RULES OF THE GAME
A roller derby game is called a bout. A bout usually lasts sixty minutes and is divided into two-minute jams. During a jam, each of the two teams have five players on the track, all skating in the same direction. The blockers and pivots form a tight pack. The two jammers start behind them and race to break through the pack. The first jammer through the pack is designated the lead jammer. However, no points can be scored until the jammer passes the pack for a second time. The jammer then scores a point for every opponent that she overtakes, provided she passes the player in bounds and without penalties. Both jammers may score points for the duration of the two-minute jam or until the lead jammer calls off the jam. A jammer typically scores four points every time she makes it through the pack. If she overtakes the other jammer she scores a fifth point, and this is known as a Grand Slam. The team with the most points at the end of the bout wins.
SKATER POSITIONS
Jammer
The jammer wears a helmet cover with a star and is the only player who can score points. To score points, a jammer must break through the pack once and sprint around the track. A jammer scores a point for every opponent she passes on her subsequent passes through the pack.
Lead Jammer
The lead jammer is the first jammer to break through the pack and pass all the opposing blockers and pivot. The lead jammer may choose, at a strategic time, to call off the jam to prevent the opposing jammer from scoring. She does this by putting her hands on her hips.
Pivot
The pivot acts as a pacesetter for the team and is designated by a striped helmet. The pivot calls out plays and provides guidance for the rest of the team. The pivot typically stays in front of the blockers.
Blocker
Each team has three blockers on the track. The blockers play both offensive and defensive roles. They help their jammer get through the pack, while trying to prevent the opposing jammer from getting through.
PENALTIES
There are many rules in the sport of roller derby, enforced by referees and non-skating officials (NSOs). If a skater commits a major penalty, she is sent to the penalty box, also known as the sin bin, for sixty seconds. If a jammer is sent to the penalty box, the opposing team’s jammer scores a point for the missing player if she passes through the pack. If both jammers are sent to the penalty box, the first jammer is released as soon as the second jammer reaches the box.
Offences resulting in a major penalty include:
Tripping an opposing player
Back blocking
Using elbows to the chest or face
Swearing at another skater or referee
Blocking twenty feet ahead or behind the pack
Deliberately falling in front of another player
Grabbing, pulling or pushing an opposing player
HISTORY OF ROLLER DERBY
Roller derby was first played in the 1930s and quickly evolved into a popular spectator sport, thanks to staged crashes and collisions. By 1940 it was watched by about five million spectators, but by the 1970s the sport had faded into obscurity. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a roller derby revival began in Austin, Texas and soon spread to many other cities and countries.
Modern roller derby has focused on athleticism rather than showmanship. It is the fastest-growing sport in America, and is under consideration to become an Olympic sport at the 2020 games!