5 players on the track during a jam - 1 jammer,
1 pivot, and 3 blockers. Jams may be played with less than
5 players if players are awarded penalties.
Game Play The object of the game is for the team’s
jammer to score points by lapping opposing players. The jammer
does this by weaving her way through the pack, with the help
of her blockers and pivot. Once she is through the pack, she
needs to lap the pack and break back through to score points.
No points are earned for passing opposing team members before
breaking through the pack initially, for lapping one’s own
team members, or for passing opposing team members while out
of bounds. Referees determine the point issuance to each jammer.
Jammers try to earn as many points as possible on subsequent
trips through the pack before the Jam is called, either by
the Lead Jammer or because time has expired on the Jam.
As stated above, there are an unlimited number
of Jams allowed during the 20 minutes period, and the number
is dictated by the duration of each individual Jam. The winner
of the bout is the team who scores the most points during
the three 20 minute periods.
What
about the fights?
Is this just chicks on skates beating the hell out of each other
for show?
The fights in derby are real and can be severe. First, any number
of things can cause a fight. As with any contact sport, there
is a potential for violent outbursts. If a skater feels she
was illegally blocked, pushed, or knocked down, she may retaliate
violently. Fights are notstaged!
Secondly, NO, this is not about the fighting! This
is a bona fide sport that requires LOTS of training. There
are rules that govern our fights also, such as you cannot
hit to the head or face legally, and penalties can be awarded
for fighting, though it is up to the referee to make that
decision. A referee may even allow a fight to continue until
a winner is established if s/he doesn't feel it is interfering
substantially with game play.
You said something about illegally
blocking. What does that mean?
A legal block per WFTDA standards is one that is executed
using the body from shoulder to hip and only using from shoulder
to elbow of the arm. There is no tripping, elbows, pushing,
pulling, clotheslining, or hitting permitted during a block.
Any block that employs any of these tactics, occurs above
the shoulder or below the hip, or involves any use of the
forearm or hand, is considered illegal and will draw a penalty.
What are the penalties that are awarded?
Penalties are awarded for any violation of the rules. Penalties
may be minor or major, depending on the severity. Four minor
violations will earn you a major and a trip to the penalty
box for 1 minute of the jam.
Some leagues have fun ways of dealing with
players who rack up the most penalties during a period. Many
leagues have a "Wheel of Penalties" that involves a spinning
wheel with several different punishments assigned to it. The
penalized player is required to spin the wheel and perform
whatever action is landed on. For instance, the Ohio
Rollergirls have such things as tug o' war, pillow fights,
arm wrestling, and "Beeramid" (a race to build a pyramid of
beer cans) as penalties. Penalties may also include such things
as one-on-one races around the track or simply humiliating
stunts.
I'm still confused. What about...?
Feel free to email
us with any questions you still have. Or be sure to visit
our Links Page for many informative
resources.
