Relaxing at home tonight, I saw on Spike TV there was a CSI: New York marathon on, and one episode was about ROLLER DERBY!
Now, within the first 2 minutes I saw some "good skating" and a lot of DONT'S of Derby.
First off, on CSI the girls were skating on a bank track, we skate flat track. For us any normal roller rink or concrete floor will work. Banked track is still very popular though.
I don't follow bank track, nor know the rules, but if you want to see the rules of banked track click below to view the Bay City Bomber's page:
The RockTownRollers, and most teams follow Women's Flat Track Derby Association rules, WFTDA for short. Click the WFTDA logo below to view our rules.
So, back to the show, here are things that we do differently then is seen on tv:
1. First off all skaters wear mouth guards: safety first!
2. NO back blocking, pushing another skater from behind.
3. NO clotheslines! we do not use any part of the arm below the elbow to block.
4. Nor do we swing arms with elbows leading to block.
5. NO FIGHTING!! It is roller derby not street fighting!
Even though roller derby looks rough, we train hard to play fair and by rules. Will a fight happen? It could, and then those players will be removed from the bout. We are serious about our sports as any other athlete is about theirs.
Roller derby has come along way since its start in th 1920's. Below is a link the Wikipedia article,
Enjoy. Come see us on the track, email us with questions!
I love the fact that we are more about sportsmanship, rather being about the "show." While slamming girls in the face and playing really rough can be fun, I'm excited to be apart of a group that values skill and ability. The harder you work and train... the better you will do!
ReplyDeleteI agree. Having been out there skating with the derby girls at open skates, we often get people asking, "Are you all the girls that fight on roller skates!". No they are not, back in the 80's I believe Derby was more of a "show", now it is a sport. A contact sport just like football or hockey. It can get rough, but every girl that skates trains hard and puts a lot of time and energy in to the sport.
ReplyDeleteIm offended. Ok...1st off, you should learn the history of roller derby. Maybe read that wiki article yourself? Everything you know, or think you know, began on the BANKED TRACK. That was REAL roller Derby. When derby died the 1st time, people got rid of the original banked tracks. 2nd, Roller Derby has not come a long way, it has actually gone BACKWARDS. WFTDA has butchered the sport that Leo Seltzer had created and turned it into a speed race with a million stupid rules and no defense and 'CALLED' it roller derby. 3rd Roller Derby was about a 'Show' for the FANS not some 409 to 22 bs. If I paid to see that game, I would demand my money back. Eventually roller derby became more like wrestling in the 80's, and it did become more theatrical, but by then the good skaters had realized the death of roller derby and quit. Lastly, the old school skaters were paid to skate and practiced for hours everyday. There is not one derby team that could hold a candle to the old school skaters. How many old school skaters have gone to your games? Try looking up OSDA, The Roller Derby Hall of Fame, and talk to some old skaters of real roller derby. Then ask them what they have to say about WFTDA. You'll learn a lot... Trust me.
ReplyDeleteI used to skate WFTDA and I will never go back!