Who they are? The game, roller derby, is basically a women’s game by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track، and attracting a wide audience in the United States and the world. It incorporates women of all ages and personalities. Its invention was done as a way to relieve stress since women could interact and confront their issues. However, it is currently used as a fun sport. It has also been used an avenue for women to air their views as far as feminism is concerned. Background.. Roller Derby first became the mot popular game or sport in the 1880s. However, it was accorded the ‘Derby’ title in the early 1922s. Seltzer and Runyon contributed to its evolution in the later years of 1930s, leading to the first broadcast of the game in 1948. this led to the initiation of the National Roller Derby League in 1950, and its active revival in 2000 That game was finally taking up the shape of a well-organized women’s game.. Alsaqer 1 Jumannah Alsaqer Instructor Linda Rogers English 130: Section 1 Draft 2 24 April 2014 Roller Derby Subculture The beautiful game of roller derby is basically a women’s game. In many ways, the game has developed from a mere women’s game to a subculture that seeks to uplift the weaker ones among the women folk. Essentially, the culture attracts women of all ages who would otherwise not be part of any game because of the restrictive culture on women participants in sport a culture that has been there for a long time now. Rushin (16) observes that, “the game was essentially created to help women who have emotional baggage deal with it by confronting their distress in the game with other women”. In America today, there are nearly 750 amateur leagues and double that in the entire world. A lot has been said concerning the legitimacy and purpose of Roller derby as a fun sport that many women have participated in for decades; it has however, also given a window of opportunity for feminists to air their views regarding women’s roles in society and gender parity (Neale 5). Basically, the sub culture accommodates mostly women of all walks of life. Even though contemporary roller derby culture includes men, the vast majority or the purpose of the culture is to recruit women. Essentially, the culture seeks to recruit emotionally distressed women. Moore identifies a category of women such as “those who lack self-esteem; those struggling with weight related problems—be it overweight or underweight and women who have been in one way sidelined or discriminated at some point in their lives” (Moore 7). The purpose of the group is to recruit these women into the subculture by encouraging them to either join the roller derby team or be part of the cheering squad. Suffice to say, the core benefit of the game is create an exercise regime. In my interview with Thump Her, I learnt that the group had recently introduced a junior team for the young for the purpose of guiding them against the ills of s.

1. Who they are?
The game, roller derby, is basically a women’s game by two
teams of five members roller skating in the same direction
around a track، and attracting a wide audience in the United
States and the world. It incorporates women of all ages and
personalities. Its invention was done as a way to relieve stress
since women could interact and confront their issues. However,
it is currently used as a fun sport. It has also been used an
avenue for women to air their views as far as feminism is
concerned.
Background..
Roller Derby first became the mot popular game or sport in the
1880s. However, it was accorded the ‘Derby’ title in the early
1922s. Seltzer and Runyon contributed to its evolution in the
later years of 1930s, leading to the first broadcast of the game
in 1948. this led to the initiation of the National Roller Derby
League in 1950, and its active revival in 2000 That game was
finally taking up the shape of a well-organized women’s game..
Alsaqer 1
Jumannah Alsaqer
Instructor Linda Rogers
English 130: Section 1
Draft 2
24 April 2014
Roller Derby Subculture
The beautiful game of roller derby is basically a women’s game.

2. In many ways, the game has developed from a mere women’s
game to a subculture that seeks to uplift the weaker ones among
the women folk. Essentially, the culture attracts women of all
ages who would otherwise not be part of any game because of
the restrictive culture on women participants in sport a culture
that has been there for a long time now. Rushin (16) observes
that, “the game was essentially created to help women who have
emotional baggage deal with it by confronting their distress in
the game with other women”. In America today, there are
nearly 750 amateur leagues and double that in the entire world.
A lot has been said concerning the legitimacy and purpose of
Roller derby as a fun sport that many women have participated
in for decades; it has however, also given a window of
opportunity for feminists to air their views regarding women’s
roles in society and gender parity (Neale 5).
Basically, the sub culture accommodates mostly women of all
walks of life. Even though contemporary roller derby culture
includes men, the vast majority or the purpose of the culture is
to recruit women. Essentially, the culture seeks to recruit
emotionally distressed women. Moore identifies a category of
women such as “those who lack self-esteem; those struggling
with weight related problems—be it overweight or underweight
and women who have been in one way sidelined or
discriminated at some point in their lives” (Moore 7).
The purpose of the group is to recruit these women into the
subculture by encouraging them to either join the roller derby
team or be part of the cheering squad. Suffice to say, the core
benefit of the game is create an exercise regime. In my
interview with Thump Her, I learnt that the group had recently
introduced a junior team for the young for the purpose of
guiding them against the ills of sedentary lifestyles. However,
the game is more than meets the eye. It is not just a game;
rather it is a lifestyle for these ladies. In fact, it is a culture.
Ideally, these ladies are supposed to join the group to boost
their confidence. The main theme of the culture is the ability to
do anything without the limitations of self-deficiencies.

3. Moreover, it gives the girls a chance to confront their fears.
This is done by putting the ladies is conflicting situations where
they are supposed to overcome their difference in more
amicable manners. Thump Her remarks, “that's not saying roller
derby is for the faint of hearted. It does take a certain kind of
person to be hip checked by a 200lb woman and get knocked
down then get right back up…..” As a matter of fact, one of the
rules is that you cannot resolve any issue with a team mate
through social media. This can only mean that disputes are
resolved in the team training in a face to face manner.
Another role of the Roller Derby culture is to put women in
decision making positions by making them leaders of small
projects. In retrospect, the group is engaged in community
projects in a bid to uplift their societies. Finally, the culture
provides a safe haven for all women with all kinds of
inadequacies e.g. overweight women, Lesbians, women with
tattoos, etc. It is against the culture to discriminate anyone. In
fact Thumps Her says, “The roller derby community is
compassion, friendship, and respect. If I were to travel to
another city and need a place to stay, any roller derby girl, even
if I didn't know them, would open up their home just because
we are derby sisters.”
In the 1880, roller skating was the most popular game in
America. In fact, it was the hallmark of all the endurance races
in that era. The sport was held both is the flat and banked
tracked whereby the fans would enjoy the spill and falls of the
skates. Initially the derby title was used to refer to these races
in 1922 (Rushin 24).
The game is said to have been largely drafted from the banked-
tracked roller skating marathons in the 1930s.However, Leo
Seltzer and Damon Runyon are hugely credited for the evolution
of the game to its current state today. Indeed, the game became
a spectacle to watch such that Damon Runyon, a sport writer,
persuaded Leo to include contact as part of the rule of the game.
This brought about the contemporary contact roller derby. By
1930, the game had become so popular that Leo decided to make

4. a company of 4 pairs of touring teams which included a team of
5 persons on the field scoring against each other once
teammates lapped the opponents (Rushin 25).
In the year 1948, the first Roller Derby match was broadcasted
on TV. This brought about a new euphoria in the country with
many people turning out on the pitch to watch the game. This
sudden interest in the game lead Leo to introduce the National
Roller Derby League (NRDL) in 1950. At the same time, more
and more stations had come on board to broadcast this new
found crazy. Despite all these efforts by television stations to
popularize the game, the craze for the game started to dwindle
away threatening the very existence of the game. Televisions
started to script story lines regarding the game, however the
response did not change. By this time, the theatrical part of the
game had started to evolve with development of Derby culture.
By the year 2000, the revival of the game had begun. The game
was finally taking up the shape of a well-organized woman’s
game with some critics defining it as a defiant group of women.
By August 2006, there were over 135 leagues in America alone
and an almost similar number of leagues in the international
front. What followed were worldwide leagues, which including
teams from Australia, Canada, New Zealand among others.
Similarly, the theatricals and the sisterhood at this time had
grown far and wide. Girl related more to their team mates than
to other close members of society (Chanan-Hill 45).
During the last decade, more and more recruitments have been
taking place. The game has brought about many girls into the
culture. For a new girl into the team, she is referred to as
“Freshmeat”. For the first few weeks, one has to undergo
intensive training to be able to join the team. The training goes
for two training sessions per week after which, on completion,
one is allowed to participate in the Rookie Rumble (Chanan-Hill
45).
Apparently, the core belief in the subculture is the ability to do
just anything. This has been misinterpreted to mean that the
girls aim is to rival their male counter parts, however this is not

5. true. The main aim of the group is to strengthen members of the
group. Ideally, the group incorporates all people from all walks
of life majority of who cannot be accepted into any other
groups. These include the low self-esteem girls; the overweight,
and the discriminated ones. The purpose here is to help this
girls build some sense of confidence by accepting them to the
team. Moreover, the group offers a new family for the girls.
Redfern (31) observes that “such groups offer support to their
members with any physical or psychological problems, which
are eventually relieved by participating in the game which is
essentially an aggressive one”. In addition, the group helps the
girls break the stereotype that girls cannot participate in sports
as it was in the past (Glorioso 12). In this case, the group also
helps the girls to keep fit by maintaining an exercise regime
(The roller derby culture Par 5).
Most critics who mostly tend to be men believe that the aim of
the culture is to create rebellious women who defy traditional
roles and aspire to become more independent than their
predecessors. Other critics suggest that the game is too
aggressive for the women folk and it should be abandoned to
avoid injuries. Since the society is still overly, patriarchy most
people believe that the culture contravenes the norms of the
society and that the role of the woman is in the house. In
addition, the group has at times received a backlash from the
public for its liberal stance. The fact that the culture
accommodates some members from the gay community makes
the group to be regarded as a culture of lesbians. As a result,
most parents deter their children to join the group (Pavlidis 23).
One of the problems that the group faces is stereotyping from
the critics of the game. These are mainly the male folk who
believe the culture should be abolished as it overemphasizes the
role of the female. There is also the invasion of the male roller
derby that is threatening to take all the attention from the
women game. In addition, the players are faced with myriad of
injuries due to the aggressive nature of the game. These injuries
range from common injuries, sprain and concussions (The roller

6. derby culture Par 8).
There are two Roller derby teams that represent the city Chico
namely the ViVa and the Nor call girls Roller derby teams. The
main aim of the teams is to represent the town and other places
surrounding the town. The teams have a huge following in
Chico and Northren California where most of the team players
and the fans who make up the sub culture hail from.
Among one of the famous people in Roller Derby culture is
Jessica Smith who is popularly known as Flicka Flame is
game’s fraternity. Jessica Smith is more popularly known for
her days as the captain of the undefeated Nor Cal girl.She is
also a model and a designer (she designed uniforms for her
team). Recently, she became more popular for her role in the
Survivor: Cook Islands (Smith, np)
The sport is broadcasted in the local media by many television
networks. There has been movies about Roller derby good
examples are Whip it! And Kansas City Bomber. The subculture
also has social networks group on Facebook and Twitter where
they share information and register all members (Rushin, 14).
Apparently, the game endeared to so many people in America
and the world at large. However, its aggressive nature and
association with feminist has not favored the progression of the
game at all. From the ongoing presentation, it is clear that the
debate on its positive effects versus its negative effects is far
from a consensus. This article opines that, further scientific
based research on both sides of the debate should be carried if it
is to develop up to the level of other popular sports such as
football volleyball and cricket among many others. Proponents
of the game should avoid taking the feminist stance lest it be
labeled as discriminatory. Though popular in America, the game
has not taken shape in most conservative nations in the world.
For it to develop, supporters should make efforts to popularize
throughout the world for it to have any chance at attaining
widespread recognition.

7. Work cited
"Nor Cal Roller Girls." Nor Cal Roller Girls. N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Apr. 2014.
Chanan-Hill, Ruth., Jennifer Waldron., and Natalie Umsted.
“Third-Wave Agenda: Women's Flat-Track Roller
Derby1”Women in Sports & Physical Activity Journal. 21.1
(2012): 33. Web.
Glorioso, Michelle. “And maybe that's feminist in a way:
Feminisms and Feminist Identity in Women's Flat Track Roller
Derby Revival” Ann Abor. PDF file.
Her, Thump. Personal Interview. 14 Mar 2014.
Jessica, Smith." Survivor Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
Moore Ollie. "Roller Marathon thrills and jars: 100 Boys meet
with adventures and tumbles in West Side Boulevard race.
Dodge cars and autos. But records are smashed by contestants in
red tights, overalls, etc". Chicago Daily Tribune. 27 November
1908. p. 5.
Neale, Rick. "All-Female Roller Derby Elbows Its Way In as a
Legitimate Sport", (2008):USA Today
Pavlidis, Adele. Writing Resistance in Roller Derby: Making the
Case for Auto/Ethnographic Writing in Feminist Leisure
Research. Journal of leisure Research. 45. 5 (2013): 661. Web.
Redfern, Catherine and Kristin Aune. ” Reclaming the F Word:
Feminism Today. “ New York, NY: Zed Books, 2013. Print.
Rushin, Steve (1998-12-14). "Air and Space: A Forward Roll:
Dusted off and spiffed up, the Roller Derby is aiming to regain
the hold it once had on TV". Sports Illustrated.
The Roller Derby Culture. (n.d.): Retrieved from
http://www.calgaryjournalonline.ca/local-living/35-local-
living/1373-the-roller-derby-culture
Viva Roller Derby. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

8. 1. What really let you to join this sport?
Let me? I'm assuming you meant "led" me, so I'll answer in
that form. :-) I went to the 2013 home opener game after my
boyfriend suggested I look into it and possibly join. At the
end of the first jam, I was hooked. I knew from that moment on
roller derby wasn't something I wanted to do, but NEEDED to
do. I've been hooked on derby since that first jam and on.
2. How do you draw excitement from the sport?
I get excitement working with a cohesive team and
functioning as a unit. A good practice can really pump you up
and boost your confidence. And winning a game? That's a whole
other level of excitement that can't be matched.
3. How many years have you played this sport?
This is the start of my 2nd season with Nor Cal Roller Girls,
and in April I will have been skating for 1 year.
4. What were the main goals for the invention of the sport?
I'm not sure what you mean by this question...but roller derby
has gone thru a couple of revolutions.
5. Aren't you just as concerned as me that the sport is too
abrasive, too dangerous?
Too dangerous? No. There are many things that are
dangerous without even leaving the house. To me, you should
really live life. You only get 1 shot at this life, why not make
the most of it. There's a quote that says, "Life is not measured
by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take
your breath away." That's how I live my life. Roller derby
makes me feel complete, confident, sexy, and just awesome. It's
a sisterhood that you can't find anywhere else. I know if
something were to happen and I needed someone to talk to or
help, there are 35 women (I play for 2 teams Nor Cal Roller

9. Girls and Shasta Roller Derby) who would have my back
without hesitation in an instant. And abrasive? No. It's tough,
and rough..but not abrasive. The roller derby community is
compassion, friendship, and respect. If I were to travel to
another city and need a place to stay, ANY roller derby girl,
even if I didn't know them, would open up their home just
because we are derby sisters.
6. What are some of the strategies that you have running in your
endeavors to popularize the sport among the old and young
alike?
Mostly, we talk a ton of derby and try to be seen in the public
and at the rink as often as possible. We have even joined forces
with Habitat for Humanity, Torres Shelter, and other local
charities to help our community. The most popular two
consecutive sentences I have encountered are, "You play roller
derby?! How cool!" We encourage everyone to come to our
bouts. They are truly family fun. Nor Cal Roller Girls even has
a jr. derby team. Junior Derby is a great confidence booster for
kids. And in an age of hundreds of TV channels, Xbox, Wii, and
smartphones, it's a great form of exercise and social interaction
among kids their own age without the need to be plugged into
something.
7. What are some of the challenges you undergo in trying to
gain recognition and popularizing the sport?
Roller derby is currently one of the fastest growing sports in
the world. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are both making tremendous
strides in forming a league in the UAE. And currently there are
over 1,000 leagues around the world. Yet, locally people don't
know Chico even has a team (They are actually 2 teams in
Chico. Viva and Nor Cal Roller Girls).
8. The sport is an all female sports: what is your reaction with
the entrance of the male folk recently? Do you feel that this is a
trap to sabotage the goal and purposes of the game?

10. Not true. It's not all female. Nor is it all male. There are co-ed
teams that exists and compete against each other. In absolutely
no was do I feel trapped or that men are trying to sabotage the
goal and purposes of roller derby.
9. Allegedly, it has constantly been reported in the mainstream
media that this sport of a defiant women trying to equate
themselves to their male counterparts. What is your opinion on
this?
Again, not true at all. The sport is full of many types of
women. Yes, some can be defiant, but some also walk the
straight and narrow line of life, some are even God-fearing
well behaved women. Roller Derby is not a stereotype, it's a
sport..just like any other popular sport. That's not saying roller
derby is for the faint of heart. It does take a certain kind of
person to be hip checked by a 200lb woman and get knocked
down then get right back up (you have about 3 seconds max to
get up), get back up to your pack, and hip check that woman
back. You have to be tough enough to endure that every week,
every practice, every game. Does it hurt? Well sure. But so does
every sport. Every sport, weather it's bad mitten, volleyball, or
roller derby, comes with a risk of some sort. During the day, I
work on an ambulance providing pre-hospital care to the sick
and injured. You wouldn't stereotype soccer, or football, or
basketball, so why stereotype roller derby?
10. How would you say the government and the public at large
have been supportive towards the course?
I don't know what the government has to do with roller derby,
but I know the community supports us and is encouraging of us.
Our next home bout is a fundraising bout with a portion of the
proceeds benefiting the Butte County Humane Society.
11. Any plans for the future?
There are always plans for the future. Just like in life, you
never stop learning in roller derby. Ever. There is always a new

11. move, a new strategy, or a weakness you can learn about or
build on. I split my goals up into weeks, months, years. My goal
for this week is improve my over-all skating ability at SRD. My
goal for this month is clear a 20 inch jump (I cleared 18 inches
Tuesday night) and win our (NCRG) away game on March 29th.
My goal for the end of next year is to be ask to be a borrowed
skater for another league.
12. What tournament are you planning to attend in the future?
I enjoy going to Red Red. It's a tournament hosted by Sac City
in Woodland and is a combination of all levels of play and you
get divided into teams and given a color. Then you compete
against other colors. Top 3 teams in the tournament get medals.
13. In retrospect, would you encourage you sibling or children
to join the sport?
I encourage all able bodied people to join roller derby. Male,
female, junior, anyone! It's a great sport with even better
friendships. You don't even need to know how to skate. We
teach you everything you need to know to play roller derby,
including how to skate. That's what we call "Fresh Meat". And
if for whatever reason you can't or don't want to join roller
derby, then I encourage folks to support their local roller derby
team.
14. Has the sport achieved its goals and if yes what are they?
I think goals are always changing, revising, and improving. I
think it has met goals, like it's family fun popularity, but still
has goals it needs to achieve, recognized as a non-stereotyped
sport.
15. Your final remarks. What can you tell folks out there who
would like to join the sport?
You can check us out on facebook, come check us out at a
bout, and feel free to always ask any of us questions. Derby is a
very big part of all of our lives, and we love derby. We think

12. about derby all day and all night. Eat, Sleep, Breathe, Derby. :-
)
3
Engl 130
Linda Rogers
Oral Research Presentation Requirements
As part of the culminating activity for the research project
phase of this class, you are required to present a 5-6 minute oral
report based on your research for the Research Essay on
American subcultures.
Fundamentally, you are required to stand at the front of the
class and talk to your peers and instructor about the subculture
you have been researching. The actual presentation itself must
fall within the 5-6 minute range (absolutely no shorter or
longer). A brief question-and-answer period (2-3 minutes) will
follow. A designated questioner is required to ask at least one
question after your presentation.
One visual aid is required. (e.g., PowerPoint, Prezi, Glogster,
slide, poster, photo, handout, etc.). Please note that any
necessary “set-up” time must be factored into your 5-6 minute
presentation window. Remember, a minimum of 5 active
minutes of presentation is required. (Or, if the classroom is
vacant before our timeslot, load the visual aids on the classroom
computer before class starts.) (Have back-ups— store it on a
flashdrive, e-mail it to yourself, and put it on Blackboard.)
A good ppt or Prezi will not have any complete sentences— it
will show just key words/bulleted information, especially dates,
statistics, or hard to spell terms.
There will be no offensive images. No audio or video. A a
maximum of three slides. No distracting clipart that will draw
the audience’s attention away from your presentation. (The last

13. slide, not included in the count, should be reserved for citation
of sources, particularly photos or clip art.) You may be asked
to send your visuals to the instructor via e-mail directly upon
completing your presentation.
You will not read from any slides or papers. Know your
subculture. Know your presentation.
Plan your presentation carefully, and rehearse before class.
Review Ch. 52 in The Norton Field Guide to Writing for some
tips and advice regarding oral presentations.
In your oral report, be sure to provide basic information on your
group (e.g., who they are, how they got started, what the key
issues are today). Given the amount of time you have, you will
not read from your research paper.
Provide a clear, coherent overview of your group, then zero in
on selected aspects. At all times, the audience should be able to
follow the general flow of the presentation and sense that it is
clearly and logically organized.
Strive to be interesting. Strive to engage your audience. Speak
clearly and at a calm, measured pace.
Please dress to impress: no shorts, no flip flops, no ball caps,
no printed shirts/slogans. Yes to sleeves. Yes to neat, dressy
clothes. No to ripped, faded clothes. Yes to dressing
professionally. No to looking sloppy.
Your oral presentation will be assessed in terms of the
following:
Content & Uniqueness: Demonstrate that your chosen group is a
distinct and vital subculture in contemporary American society,
and how the subculture is unique. This subculture must be
presented in the context of two to three critical questions—all
addressing an issue or issues of substance. What is
affecting/impacting your group now?
Organization/Staying on Topic: Present your information in a
logical, interesting sequence which the audience can follow.

14. Subject Knowledge: Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of
your topic during your presentation and the question-and-
answer period following.
Audience Contact: Maintain eye contact with your audience,
and perhaps engage them verbally. Try to establish a successful
bond with your audience.
Elocution: Use a clear voice and correct, precise pronunciation
of terms so that all audience members can hear presentation.
Do not read. Make it obvious that you know your terms and
your subculture.
As an audience member, each student is required to write a brief
review on a separate index card for each oral presentation. You
must write your comments on one index card per presenter per
day and submit them at the end of each class. Your instructor
will only accept this presentation evaluation on a lined index
card; no handwritten notebook paper sheets will be accepted. I
will not provide index cards for you. (We have ______ reports,
therefore you need ______ index cards.) This is a required part
of your grade for this assignment.
You will write your name and the name of the presenter on the
top line of the card, making it obvious who is the presenter.
Write at least one positive comment and at least one helpful
suggestion. You are welcome to write in great detail. The more
helpful, the better the classmate’s next presentation will be.
(Please write legibly and appropriately, using standard English,
grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.)
Finally, each student will be designated as “lead questioner” for
a given presentation. On that day, that student is required to ask
the first question. Your question should demonstrate that you
are an active listener who approaches new knowledge with
critical questions (a skill we’ve been modeling all semester in
our class discussions of assigned readings). The lead questioner
will also collect the peer evaluation index cards, check for one
comment/one suggestion, and enter them on a roster. This is a
required part of your grade for this assignment.
Grading Criteria for Oral Research Presentation:

15. Oral Presentation:
100
Designated Question and Duties:
10
Complete Set of Presenter Review Card:
20
Self-Evaluation:
15
TOTAL:
145
MAKE NOTE: This report must put your subculture in a
critical context.
You must (1) identify the culture and give only a brief history;
(2) present the subculture in the context of 2-3 critical
questions.
This is not a ‘book report’ style overview. This presentation
must have a clear focus.
* Use of visuals must fit within a critical context. Use of
visuals that do not directly connect to a point or lack a critical
context will be penalized. Anything offensive, inappropriate, or
pointless, especially if used as a time-filler, will shut down the
presentation immediately with no chance to re-do it, resulting in
zero points earned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRESENTATION PROTOCOL:
Be early on the day you present.
Get your presentation loaded on the class computer.
If you are unable to present on the day you are scheduled, you
must contact Linda as soon as possible by e-mail AND you must
contact ALL the classmates on the schedule for the next class
presentation day to let them know that the first person “on

16. deck” is going, for sure, a day early. (And if anyone else
“flakes,” it could be the domino effect and many more from day
two could be going. Better be prepared.)
If you are able to get someone to voluntarily SWITCH days
with you, you may MAKE UP your presentation day.
If you skip your day, you will not be able to make up your day
and you will lose 115 points. DO NOT SKIP.
OBSERVATION PROTOCOL:
No texting, no sleeping, no prepping for your presentation or
doing work for other classes during someone’s presentation.
Treat others as you would have them treat you during your
presentation.
Make eye contact with the speaker.
Listen attentively.
Take notes on the back of the notecard so you are ready for the
question and comment period.
Clap at the end of the presentation, before questions.
Designated questioner will ask the first question.
After that, ask meaningful questions. Try not to pick a fight.
Debate is fine, but fighting is not. If time runs out, you may
not be able to ask your question.
Write solid/useful praise and constructive tips for improvement
on the observation cards.