Since we are just coming off last weekend's Kentucky Derby you probably think about horses when you hear the phrase "It's derby time." But you're wrong. Today's post is about women skaters and the roller derby. This clip from the 2009 movie Whip It directed by Drew Barrymore starring Ellen Page was one of the few times I've had exposure to the sport of roller derby. I had never seen it in person, so when Lystra and her friend Betty invited me to an actual roller derby event in New Jersey a few weeks ago I was excited to go I wanted to see up close and personal what actually happens when you put a group of pumped up girls on roller skates to fight for team points.
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| Photo Credit: Debbie Mitchell |
We got to the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees New Jersey just in time to see the Penn Jersey Roller Derby team whip around the skating rink against Man's Ruin roller derby. Since Man's Ruin was a New York team I was excited and looking forward to a tough game.
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| Photo Credit: Debbie Mitchell |
The first thing I noticed was the girls were skating around a flat track instead of a banked on with an incline like in the movie. So I guess there wouldn't be anyone flying over the railings tonight. The second thing is noticed were the names of girls skating. Skating for Penn Jersey was Classy Chassis, Crash Ann Burn, Ruby Bruiseday, Glitz and Slam and my favorite Dental Damage. On the New York team the girls had names like Holly Screwya, Bloody Mary and Bronx Bomber- these ladies were no joke. They dressed the part and they meant business when it was time to get busy on the track.
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| Photo Credit: Debbie Mitchell |
I was an eight wheel roller skater from back in the day who graduated to rollerblading later in life. As a teen aged eight wheel skater I would spend hours at the skating rink skating to music and having a good time on a Saturday afternoon. Now that I'm much older I was really intrigued to find out what who were these women would put on roller skates and protective gear to skate at high speed around around a track to beat an opposing team. It could get pretty violent and it did, we even ended up being in the middle of a couple of spills when skaters ran out of control and crashed into the audience of people sitting there watching the skaters. I spoke to Mary Black aka skater Ruby Bruiseday who does Advertising & Media for Penn Jersey Roller Derby by phone to get the lowdown. Mary hadn't roller skated on eight wheels since she was seven. She was studying for her masters at the time when she joined her roller derby group.
Black says "When you tell people that you are a roller derby skater, they are amused. People have an image of the roller derby skater but we are regular people with day jobs. The youngest skater on our team is 18 years old and the oldest are skaters in their 40's and 50's. Most people are looking for a fun extracurricular activity, some are look for a different workout. A lot of skaters don't know how to roller skate when they start but we teach then to skate and then they learn derby. There are girls in the publishing business, we have a police officer, a male nurse, someone studying to be an orthopedic surgeon, accountants a roofer and a kindergarten teachers. We are all so different."
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| Photo Credit: Debbie Mitchell |
First let's go through the rules of the game again . You have certain derby definitions. Starting with a period. Each game consists of a four 15 minute periods. A jam is a 90 second game of play. There are an unlimited number of jams in each period . Then you have the pack. On the track are 10 skaters, 2 pivots in the front and then 2 jammers, the skaters with the stars on their helmet, in the back and the rest in the middle are blockers. The pivots and blockers from each team skate together on the track.
The pivot it is usually the last line of defense and keeps the pace of the pack. But keep your eyes on the pivot .....the pivot can also become the jammer as long as the other team's jammer has broken from the pack. Finally you have the blockers the skaters that will try to keep the opposing teams jammer from getting through the pack while simultaneously getting their own jammer through the pack in order to score points there are three blockers on each team. Each derby league can choose which official rule set to follow when the league is formed.
The pivot it is usually the last line of defense and keeps the pace of the pack. But keep your eyes on the pivot .....the pivot can also become the jammer as long as the other team's jammer has broken from the pack. Finally you have the blockers the skaters that will try to keep the opposing teams jammer from getting through the pack while simultaneously getting their own jammer through the pack in order to score points there are three blockers on each team. Each derby league can choose which official rule set to follow when the league is formed.
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| Roller Derby Skater "Dental Damge" Photo Credit: Debbie Mitchell |
The skaters choose their names and numbers. My favorite name Dental Damage who was a fierce skater that night. Mary's name Ruby Bruiseday comes from a Rolling Stones song. Yes, injuries do happen. Mary says "one skater broke her thumb and another snapped her leg in half. We teach the skaters the right way to fall, but accidents do happen. The most common injuries are knee injuries. but overall the roller derby is a friendly camaraderie."
So you want to skate? In the beginning you can buy some used equipment. All you need are skates, a helmut, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards. Mouth guards are sometimes optional. I say get em'.
Now lets hit the track. Ready, set, wheels up!
Coming up for Memorial Day is the Northeast Roller Derby Conference.
###So you want to skate? In the beginning you can buy some used equipment. All you need are skates, a helmut, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards. Mouth guards are sometimes optional. I say get em'.
Now lets hit the track. Ready, set, wheels up!
Coming up for Memorial Day is the Northeast Roller Derby Conference.
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| Photo Credit: Margarita Corporan |
TV/Social Media Producer Debbie Mitchell is an Emmy nominated producer who is a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and is currently a member of the James Beard Broadcast and New Media Awards Committee. If you are a brand interested in blogger outreach campaigns, a blogger or personality interested in television placement follow Debbie Mitchell @SocialTVDeb or contact TheBloggerConnection.com.
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