Are you ready for 'the whip' . . . ?

Ever heard of Roller Derby?

I watched my first game on TV at 4am whilst snowy holidaying in Andorra, i think it was 2006.

In a slightly drunken stupor I sat in bed, bleary eyed, and watched the teams of girls speed, shove and smack their way around the banked track. Helmets, padding and cool outfits a-must, this was one interesting sport. After watching an hours worth of girls battling their way round the track on skates I fell asleep and woke the next morning wondering whether it was all a dream. I stayed up again the next night to try and catch it again, but I didnt find it. I soon forgot all about it, but always remembered that it looked really good fun.

A Marathon Sport, rumoured to have started as far back as the mid-1880's (!!!), it has slowly developed into a full on spectator entertainment sport. In its hey day, Roller Derby was a multiday endurance sport, with cash prizes. In the 50's and 60's, when interest began to wane, RD was reinvented in order for it to be televised. In spite of this, spectator levels dropped, on trackside and through the airwaves, and the sport was no longer interesting. Not much else happened for the next 4 decades.

Dry those tears though because in the noughties Roller Derby was reintroduced to society. The revival hailed from Austin, Texas, and soon caught on worldwide. Back with a vengeance, roller derby gave a voice to girls who maybe never made it onto the sports teams at school, or maybe never made it onto the cool wall. Girls could be more than who they wanted to be without being judged. The girls involved with the sport didnt mind having a crappy job, because it was their spare time that they lived for, because that was practice time, that was when they went from being the girl with the standard issue uniform and name badge, to the girl with the cool uniform and cool nickname!

With the release of 'Whip It' in 2009, roller derby made itself known to the masses and RD Fever took over. Drew Barrymore did an excellent job directing AND starring in the hit movie. I'd like to say thank you and well done to her to bringing roller derby into my life.

Roller Derby 101

• Matches are called 'Bouts' and are played on either a flat or banked oval track
• Each Bout is 30 minutes long and are made up of shifts called 'Jams'
• A jam ends after two minutes have passed, or when the leader of the winning team places her hands on her hips.
• The teams are made up of 5 players: 4 Blockers and 1 Jammer (they wear a star on their helmet)
• The two teams of blockers create the 'pack' and start ahead of the Jammers
• The pack starts on the first whistle, the jammers set off on the second.
• The Jammers have to break through the pack, avoiding any pushings and shovings that are thrown their way.
• Once broken through the pack, the jammers have to get back round the track and through the pack again before they can score any points.
• A point is scored by a jammer for each member of the opposing team that they pass.
• Oh, and safety first, the girls have to wear helmets, knee and elbow pads, gum guards, wrist guards, and the most important of all . . . roller skates.

My local team, the Sheffield Steel Rollergirls are playing tomorrow in their final bout of the year . . . and we've got tickets. Not just that, but I've also got the email address to get in touch, just in case I decide to join up after tomorrows event :o) Well, I've already got the skates, the helmet and the nickname (which I'm keeping secret for now). Roller Derby isn't for sissies. There's violence, blood, broken bones and bruises. I read a quote today: 'it's not if you get hurt, it's when you get hurt'. If I do join, at least I'll learn how to take a fall and grow some balls, it might even give me more confidence, not just in life but to try new things out on my snowboard too. On the actual plus side, it could be a great way to make even more friends in my new city, and I've heard its a great workout for legs and bums. Au revoir cellulite! haha