Roller Derby is a sport reminiscent of the 1970s that maybe even your parents remember watching, akin to today’s WWE in terms of cheesy team names and spectacular, albeit staged, stunts.
However, in the early 2000s, starting in Austin, Texas, teams sprouted up across the country. By 2006, the D.C. Rollergirls was formed.
The D.C. Rollergirls league is made up of four teams: the Cherry Bomb Bombshells, the D.C. Demon Cats, the Majority Whips and Scare Force One.
These teams play each other throughout the season, while the most skilled members form the D.C. All Stars, a competitive travel team.
Games, or “bouts,” run until May with the next match on Dec. 10. Even if the next game is your first to see or your tenth, D.C. Roller Girls promises a rough-and-tumble good time for just $12.
Basic rules to Flat Track Derby
• Games (“bouts”) are divided into two 30-minute periods made up of dozens of plays (“jams”). The clock never stops unless there is a timeout. The winner is the team with the most points by the end.
• The three positions are jammers (one player from each team wearing a starred helmet cover), blockers (skaters from each team who help their own jammers and block the opposing team’s jammers) and pivots (special blockers who control the pack and serve as the last line of defense)
• To start a jam, each team sends out four skaters who form a pack trying to stop the opposing team’s jammer from passing them. If the team can stop the opposing team’s jammer from passing them a second time, the opposing team grabs points for every player that its jammer passes.
• Players cannot punch or use their elbows to knock a player down, nor can they trip another player. However, these derby girls can deliver a nasty hip check or shoulder blow that can send a player into the stands.
Tips for roller derby newbies
• Get there early: This sport draws in more than 2,500 fans every game, with lines wrapping around the venue. If you can’t get there early, buy your tickets beforehand to cut past the line. If you come early, the announcers go over the basic rules for any newbies in the stands.
• Grab a “suicide seat”: No, you won’t die grabbing one of these seats, but the ones lining the rink will definitely provide a close-up thrill. Watch out for your cameras (and your face).
• Socialize: The most interesting people come out to these matches: hipsters, families, Capitol Hill yuppies, and everyone in between. They bring costumes, skates and amazing fan spirit. Talk about how awesome the homemade marshmallows that they sell there taste or abut your favorite player name puns (mine is a tie between Hoova Dayum and Ovary Action).
