Saturday, June 21, 2014

R is for Roller Derby



R is for Roller Derby. At least for me it is.

I had another anniversary this week and it was my 1 year mark of taking the plunge into this highly addictive sport.

I know I mention it sometimes on my blog. I also know that not a lot of people understand what the heck is going on in a roller derby bout, so today I thought I would give you a crash course.

First of all, a game of roller derby is called a bout. If you refer to it as a game or a match, people will know what you're talking about, but the technical term is bout.

The object of the sport is for the Jammer to pass members of the opposing team on the track to score points. The Jammer wears a star on her helmet:



Each team has four blockers on the track. They want to stop the other team's Jammer from scoring points, while also trying to help their Jammer get through.

The blockers from the opposing teams make up what is referred to as the pack.

Jammers want to get through the pack to score points, blockers want to stop Jammers from getting through the pack. Simple, right?

Not really, there is a whole lot of strategy to this game that I am still trying to catch up on. Most of the time I will just look for a more experienced girl on my team and do what she's doing.

I understand the object of the game and I get it when I am watching it, but something happens when you are out on that track. Everything is faster, quicker, and harder. 

I wish I looked this hot.
I've spent the last year trying to keep pace and stay on my feet. I mentioned this at practice this week- that my only goal every night is to not fall down. A few girls laughed, but I wasn't kidding. I make it my main goal to not fall down. Easier said than done, but I can see improvements in myself.
Overall it's good exercise and a lot of fun. If you have a roller derby league in your area, I encourage you to go see a bout. It's a great sport to watch and the fans tend to be just as fun as the players.

You can also look up bouts online, there are tons of roller derby videos. But I prefer my sports live and in person.

How could I resist?

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5 comments:

  1. See, that just sounded like sports talk to me and my brain refused to take it in. All sports talk sounds like this to me: http://imgur.com/gUgkpTx

    I liked that film with Ellen Page, though.

    (I'm guessing that EVERYBODY mentions Whip It when you tell them you do roller derby?)

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  2. Etta, I think it makes more sense when you watch it.
    Also, I would think more people would bring up Whip It-- but we may be the only two people in the world who saw that movie. I love it!

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  3. I remember your first posts about roller derbying last year. :)

    It has been so much fun seeing how far you've come from, just trying to stay "on your feet", to now doing actual , bouts, is that right?

    congratulations!!!
    love the pics, btw!!
    <3

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  4. How did you find that pic? Very cute!! Hey question - do you fall down often? And how bruised are you after a bout??

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  5. Wow, I learned a lot about a sport I enjoy watching but know virtually nothing about. I would love to try it. We'll maybe I would have loved it years ago. These days my two knee replacements make the possibility of falling a very scary thought. I bet you're having a blast though!

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