roller derby

So what is this Roller Derby thing anyway?

Think of a nice genteel sport that sweet ladies play? This isn't it.

Skating

Take a circuit track. Take two teams. Take five players from each team: three are blockers for defense; one is a pivot, the last line of defense; and one is a jammer, the scorer. How to tell them apart? Pivots have stripes on their helmet covers, jammers have stars. The pivots and blockers from both teams form a pack: the two pivots, four blockers, then two blockers. The two jammers aren't part of the pack, they wait behind it.

The jam formation starts: the pack moves counter-clockwise, pack-members can change position as long as they stay in the pack. The jammers? Well, they wait. When the pack has passed a certain point, the jam itself begins.

The jam: two minutes to score points. How do you score points? Well, only jammers can. And only by passing the pack and lapping round as many times as they can - one point for each blocker or pivot of the opposing team they can pass. Pivots and blockers have to remain in the pack otherwise they're out of play and no longer allowed to block opposing jammers or assist their own. Did we say block opposing jammers? That's where the fun - and bruising - begins. Pivots and blockers can, well, block the other team's jammer by using their body. Well, above the hips. But not hands or head. Or elbows, which can't be used to jab other players. But other than that, well, their job is to block.