2. Your GuidE to Derby Gear
Above: The Elm City Bone Crushers playing against the Long Island roller rebels in their championship game of the season.
www.sincityskates.com
Choosing your pair of Roller Derby skates
First off all – ask yourself a few questions: Have
you made the team? Have you passed try outs? Will you
continue to skate for fun or exercise even if you quit play-
ing roller derby with a team? Do you have a set budget
in mind for your derby quad skates? Are you okay with
starting out on “starter” quad skates and upgrading when
you know a bit more about roller derby and have an idea
of what you like in a quad skate?
Tips For Fresh Meat Roller Derby Skaters
Consider the team you are trying out for – are they com-
petitive? or will they accept everyone? If you are trying
out for a competitive league, you should have your own
skates & be comfortable skating by the time try outs roll
around. Keep in mind that some leagues will accept and
train everyone who’s will to learn! Your team may have
extra skates kicking around for fresh meat to test out – so
check your local league website for more details.
Low Budget – Cheap Roller Derby Skate Options
• Borrow a pair from another roller girl in the league
during tryouts.
• Rent a pair – local roller rinks rent out skates, keep in
mind that these aren’t optimal for derby skating – but if
you’re still finding your skate legs, then all practice on 8
wheels is good practice!
OUR PICKS: Affordable Roller Derby Skates
Riedell R3 — A vinyl boot with extreme padding and a
comfortable fit to provide a quality entry level skate. This
skate is an excellent value for beginning skaters!
Riedell Vixen is a great beginner value Derby Skate, with
the lightweight durability of the PowerDyne Triton alumi-
num plate and the Speed Groove built-in to the Radar Flat
Out wheels.
Middle Tier – Affordable Roller Derby Skate Options
• Purchase an entry level speed skate and upgrade the
wheels (flat-out, turner, etc)
• Purchase a pair of good quality speed skates with nice
leather boot (riedell 125, 265), nylon plates & good quality
wheels (flat outs, speedray)
OUR PICKS: Seriously Awesome Roller Derby Skates
Riedell She Devil Derby Roller Skates – One of Riedell’s
more popular skates, the She Devil returns with a leather
126 boot built on a special D/B combo last designed with
a woman s foot in mind.
Riedell Rogue Derby Track Skates – To help you weave
past your opponents with ease, the Riedell Rogue Derby
Track Skates use narrow Radar Flat Outrageous wheels
and a supportive leather 795 boot,.
3. Know The Game inside the Track and Out
Roller derby is a full contact sport & an exciting game to watch.
The basic rules are fairly simple, once you pick up the lingo!
The object of the game is to score the most points by lapping
opposing team members on the track. A roller derby game is called a
Bout. Each Bout consists of multiple Jams. A Jam is a 2 minute period
in which teams attempt to score points.
TEAMS
There are 5 players on each team:
1 Jammer – the point scorer
3 Blockers – playing defense
1 Pivot - plays defense, but is the leadership position in the pack,
calling the shots.
In order to tell the skaters apart, the jammers wear a helmet
cover with a star and the pivot wears a striped helmet cover.
The pivot & the blockers make up the pack – their job is to stop the
opposing team’s jammer from breaking though the pack & scoring, all
the while helping their own jammer advance.
GAME PLAY
Derby is played on an oval track with two competing teams.
The pivots & blockers from both teams skate together on the track to
form a single pack. Once the last pack member skates 30 feet from the
starting line, a whistle is blown & the jammers begin to skate.
The jammers must skate and muscle their way through the
pack and completely exit it to gain the ability to score points. Once the
jammer fights her way out of the pack, she then races around the track
in order to lap the pack. At this point, each time the jammer passes a
member of the other team, she scores one point for her team.
BLOCKS & PENALTIES
Modern day roller derby isn’t a no mercy knockdown drag
out event – there are official rules & limitations that are enforced. For
example, skaters receive penalties for all of the following: blocking with
any part of the arm below the elbow, tripping, charging from behind,
making a block above the shoulders, or blocking when a player who is
out of bounds (i.e. off the track). This is a very abbreviated list of fouls.
RESOURCES
This guide covers the basics of roller derby game play – for a
complete list of standardized rules & regulations for flat track roller
derby, feel free to visit: Women’s Flat Track Derby Association – Stan-
dard Rules
Still confused? Feel free to watch this awesome video (by the
hammer city roller girls) that explains roller derby game play:
- See more at: http://rollerderbyresource.com/info/how-to-play-roller-
derby/#sthash.wvhtOuTs.dpuf
To read more Roller Derby Rules click the link below to
find more Roller Derby information from the
Womens Flat Track Association:
www.wftda.com/
Click the track to watch “How to play Roller Derby” on youtube
4. Events:
Nov 2013
11.03.2013 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm - Junior Derby Bootcamp - Undisclosed Location, Waterbury CT
11.16.2013 - 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm - November 16 Home Bout- Connecticut Sports Center, Woodbridge Connecticut
Dec 2013
12.07.2013 - 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm - December 7 Home Bout - Connecticut Sports Center, Woodbridge Connecticut
The Stepford SabatageThe Yankee Brutals
