HISTORY
Roller derby first began in Chicago, USA in 1935, and gained popularity up to and through the 1970's. The style of derby back then was more theatrical, a mix of staged wrestling and endurance racing, played on a banked track. This "old school" style of roller derby waned around the 80's, though few classic teams remained active even after the sport's decline. The resurgence of roller derby began in the 2000's in Austin Texas. The new-age style of roller derby that has emerged is one of athleticism, strategy, and fierce competition. Women's Flat Track Roller Derby is one of the fastest growing sports on the planet! As of 2018, there are nearly 500 WFTDA teams worldwide, including the Palouse River Rollers! Each year, the WFTDA assesses rankings and holds playoffs. In the recent years, these playoffs have been broadcast on ESPN!
THE PLAYERS
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JAMMERS:
Each team has one scoring position, the Jammer. Jammers are designative by a star worn on their helmet and they start behind the pack. |
BLOCKERS:
The other positions on each team are blockers. Each team gets four blockers. All blockers from both team make up the pack. |
PIVOTS:
Pivots are designated by a stripe worn on their helmets. They can become a jammer for their own team by a move known as passing the star. Pivots count as blockers. |
GAME PLAY
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Each game, or 'bout' is made up of two 30 minute periods, which are further broken down into segments called 'jams' lasting no more than 2 minutes. Five skaters from each team are allowed on the track at once, including those in the penalty box - 3 blockers, 1 pivot, and 1 jammer per team. Skaters move in a counter-clockwise direction. It is the job of the jammer to speed through the pack. Blockers use full contact hits to try and stop the opposing jammer. The first jammer to make it through the pack is called 'lead jammer' which gives them the ability to end the jam at their discretion. On the jammer's second pass through, they begin scoring. Jammers earn one point for each blocker passed. The jammers can lap the pack as many times as possible in 2 minutes, or until lead jammer calls off the jam.
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RULES & PENALTIES
While roller derby is a full contact sport, there are very specific rules about where players can be hit and which body parts can be used to hit other players. These include: no elbows, no tripping, no blocks to the back, no high blocks (above the shoulders) and no fighting. Additionally, there are penalties for cutting the track boundaries, destroying the pack, blocking out of play, and more. Referees call penalties when they observe violations of the rules. Players who commit penalties are sent to the 'box' for thirty seconds, leaving their team short a player. When the jammer is issued a penalty, the opposing jammer is on what is called a 'power jam' as she may begin scoring unopposed for the remainder of the penalty.
