So last Saturday night I attended my first bout of the 2017 season with my new home team – the Charlottesville Derby Dames. Technically it was a doubleheader, but due to the location – about 45+ min away and my busy weekend, I didn’t stay for the second bout. Still, I had a blast watching the Derby Dames All Stars crush Mother State Roller Derby 318 to 104.
Apparently leaving early was a mistake though – it looks like the second match was a lot closer. That comes as a bit of a surprise though because most of the matches I’ve attended have been fairly one-sided. The scoring format tends to favor that – but it really depends on the teams too.
A little more background is probably in order – all the teams I’ve followed have been members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) – which definitely seems to be the most common format these days (as opposed to the older tilted track). I attended one multi-team bout in Honolulu, but most of my experience has been attending bouts of the Fredericksburg Roller Derby (formerly 540 Roller Girls) team the last couple of years.
Rather than trying to explain it all, I’ll let the graphic above break down the basics (more here). Starting with what’s essentially a rolling scrum, it takes some effort to break through the inertial crush and get a good lead. Then to actually score, you need to pass at least one member of the opposing team on your second time around the track. And that gets to be a lot more complicated due to all the blocking and checking. The Jammer (scorer) can also end the Jam (play) at any point once they’ve taken the initial lead by getting through the initial scrum – whether or not any points have been scored. Generally, each team has 3 or 4 members that take turns as Jammers rotating on and off the track while the blockers stay on the track for extended periods of time.
On the whole, though, it tends to be very entertaining. I think for me it’s a combination of factors – between the overall athletic factor of amateur sports, the retro/vintage/pin-up crossover themes, the family-friendly entertainment and the general sense of humor involved (I also have a lot of nostalgia from rollerskating as a kid). I’ve never been a big fan of sports in general (at UNC-CH I attended a grand total of 2 exhibition basketball games and 1/2 a football game – and those were free) – but as a form of entertainment, this appeals to my sensibilities a lot more.
Every bout is a mini-event in itself – lots of merch (I like to collect t-shirts and can cozies – the pin-up designs are always a draw). Generally, there’s a variety of additional mini-events – pinball tournaments, raffles, giveaways and other family-friendly attractions – not to mention craft beer or local winery promotions along with the other sponsors – and after-parties (not that I’ve made it to one yet).
As I understand it, a lot of the recent cultural interest was reignited by Drew Barrymore’s 2009 film “Whip It“. I’ve seen some references that call out 3rd Wave Feminism as being a major influence in Roller Derby, but I can’t say that I’ve really seen much of that in the sport from my limited experience (certainly nothing toxic). I’d say it appears to be an empowering experience for the participants and entertaining for the audience, but it doesn’t have any of the negative side effects that come from some other cultural events – for one thing, there’s no competition with men (forced, implied or otherwise). Of course, that’s based on my experiences – I know in some areas they allow men or trans participants as well – for the bouts I’ve seen, men are only coaches, referees or other non-skating officials. From my perspective attending events in Hawaii and more frequently/recently in Virginia, these bouts have been far more “A League of Their Own” and far less “SJWs on Ice” – YMMV depending on region.
Unlike many sports (amateur or otherwise), there’s little to no barrier to entry – most teams host regular events for folks interesting in joining up. All it takes is an interest and some energy – no prior experience required.
I’m definitely looking forward to the next double header on 3 June. You’ll be able to recognize me in my new shirt.
If you’re interested in checking out local events, I’d start here. Alternatively just googling “Roller Derby [your location here]” seems to have pretty good results.
Heh, I used to watch that stuff when I was a kid. For some reason, it was the women that I really liked watching.
Mansplaining!
It was on right after the pro-wraslling shows. It was always fun to watch the big ugly girl try to beat up the pretty, fast girl.
Yeah, I remember a few of them when the pretty little blonde fast girl came around on the outside and all of a sudden Bruteska knows her flying out of the track with an elbow.
‘knocks’
This is one of those sports that I always wonder how the hell it got started. Was there a roller rink somewhere that got rented out by two separate bachelorette parties at the same time and shit got catty? I really want to know.
LEGALIZE CLOWNSNACK!!!!
Tilted track may have also been more TV-friendly. The original incarnation of derby was as a made-for-TV “sport” like pro wrasslin. See my comment below.
And this is not to imply that the derby girls of the sixties were not real athletes, only that the point was entertainment not athleticism or actual competition.
My wife has been a skater for 5 years, and I’m involved in the sport as an official (I usually run the scoreboard). I always thought Roller Derby was the most libertarian of sports. Teams are made of 100% volunteers and are built from the ground up. If you want to have a team, you just get people together and declare that you have a team. You make up your own rules as far as attendance, paying dues, etc. Most teams go by the WFTDA rule set but there are a few alternate rule sets out there. Then you contact other teams and see if they want to play you. If you want to have an official ranking and try for the “official” playoffs, you have to apply to WFTDA and meet some requirements to become a sanctioned team. (My wife’s team just became sanctioned this year).
I’m definitely looking forward to the next double header on 3 June.
Ok, who let the Limey (or Canadian) post without editing this to the Lord’s English and changing it to June 3rd?
That is a military manner of writing dates.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Carry on.
You set up your dates up right, and you use metric. The American military is so much more advanced than its civilian counterparts.
You set up your dates up right, and you use metric.
Pfeh on your faggy French measuring system.
It’s a good joke, but they used both measurement systems. Probably had something to do with all those metric-using German rocket engineers.
The other thing I like about roller derby is that it’s the rare case where “diversity” actually works. Women are gay, straight, trans, conservative, liberal, whatever, but nobody talks much about politics when they get together to skate. People tend to treat it as an escape from their every day lives.
Isn’t that the way it is in most workplaces and social outlets in America though? I never had to “escape” to a diverse and apolitical place. I always had a job where politics didn’t really play a role in anything, and neither did sex, skin color or sexual preference.
Do most of you people really work in places where any of those things matter as much as competence? If so, I feel bad for y’all.
Never. As a matter of fact, if I avoided my family and these sites, I might never come across it.
Some of us work for the government.
Do you feel bad ‘for’ us or ‘about’ us?
Yes.
Do most of you people really work in places where any of those things matter as much as competence?
No, but the relentless proggy drive “You will be made to care” constantly intrudes even at work, even in a place where lack of competence can actually literally kill people.
My job has diversity theater / workshops, along with environmental training. They’re awful to be in, but I’ve found that if I skip them then nothing happens. I’m due – for the past four years! – to retrain but I just don’t go.
We are also an official “anti-racist” company, whatever that means.
The owner is a strange mix of SJW and anti-union. Privately owned so the company is his play space.
I never had that kind of issue at work either, but in social media and just hanging out with friends, there is a lot of echo chamber effect. Much more so on the left, in my experience. So when you get a conservative mom of 3 on the same team as an LGBT SJW, and there aren’t any fireworks, it’s nice.
Maybe they’re just not progressives. From my experience 10 conservatives in a room will talk football not conservative politics.
Where are the motorcycles?
I saw that movie when I was a kid. All the social commentary went right over my head. I just thought it was the coolest thing ever and wished I was in the crowd chanting “Jonathan!”
I liked the laser pistol
How can you think about Roller Derby when civilization is collapsing around us? What next, a treatise on traktur pullz?
Who do you think is going to take over when the shtf. Roving bands of roller derby gangs. You better latch on to a team now.
Oh yeah?
::tosses handful of pebbles on the road and
runscasually walks away::You can be Minister of Defense
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091981/mediaviewer/rm3110714112
Jamie Gertz is welcome to invade my territory any time she wants
No doubt
The plebs of the totalitarian Neo-American Empire of the 22nd century will be placated with roller derby. Only through the derby will the people be able to express themselves.
There was a series about it a few years back that we watched. Looked like the girls had a lot of fun. They put in a lot of work to keep everything going.
For some reason, it was the women that I really liked watching.
Somebody (probably Gilmore) linked to a music video featuring women roller skating behind a car at night. The music pretty much sucked, but I was so mesmerized by the legs of the principal skater, I sat there, mouth agape, and watched the entire thing. It took a significant feat of will to not watch it again.
*that is what a woman’s legs should look like
I had this album as a yute basically for the cover.
https://www.gilt.com/brand/fashion-flash/product/1154281232-fashion-flash-living-in-the-usa-by-linda-ronstadt-framed-album?origin=partner_feed&utm_source=google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=PLA&gclid=Cj0KEQjwmIrJBRCRmJ_x7KDo-9oBEiQAuUPKMuEyA0bvo4qcCVNOZaGbJrKqWKHePEwt4dFnbTIwlqEaAplu8P8HAQ
That was your Ronstadt Moment?
(For those who insist on having the joke explained, go here).
I get sad thinking of Ronstadt. I remember her from the glory days. She was one hellofa vocalist, nobody in her generation better. She was a knock-out beauty.
Now she has Parkinsons and cant sing. Very sad.
She was great.
So was The Midnight Special.
And Jose Feliciano.
And those backup singers.
Not a lot of people remember staying up to watch The Midnight Special. Best music show ever.
It’s my standard rebuttal to the tired “70s sucked!” thing.
A Midnight Special special
This is the one I always remember
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7UBpkw1elg
A case where the original song was good, and the remake was even better. That would be a good, albeit short, list to compile.
Hurt.
Although I am not a fan of the NiN original so it it might miss on the first criteria.
Beautiful.
Looked as good as she sounded.
Linda did lots of good covers.
Jerry Brown ruined a lot of things for me, Linda Ronstadt being one of the most significant.
Fuck California.
Think it was Jesse. I just commented that i suspected there was some CGI at work.
looked for the OG link but can’t find it. This is nice if you want Hot Legs eye-candy
*correction =
Here it is.
Apparently just googling “music video with hot girls roller skating” works. technology is magic.
There are a few teams around me, one of ky coworkers plays.
Very fun
My wife skated for a team for a year or two.
I also had a friend skate on the Kalamazoo team. On her first match that I saw, she was wearing a thong underneath a short skirt. Needless to say there was a lot of ass watching that day.
Mostly they wear tight shorts or yoga pants when they play, and 4 hours of skating every week makes for a great ass. So that’s another plus.
It’s worked for me.
OT: I’ll trade you some bacon for a SAM.
http://hotair.com/archives/2017/05/22/oh-great-venezuela-thousands-russian-shoulder-fired-missiles/
I saw that movie when I was a kid.
The remake sucked.
*never saw that coming, did you?
In Salem they do something called Oregon Trail Live every year, which is basically exactly what it sounds like. A couple years ago they had the local roller derby team run the event where you had to cross a river, and they would beat you mercilessly with pool noodles. And they hit you hard, and were assholes about it. I’ve been very wary of roller derby girls ever since.
Do not fuck with derby chicks.
At least they weren’t running the dysentery obstacle?
Could you elaborate on this story…and maybe add a sexier ending?
/Make something up.
At least they didn’t elbow you off a bridge.
OT: I haven’t been around much this weekend, so not sure if I missed an announcement about it in the comments or something. No Secret Nazi President this week?
My guess is that Secret Nazi President is taking a page from FDR’s playbook and having a secret meeting with the ruler of Russia.
Just saw the news in the cafeteria. Secret Nazi President is trying to fool everyone today by meeting with Jews in Israel. He even put on a beanie hat and visited the wall.
*Paging BP, BP to the comments section*
Sorry. It’s been delayed. I have to look for a job, and that’s been sucking up a lot of my time.
Good luck with the job hunt!
Who do you think is going to take over when the shtf. Roving bands of roller derby gangs. You better latch on to a team now.
My money’s on these guys.
Not these guys? http://tinyurl.com/jwdvpu9
Flat track means that you can practice or play just about anywhere, so abandoning tilted track lowered barriers to entry.
Tilted track was a holdover from the golden age of televised pro derby back in the sixties when it was more thinly-veiled sexploitation than actual sport.
Also, spandex.
They still have banked track, but it’s mostly on the west coast. It’s faster, but more dangerous, and you need a permanent home for the track. Flat track just requires a decent floor with enough room and some tape to lay out the track.
Oh, didn’t know about the West coast. Also, see my comment upthread.
The original Austin league still uses banked track as well. From talking to people involved it is a massive it is apparently a huge PITA to deal with. There’s also an extra injury risk, since it’s not uncommon to see ladies flip over the waist high guard rail. I think about every other game I used to watch, at least one lady left in a neck brace.
Hey now shitlord, it’s a real sport, not sexploitation. Same for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRsWihUI5zI
I watch that over and over because it is high-sport and athleticism.
Now it’s a real sport. Back in the sixties not so much.
I always really enjoyed watching roller derby when I was younger, so thanks for the article.
tbh, I hadn’t heard about this new-fangled “flat-track” business.
Seems to me it might take away from the sport a bit? No railings to check into?
I think it does take away from it a little, but nobody is getting paid anymore and you are pretty much on your own to pay for any injuries. You can still get hurt, thought. There were 3 leg breaks on my wife’s team in the last 2 weeks, two at practice and one during a game.
“…3 leg breaks on my wife’s team in the last 2 weeks…”
Jeebus.
Yeah I’ve seen some of the end results of roller derby. Mostly big nasty bruises.
This is the derby from when I watched it as a kid
Me too, I loved that shit.
LOL, fond memories. Remember these guys?
Chiefs vs Bombers
I love the part about halfway where they’re stomping on each other’s heads.
Yeah, still required to have EMTs on standby like a lot of other events.
OT: Seriously, what the fuck is all this.
It appears to be a Youtube video.
TV used to be whatever some (drunk and high) people in LA thought up. Nobody took it all that seriously.
The most important part is that I would never find that link anywhere else besides Glibertarians.
The local team – a decade ago I used to know half the members. Now I only recognize one!
It’s really making a comeback as a sport. Lots of after-work leagues and classes popping up.
Damn deplorables to blame, I know. Them and their racin and foozball and now this redneck hockey or whatever.
I just heard some Dem on teevee complaining that Trump should be acting more like the democrat that lost the election and she blamed ‘not very educated’ voters for putting him in office.
Lady, those people build your houses, grow your food and keep your lights on. STFU bitch.
You spelled CUNT wrong.
It’s the dodgeball of this decade. Except it’s not coed.
The official bouts aren’t coed, but the scrimmages can be. My wife sometimes practices with a men’s team. Gets her used to taking bigger hits.
At least it’s not quidditch. Of all the things that irritate me about the fanaticism people under the age of 30 have for Harry Potter, the fact that they run around pretending to fly on brooms to play a fictional sport is high up on the list.
quidditch is a sport created by someone who doesnt understand sports.
Owen Wilson agrees
Lady, those people build your houses, grow your food and keep your lights on.
Only because Trump has gutted government agencies and stripped away our protections against people doing stuff like that.
I saw an article somewhere this morning, I think it was MSNBC, I didn’t even click. But it read something like ‘Trump to make huge cuts to safety net’. Does that mean he’s cutting 5 million from Medicaid after approving a 100 million dollar budget increase? Because it has to mean something like that. Has anything really been cut in the last 50 years? Anything Even a dollar?
Remember when “welfare reform” was a major part of the Republican platform?
Better yet, remember when Bill and Al talked about Smart Government and it was part of their platform?
‘Member “The era of big government is over“?
I ‘member.
It seems like whenever I hear of a new trend, it’s just peaked. A friend of mine paints helmets for a roller derby team and invited me to a match a few months ago. It was great fun! (And the helmets were amazing, of course.) But because of the Mad Scientist is Always Late to the Party Rule, I assume roller derby is about to be SJW’d to death, regulated to death, accident injury lawyer’d to death, or on some other sort of life support. ENJOY IT NOW WHILE YOU STILL CAN!
You’re not the only one who’s always late to the party. I still don’t know Steve Smith is. For real. And it seems like I’m the only one here. I’ve been hearing all this STEVE SMITH RAPE EVERYONE shit for years and I still don’t know who this person is, or if he even really exists.
Retired Hawks shooting guard
Former Carolina Panther WR.
No, he’s an Australian cricket player.
GREATEST TRICK STEVE SMITH EVER PULL WAS CONVINCING WORLD STEVE SMITH NOT EXIST.
He is a real person, though probably not as rapey as we normally portray him. He is (was) a friend of one of the writers at TSTSNBN, Welch maybe?
Really? So did he comment over there? How’d he get all this rapity rape rape legend going?
His Blog
http://smythesworld.blogspot.com/
Soccer scores and Keith Olbermann links?
I like the fictional STEVE a lot better.
So what the fuck happened? Was he trolling H&R or what? I need information! Maybe then I can start getting all these Steve Smith rape jokes.
Basically he is a lefty friend of Welch’s who used to come into the comments and give Welch a hard time by posting hardcore lefty rants. People responded as they usually do to lefty trolls and then at some point someone came across a picture of him and thought he looked like a shaved Sasquatch. A mythology of sasquatches raping hikers was created and obviously Steve Smith was a sasquatch that shaved to make it easier to catch prey to rape and everything evolved from there.
At this point Steve Smith has pretty much grown beyond the original lefty troll who inspired him and taken on a life of his own because once created it is so easy to use as a joke in so many ways.
Hell an Anthropologist could probably write his doctoral dissertation on the Steve Smith saga as an example of how legends grow from seeds of truth in communities.
Now go STEVE SMITH, and let the legend come back to life!
IIRC, he did indeed comment there, often with predictable leftist slant, but a picture of him surfaced and he bore a striking resemblance to a shaved Sasquatch so a legend was born. I think he was even a guest on one of the early Reason Cruises.
So did he rape the entire crew over cocktails?
Over cocktails, under the tables, in the pool. etc.
Yes it was Welch
http://reason.com/blog/2010/05/26/the-reason-cruise-and-the-stev
It’s just hilarious.
I can’t believe STEVE SMITH has the nerve to complain about a lack of quality fan fiction.
SugarFree, you magnificant bastard, I read your book!
This is definitely a couple years before STEVE SMITH got his cameo in the Warty Hugeman series.
Warty Hugeman chased STEVE SMITH through time. Concepts such as “before” no longer have meaning.
I seem to remember Epi being the first person to refer to STEVE as a RAPESQUATCH.
I remember because I laughed for 15 minutes at my desk.
I was mostly a lurker in those days.
“I seem to remember Epi being the first person to refer to STEVE as a RAPESQUATCH.”
Whatever happened to him? He just sort of disappeared quite a while before this site was up.
IIRC he was one of the first to throw in the towel. Nikki was right around the same time.
Some things never change.
Jesus Christ. Am I a bad person for wanting him to slam his own fingers in a car door?
Yes, but only if you stop at wishing harm to his fingers.
His inaccurate and childish bitchiness about libertarianism is a bit of a whatever for me, what truly pushes Tony into scumbag territory is his murderous fantasies.
Ok, this story is starting to be weaved together in my consciousness. Steve Smith:
Steve Smith, from mild-mannered lawyer to serial rapist…
I just fell out of my chair laughing and now my sides are hurting!
This is why Welch is a monster. He wanted to put dozens of people on a ship. With STEVE SMITH. In the middle of the ocean. With no escape.
It’s like giving the thing it’s own personal rape preserve.
Sugarfree:
Solid WR?
http://reason.com/blog/2009/11/18/reason-morning-links-obama-fal
I believe the origins can be found there
Thanks. So that was before I started commenting there, but I was lurking. Still, the first thing I ever heard of the guy was some version of STEVE SMITH RAPE!!!
YOU HUNGRY FOR LOVE?
STEVE HELP YOU OUT.
OK, at least I totally get it now:
This is a little messed up.
Don’t disrespect muh country!
“I had to do it,” he said, according to the report. “This wouldn’t have had to happen if your country didn’t bomb my country.”
Me thinks whitey is a tad bit confused.
As the Prussian pointed out a year ago, the Nazis actually fetishized the shit out of Islam.
You know who else… oh wait.
If memory serves, the Baath Party was basically a lineal descendant of the Nazi Party, as well. Birds of a Jew-hating feather flocking together . . . .
So apparently muslim is actually above nazi on the hate crime generator totem pole. Who knew?
Islam’s a touchy subject in North American neo-Nazi circles. You’ve got your traditional “White nation, America, Christianity and apple pie” Klanner types that hate it and then you’ve got the more doctrinal fascistic “read Mein Kampf a dozen times” types that see it as the Warrior Faith in comparison to Christianity. Conflicts and infighting are likely inevitable (same with online groups like the alt-right) so I don’t view them as much of a concern as, say, the actual organized majority groups.
I honestly can’t figure out what the fuck is going on in that story. They seem obsessed with “Nazis”, and the presence of explosives (which have no stated purpose)… but then just sort of gloss over the crazy, “recently converted to islam but used to hang with his nazi pals”-guy who murdered them all.
The guy is obviously nuts. He thinks ‘his’ country is somewhere in the middle east. I bet he’s never been out of Florida, crazy fucker. It’s one of those ‘I knew it was Florida before I knew it’ things.
He’s just transMuslim, that’s all.
Your pants-shitting overreaction of the day…..
HAH
The legal definition of “hoax bomb”
Looks overbroad to me, as it has no intent requirement at all. Compare with Texas. As a side note, I think its possible that Clock Boy could have been charged under the Texas statute, depending on how credible his claims that it wasn’t meant to be taken for a bomb, nuh-uh, were found by the prosecutor or jury.
She needs to convert to islam super fast so she can claim islamophobia. Then she can get on all the morning talk shows and meet Obama.
My writing partner and I did work for the Ohio Roller Girls.
My youngest daughter is a Derby Girl and it’s so much fun to watch her put an enemy player on the floor. Bodies be droppin!