First of all – what is roller derby?  Many of us recall the roller derby days of the ‘70s as well as the crazy musical Xanadu, and it would be too easy to dismiss roller derby as a frivolous sport.  However, for roller derby participants and the sports loyal fans, it’s much more than this.  Roller Derby is a sport for warriors.

History of Roller Derby
Roller Derby first started as a marathon style race for both male and female skaters in 1935.  Soon after, the sport changed format to two teams of five players with one “jammer” or scorer on each team trying to complete as many laps around the pack as possible.  Spectators were thrilled with roller derby, and the sport hit TV sets in the 1940’s and 1950’s.  Live tracks games sold out across the country, and in the 1960’s, roller derby became one of the few sports that offered a possible career to women.  However, by the early 1970’s, roller derby operations and TV broadcasts had died off, and the sport depended on a small group of dedicated players and loyal fans to keep it alive.
Now, roller derby has enjoyed a recent resurgence in popularity.  There are now hundreds of mostly female amateur leagues throughout the U.S. (and indeed the world) that represent cities and rinks, and there is even a professional league that draws excited and rowdy crowds to its matches.  Find out more at the Women's Flat Track Derby Association site.

Awesome documentary clip:

How do you play?
As you may know, roller derby competitions take place on a circular track.  Two teams of five players compete against each other playing both offense and defense at the same time.  One player, the jammer, attempts to score for her respective team by passing the pack and lapping the track as many times as possible.  The other players (opposing and team members) attempt to block or aid the jammer’s progress, and may engage with opposing team players using body parts above the mid-thigh, excluding forearms, hands, and head.  Games last for two 30-minute periods or three 20-minutes periods.
Competitions get wild, and many participants walk away with war wounds including broken noses and massive bruises after each match.  All players wear protective gear including helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards.  Despite this chaos and seeming brutality, penalties are given by the referees to any skaters who block illegally, fight or act in an unsporting manner. 

Little Librarian is hell on wheels …
Are you kidding me? A story about a 53 year-old librarian named Beth Hollis who participates in roller derby was one of the most popular stories recently on CNN.com.  Her derby name – Megabeth, a play on the heavy metal band Megadeth – reflects the amazing transformation that this mild-mannered woman undergoes when she laces up her skates and straps on her roller derby helmet.  Watching the video of Beth is amazing – she rocks, and has no qualms about throwing some elbows around in the roller derby rink.  She even broke another player’s nose.  For many women, roller derby is both liberating and exhilarating, and to see someone like Beth Hollis rocking the derby rink is inspiring. 

Also, don’t forget to check out the new Drew Barrymore movie starring Ellen Page (of Juno fame) – Whip It:

Triple Eight Sponsored Roller Derby Teams:

Gotham Girls Roller Derby

Long Island Roller Rebels

Garden State Roller Girls