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ABOUT GGRD |
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Gotham Girls Roller Derby, a skater-operated
not-for-profit organization, is New York City's only all-female roller
derby league, comprised of strong and independent women from the
world's biggest, baddest city. These troublemakers have honed their
skills on the mean city streets of the concrete jungle and are ready
to unleash their ferocious appetite for kickin' ass on wheels.
Every Gotham Girl is an amalgam of athlete, pin-up girl, rocker
and brute rolled into one badass derby girl. Pretty? Hell, yeah!
Tough? Of course! Badass? Always! These ladies are taking all the
action and excitement of the roller derby you remember and doing
it with a modern twist to keep you on your toes.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby is poised to become a New York City subculture
staple with its commitment to athleticism, showmanship, fierce competition, rock
'n' roll and a mischievous good time. Grab your helmet! It's gonna
be a bumpy ride in the quest for bruises and glory!
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ABOUT WFTDA |
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Founded in 2004, the WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association) promotes and fosters the sport of women's flat track derby by facilitating the development of athletic ability, sportswomanship, and goodwill among member leagues. The governing philosophy is "by the skaters, for the skaters." Women skaters are primary managers and operators of each member league and of the association. Operational tasks include setting standards for rules, seasons, and safety, and determining guidelines for the national and international athletic competitions of member leagues. All member leagues have a voice in the decision-making process, and agree to comply with the governing body's policies.
(From WFTDA.com)
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THE GAME |
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So what the hell is roller derby?
During a bout, two teams of five skaters each face off on the track.
In our case, it's be a flat track. Each team consists of a pivot,
three blockers and a jammer. The pivot sets the pace and leads the
group of skaters, and the blockers stay behind them, guarding each
other in what we call "the pack." The jammers are the scoring skaters
and start about 20 feet behind the pack. When the whistle blows,
the pack takes off. On a second whistle, the jammers start fighting
their way through the pack. When the first jammer makes it through
the pack, she's designated the "lead jammer." The jammers must lap
the pack once before sprinting through the pack to score points
by passing members of the opposing team. A jam lasts a maximum of
two minutes, but the lead jammer has the right to call off the jam
by putting her hands on her waist. The rest of the team tries to
stop the opposing jammer from passing them and scoring. At the same
time, they knock around the opposing team's blockers to help their
jammer score.
Isn't it just fighting on roller skates?
No. Though there's bound to be falls and fighting (it's a heated battle), there are rules. Legal blocks involve the blocker using her arm, from shoulder to forearm, to make contact with the front of her opponent's body, from her neck to her waist. Blockers may also use their bodies to block other skaters. Illegal blocks include grabbing, tripping, blocking from behind, elbows in the face, fighting — all the obvious stuff.
Still curious? Download our Rules and Referee Handsignals packet.
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DERBY HISTORY |
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In 1935, during the worst times of the Great Depression, a man named Leo Seltzer invented a spectacle called roller derby. Originally, the derby was just a simulation of a cross-country roller skating race, where participants circled a track thousands of times to simulate the distance between LA and New York. Occasionally, massive collisions and crashes occurred as skaters tried to lap those who were ahead of them. Like any good American sports entertainment promoter, Seltzer realized this was the most exciting part and tweaked his game to maximize the carnage. Two teams of five skaters now circled the pack, with each team sending out a "jammer" to skate around and lap members of the opposing team. It became a full-contact physical sport, with elbows, body-checks and fights galore. The fans loved it.
By the late '40s and '50s, roller derby was at its peak. Bouts drew as many as 30,000-40,000 fans, and skaters, now household names, appeared on the covers of national magazines. This continued through the '60s and '70s, until the gas shortage caused the main derby leagues to fold. Though there have been occasional attempts to revive the sport since then, it has mostly remained dormant.
But now a new crop of leagues has begun popping up across the country, this time with a unique punk rock attitude. Places like New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix, Tucson, Raleigh, Austin, Las Vegas, Kansas City and the Cayman Islands have all contributed to the trend. The new generation of derby skaters pays homage to the traditions of the past by combining hard-hitting action with explosive entertainment. But they've also taken roller derby into the future with new innovations: The co-ed teams of the past have been abandoned for a game that is all-female, all the time. And suffice to say that if you make it to one of the frequent events held to promote the league, you're sure to have a raucous good time. There's a strong do-it-yourself, independent culture philosophy guiding everything GGRD does.
Since its decline in the early '70s, roller derby has been waiting to make a comeback. With the arrival of GGRD and other leagues, a national punk rock derby renaissance has begun.
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![[ Gotham Girls Roller Derby ]](/images/header_b.gif)
