What is Roller Derby?

This is a question I get a lot. The simple answer: two teams on the track, four blockers, and one jammer per team. The jammer scores every time she legally passes an opposing player after she successfully gets through the first time.

Then the conversation usually continues as follows:

Curious person: “So you’re just trying to get your jammer through.”

Me: (with a grin)“Sometimes.”

Curious person: “Oh, so you’re trying to stop the other jammer.”

Me: “This is true too.”

Curious person: (a moment of silence)“So how do you do that?”

Me: “Exactly.”

This was my very train of thought when I first started Roller Derby. I immediately tried to compare, relate, and pull from other sports that I had played, and make it some how work with derby. I think that is the natural thing to do. “What is this like?” Softball? No. Volleyball? Nope. Basketball! Yes, picking and rolling, blocking, and maneuvering around opponents, it had to work. Unfortunately, it took me several hours of research to figure out that it would not. Why would nothing mesh?

Most obvious to me was the game set up. Roller Derby does not have a defensive and offensive side for each jam; both teams are always on offense and defense. Except in the rare instances when a jammer, or several blockers from one team, are in the penalty box. You are constantly switching between the two and you can actually be playing both of them at the same exact time. For instance, blocking an opposing jammer while whipping your jammer forward.

For spectators, this can be confusing. What looks like chaos out there is chaos. For every jam, you might see more than 10 “plays” happen. That’s in less than two minutes. We get no breaks in between plays to discuss our plan of attack. We have to be ready.

You walk out on the court, or field, in any other sport and you know your job. You know there are a finite number of things that will probably happen, and you know what your response should be.

In Derby, the dynamics of the pack are constantly shifting and your plans have to accommodate that shift. It’s constant motion and adjustments, shifting of goals and changing of targets. Switching from offense to defense.

Funny thing about Roller Derby is you might not have all of your players with you on the track to do what you need to do. They can be in the box or just somewhere flailing around on the floor. You have a plan of attack then you turn around and your entire team is “missing”. It is humorous to think about but not while you the only woman left standing.

Some may argue that there are many variables in every sport, which is true. Although I have never seen a pitcher turn around to check a runner at second, only to find his entire team is laying on the ground in left field unable to get up. Even then, he could stop the game and wait for them to get back into place. Time for decision-making is not a luxury we are allowed.

Roller Derby is new compared to most sports. It was around in the 70’s but was a completely different sport, I hear. This new revival started up several years ago. There is not a lot of history, documentation, and input on strategy in particular, openly available. Look up basketball, football or baseball plays. You get a list. Search for derby strategy and you won’t get much if anything. Trust me, I tried. Why is this? I know girls all over the country have great strategy and use it to the fullest. Then I spent many sleepless nights strategizing along with my teammates and understood…it’s theirs. That’s why. They want to keep it that way. This is their own creation, their baby. You don’t just give it away. That is what is so frustrating and amazing about this sport right now. We don’t have standard playbooks to reference right now because we are writing them.

So what is derby? I still don’t completely know. Two years ago I thought it was girls hitting each other and skating. One year ago I thought it was staying at the front of the pack and skating really fast. This year I finally realized there is no answer. It’s infinite, and there are no definitive answers yet for me. It’s being smart, or smarter than your opponent. Not being afraid to get hit or hurt. It’s making decisions, and trusting that they will be right. It’s your team trusting each other’s decisions.

I’m not sure what Roller Derby will mean to me next year but I look forward to every hit I take, and every sleepless night that gets me there.

Marlo # 3

"MobStars"