SPLICED LIFE /
ISSUE 05
FEATURE / ROLLER DERBY
DERBY 101
Still don’t quite understand
the rules of Roller Derby?
We’re here to help.
Roller Derby is a full contact sport played
on quad roller skates. You remember the
old school roller skates (as opposed to roller
blades) you had as a kid? Yeah that’s what
we’re talking about.
The game consists of a series of two minute
long circuits of an elliptical track, also
known as “jams”.
There are 5 members from a team on the
track at any one time.
The person who scores the points, also
known as a Jammer, three defensive/
offensive players known as Blockers, and
a player who is the last line of defense,
known as the Pivot.
Pivots and Blockers form a pack at the
starting line, and the two Jammers (one
from each team) line up about three metres
behind them.
As the first whistle blows, the pack starts
rolling, and when the second whistle goes,
the Jammers make their move.
The aim of the Jammers is to make it through
the pack of skaters to make a full lap, and then
enter the pack again.
Once they enter the pack they score a point for
each opposing skater they pass.
Can’t figure out where the contact sport part
comes in yet? Well the skaters in the pack
have to try their hardest to stop the Jammer
from the opposing team passing them, while
at the same time they need to assist their own
Jammer in passing the opposing players.
How do they do this? By shoving them out
of the way, knocking them to the ground
and landing a few pretty heavy shoulder
and hip barges to the mix!
Photo by Phillip Santos
Capiche?
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