I had the great fortune to watch flat-track roller derby this past weekend and I have say that I was unprepared for how awesome it was. I was watching a few of the games at the Northern Exposure tournament hosted by our local derby league, the Rated PG Roller Derby Society, because a friend of ours from Victoria is a captain with the Eves of Destruction and they were competing in the tournament.
Prince George's competitive team is the Rated PG Northstars and they did very well in this tournament and travel to other cities (and countries) to play phenomenal derby representing Prince George and northern derby. Prince George's league has four teams: recreational team (RollerGirls), a travel team (Northstars), a co-ed team (Pulp City Woodpeckers) and a junior team (Spruce City Roller Brats).
I am a newbie spectator to roller derby and this is, apparently, quite obvious to established fans of the sport. People new to derby walk into the venue and stand in the crowd, watching the skaters, frowning as they try to figure out what the heck is going on. Noticing the confusion on new people's faces, veterans will approach the newbies and offer to help explain the sport. It was very appreciated.
There are a few things that I have learned about the sport (from players I met and information gleamed off the internet) that I will gladly share in the hopes that more people can come out next season and support local derby in action. Please note that the information in my article is coming from someone who has never played derby, barely understands it and is only a moderate roller skater (by moderate I mean that I skate slowly, taking no chances and try not to fall).
In the event that there are errors or misleading statements, they are mine alone.
Roller derby started in the 1930s and grew in popularity peaking sometime in the 1940s. It briefly morphed into a WWF-type sports entertainment during the 50s and 60s but that eventually fell out of favour with players and fans. I believe that the fun derby stage names the players have and interesting costumes also came out of this era.
In early 2000, a team in Texas revived what is now known as contemporary flat-track derby and it has steadily grown, grassroots-style around the world. The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) has 422 full-member leagues and 46 apprentice leagues that compete for rankings around the world. (Our league is a ranked WFTDA member.) There is also men's derby teams and junior teams but predominantly, it is a female contact sport. A friend told me that roller derby is the fastest growing female sport in the world and once you watch a game and talk to players, it is easy to see why.
The basics of the game seem easy to follow. There are two teams of five players each on the track. Each team has a "jammer" or a scorer that is trying to lap the other team's players. The jammers on each team are identified by a star on their helmets and any player can be a jammer. The remaining four players are known as "blockers" and they are both trying to block the other teams' jammers and trying to help their own jammer get past the other players.
After that, the rules get a bit more complicated and there is an extraordinary amount of strategy involved that I can even begin to understand as a newbie spectator. When you first start watching the game, you are encouraged to watch the jammers with the stars on their helmets to have a fixed point to follow but only after increased bout (game) watching will the rules and plays start to make sense.
Beyond the basics, roller derby is a full-contact sport played on roller skates (think, four wheels not rollerblades) and it is wonderfully athletic and hard-hitting by a variety of body types, personalities and incredible women. It was a tremendous experience watching it live for the first time and I will be signing up for Fresh Meat on the next go around.
Who is going to come with me?
For more information about the Rated PG Roller Derby Society, please email ratedpgrollergirls@hotmail.com or visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/RatedPGRollerDerby.
