Roller Derby

HISTORY

Roller derby is an American show originally created by Leo Seltzer in the 1930′s.

At the beginning it was speed roller skating, including tripping and pushing. So due to rowdiness at some events, it acquired quickly a reputation. (For ex: In 1940 more than 5 million spectators watched it in TV.) But all the show was in reality fake-fighting and everything was thought up.

After exploding in mainstream culture, the Roller Derby died out because of that roller derby teams relished the showmanship and theatrical antics that riled up the crowd.

Roller derby as a sport has enjoyed a few different revivals over the years, the most current revival occurring in the early 2000′s.

The women then self-organized creating a new generation of roller derby, open to women only.

Women's roller derby evolved from the fake-fighting version some remember from the 1970s, to a regulated, hard-hitting, and purely athletic sport.

In fall 2009, cinemas across the United States were treated to the release of the feature film Whip It, Drew Barrymore's directorial which centered on the story of a girl seeking herself, and finding it, in roller derby.

The Womens Flat Track Derby Association was founded in 2004 as a governing body to oversee the fast-growing sport. Today roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, nearly half of them outside the U.S.

RULES :

Roller derby is a sport played on roller skates and it is mostly just played by women. 

Two teams of roller derby players on four-wheeled (quad) skate around an oval track.

The track can be flat or banked. A roller derby game is called a match or a bout and last 60 minutes. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. The girls simultaneously skating counterclockwise on a circuit track. Jammers get a 2-minute time period, called a jam, when they can score points.  Teams then have 30 seconds to get on the track and line up for the next jam

There are 5 players on each team:

1 jammer, who races around the track faster than the rest of the team

4 blockers, who try to keep the other team's jammer from passing them

The jammer is the only player that can score points. The jammer's team gets a point every time the jammer passes one of the other team's players. Before a jam starts the teams line up side-by-side: The blockers first and then jammers behind them. The jam starts when a whistle blows. Then, everyone, including the jammers get to leave their designated areas.

Blockers alike try to help their own team's jammer get through the pack, and they try to slow down the other team's jammer. (Its means that’s a game where offense and defense are played simultaneously) The first jammer to get through the pack without leaving the track gets to be the "lead jammer". She got the advantage that she can put her hands on her hips when she wants to stop the jam early.

When the jammers are near the pack, everyone is allowed to bump into each other.

If someone is trying to push someone from the other team out of the way, then they have to be careful how they do it. They can only push from the side, and they have to use their shoulders, the top part of their arms, their hips, or the top part of their legs—so tripping, shoving, punching, or pushing the other team's players from behind is not allowed.

Players who break the rules are sent to the penalty box for a full minute, leaving their team stranded on the track without them.

Even with these rules, roller derby players can get knocked down and get badly hurt, so usually only adults can play full contact roller derby.

Inasmuch as roller derby is a contact sport, there is a risk of injury. Injuries range from common bruises and sprains to broken bones and concussions and even sometimes beyond.  That’s why all the girls are required to wear a safety equipment, including a helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads, and mouth guards.