“You play roller derby?
You? No way. So, you just get to
skate in skimpy outfits and hit other girls all the time?”
That would be the typical response I receive when a person
learns that I play roller derby, and it’s all based on the misconceptions of Women’s
Roller Derby. I have been spending a
good portion of my 2 ½ year derby career clearing up those misconceptions. In fact, I was recently on a local radio
morning show, when one of the hosts actually brought up the misconceptions most
people have about Roller Derby, and how we can clear them up. Well, this is one step to do so.
Misconception #1 – Roller Derby girls are big, mean,
tattooed covered rough looking girls.
Reality – Yes, some girls are big and muscular. Yes, some have tattoos. Yes, some are rough
and tough looking. BUT NOT ALL. I, for example, stand at 5’9’’ with a lean
athletic build. I’m not tough looking,
especially when I have my 2 year old son in tow. I look like a normal mom that lives down the
street, playing in the yard with my son, or just running errands around
town.
If you take a look at the Charm City Roller Girls, you will
see girls of all shapes and sizes, so to say.
In fact, my team, the CCRG Night Terrors, is made up mostly of jammer
type skaters; lean, quick and agile. And
we all have different backgrounds. We
have moms, nurses, teachers, students, military, computer programmers, and so
much more.
Misconception #2 – Roller Derby isn’t a sport, just
entertainment provided by scantily clad women.
If you’ve ever donned a pair of roller skates and hit your
local skate rink, you would know that roller skating itself is a pretty good
workout. Now, add skill and strategy,
and you have part of what makes Roller Derby a sport. As a roller girl, I am required to attend practices
where we work on skills, endurance and strategy. Roller derby is not just skating around and
randomly hitting opposing players just to hit them. There is a strategy in which we play both
offense and defense simultaneously to allow our Jammer to score points, and
prevent the opposing jammer from doing so.
Roller derby is hard work.
There are no choreographed fights that take place. Besides the entertainment we have as our
half-time show, there is no other entertainment factor than sitting down to
cheer for your favorite team.
As for our outfits, or “boutfits” as we like to call them,
yes, sometimes they are comprised of tight fitting derby shorts, leggings or
fishnets. I used to dance (tap, jazz, and ballet) for 13 years, and honestly,
I’m not wearing anything more tight or revealing than my dance costumes. I actually wore fishnet stockings in tap
numbers, but in roller derby, I stick to leggings to protect myself from rink
rash. Although, plenty of girls do
prefer the fishnet style as part of their boutfits.
Misconception #3 – Roller Girls get paid to do play.
If I got paid to play Roller Derby, I would have much better
derby gear, and cringing a little less when I’m at the gas pump. Roller Girls don’t get paid to play the
sport. In most leagues, like Charm City
Roller Girls, we actually pay monthly dues to be a part of the league. Our league is skater-owned and operated,
meaning the league runs entirely on league members. Our committees are responsible for designing
promotional materials and merchandise, public relations, web page maintenance,
fundraiser, and so much more.
On bout day, with the help of volunteers, we lay a plywood
subfloor and sport court, sell merchandise, take tickets, handle crowd control
and all other duties to keep the bout running.
We also depend on donations and sponsorships from local businesses and
organizations who are interested in supporting the sport.
Misconception #4 – There are no rules, just full out beat
downs using any body part you can fling at your opponent
If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me about
elbowing an opponent, or punching a player, I’d have a good chunk of change in
my pocket.
There are plenty of rules in Roller Derby. Charm City Roller Girls are a member of the
Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), which is the governing body of
women’s flat track roller derby. WFTDA
is also the body that sets the rules in women’s flat track roller derby, and
there are plenty of them. There is no
elbowing an opponent allowed, or punching anyone for that matter. There are legal blocking zones set by WFTDA
and enforced by Referees.
As you can see, via the below graphic, players are allowed
to only use the arm from the shoulder to the elbow, the torso, hips and booty,
and the mid and upper thigh to make legal hits on opponents. Elbows, forearms, hands, head , and areas
below mid thigh are not allowed.
To see all of the extensive rules and regulations that exist
in Roller Derby, visit http://www.wftda.com.
The best way to understand Women’s Roller Derby in 2012 is
to come see a bout. You can find the
full schedule for the Charm City Roller Girls at http://www.charmcityrollergirls.com/
