What is Roller Derby?
Roller derby is a rollerskate-based contact sport in which two opposing teams attempt to score points by passing each other in a set amount of time while skating around an oval track. Each team consists of three positions: A jammer, who scores points by passing every member of the other team; three blockers who, as a pack, attempt to impede the opposing jammer’s progress while assisting their own, and one pivot, who leads and sets the pace of the pack. Roller derby was founded in America sometime in the 1920’s. Since then, it has undergone various incarnations and levels of popularity, often featuring paid professionals of both sexes. At many points—particularly in the 1970s—it existed more as a staged, pro-wrestling-style entertainment event than as any kind of real sport. In the past few years, roller derby has experienced a major grassroots revival, led almost entirely by independent leagues of female amateurs, operating from a strong, punk rock-inspired “do-it-yourself” aesthetic.
