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| Source: rdjunkies.tumblr.com |
Roller Derby. The contact sport played indoor on quad skates. Two teams of each five members that skate anticlockwise on a track. A for outsiders funny looking sport and not so easy to understand, since a lot of things happen at the same time. So, why should you go and give it a try? Well, here are ten reasons to put some wheels on.
“Is there a ball involved? How do you score? Why can’t you use in-line skates?” Just a few of the questions asked by people who first encounter roller derby. The sport was actually created in the 1930s, but had a revival in the beginning of the 21st century. Born in the United States, roller derby now truly has become an international sport. Being part of the Ghent team myself (yes, Fresh Meat, but so what?), I give you ten reasons why you should consider this exciting and inspiring sport:
1. Roller derby constitutes a whole community.
Like written above, roller derby was invented in the United States and had its revival in America. So naturally, the USA has the most derby teams, but roller derby is growing very fast. Local derby teams are formed all over the world and more & more national teams are founded (those teams usually consist of players coming from different local derby teams).
The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the official organisation to which (female) roller derby groups can subscribe. The WFTDA – a non-profit organisation – is created and edited by and for the skaters. It lists up derby teams from all over the world and lays out the rules applied in the game. Since roller derby teams have to do a lot of efforts to make bouts possible (the official term for a game in derby), teams really depend on each other. That’s why you’ll find that the roller derby community is a very tight community.
2. Playing roller derby makes you tougher and stronger.
Roller derby is not just about skating skills. Derby teams usually train two or three times a week and don’t only train their skating moves, but also their muscles in general. Off skate trainings are important as well, since the tougher your muscles are and the more you can control them, the better you can perform your skating moves. Personally, after one year of skating, I now barely fit into my skinny jeans anymore, because of stronger leg muscles (but I don’t mind, though).
It’s not only the muscles. Roller derby is also about falls, hits and, well, yes, bruises. In derby it’s crucial that you know how to fall and how to take hits from an opponent. Sometimes you get knocked over, sometimes you get hit by an opponent with really pointy hip bones and you end up with bruises in all possible shapes and colours. Don’t let that scare you, those bruises later usually represent a memory that will make you smile whenever you see (or feel) it.
3. No, it’s not girls only.
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| Men and women playing "derby" together. |
Even though female roller derby constitutes the most known and popular part of derby, male roller derby teams are also being formed all over the world (there even was a Men’s Roller Derby World Cup held about a month ago). The same rules are applied, but still men’s roller derby differs slightly from women’s derby, because of the male and female body structure. Male balance varies from female balance and so you need to use different skating moves. Nevertheless, male and female skaters can learn a whole lot from each other.
4. When you play derby, you get to know the most awesome people.
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| You'll also meet some of the most awesome beards you've ever seen. |
Okay, in derby you do not only have the skaters, there are also the coaches, referees (refs), Non-skating Officials (the people on the track during a bout, usually in a pink T-shirt, helping out with checking the game), everyone else contributing to roller derby and of course the fans. The people in roller derby are people with different kinds of origin, culture, jobs, characters, styles – soit, lifes – but they all share this one, big passion: roller derby. Even when you speak a different language, in derby you all understand what it is about.
5. Leopard skin, all possible colours, heavy makeup; (almost) everything is possible for a derby outfit.
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| Tetris, Batman and cute clouds with rainbows. All possible in roller derby. |
Basic roller derby gear is the following: a helmet, a mouthguard, elbow, wrist and knee pads. That, combined with comfortable, flexible skate clothing, like shorts or leggings (yes, roller derby is the only occasion in which leggings are completely legit). And let's not forget the skates. Of course, you can spice it up a little and create your own style. One of the reasons why roller derby became popular, is just because the girl teams played in hot pants with – often ripped – fishnets. All colours are possible for a derby outfit, not to mention wearing heavy makeup during a bout and yes, you can even get your own leopard skin protection gear.
6. Don’t forget to pick a cool derby name.
Most skaters (players and refs) have their own derby name and number, which is used during bouts. The name can represent a pun, a creative word play, a nice sounding alliteration or it can simply refer to the skill the skater in question is good at. Some witty examples are: 2Pacalypse (Prairieland Punishers), Addios Bichitios (Humboldt Roller Derby), Bruzillian (5 Cities Roller Kitties), KGBebe (Carolina Rollergirls), Ref Hot Chili Pepper (Tiger Bay Brawlers), Ronald Ref Donald (Varsity Derby), Russian Concussion (Northern Brisbane Rollers), Shortzenegger (Big Bucks High Rollers), Skate Moss (North Texas Derby Revolution), Teq “Kill” Ya (Rose City Rollers) and I could go on like this for a very long time.
7. Go and enjoy roller derby bouts.
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| The public waiting for the skaters to pass by. |
The atmosphere at roller derby bouts is incredible. People go up into the game completely, cheer, sing along, especially at the beginning of the game when the two teams present themselves. My favourite part of the bout? When the game has ended and everybody of the public gathers around the track, ready to clap the hands of both team’s skaters passing by. That looks somewhat like the picture on the left.
8. Feel bad? Stressed? Put on your skates and you’ll feel better right away.
You had a rough day at work? You need to put your mind on other things? Go skating, it will make everything seem less stressful. Skating is intense and derby moves are precise, so you’ll need to be concentrated. An ideal way to forget all about that annoying colleague or that threatening deadline.
9. Roller derby is very trending on the web.
Type “roller derby” into Google and you’ll get a bit more than 13 million results. Next to the different teams their websites and fan pages, you can find online derbyshops, blogs and tumlbr. pages. Here people give you a lot of skating tips, improve your insight in roller derby, show you their creativity or simply just want to make you laugh.
10. Don’t be afraid to show off your derby moves when you go to the roller disco. Or your disco moves while doing derby.
When it comes to skating, everything you learn can be useful. From doing disco to speed skating and roller derby moves. Roller derby acquires muscles, agility, balance, speed, in short qualities you can learn in different kinds of skating (or sports, in general). So yes, why not try some tricks on the track? It might even let you score some extra points.
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| Source: rdjunkies.tumblr.com |
Like to know more? Check out A Skate Odyssey (SKOD), a European roller derby tournament held in Ghent in about a month, opposing local teams from all over Europe: http://www.2014skod.com/
I love ROLLER DERBY
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