Colorado Springs Roller Derby

This weekend I attended my first ever roller derby bout. The Colorado Springs Derby Dames took on the Contenders from Denver. A friend of a friend plays for the All-Star team, so she explained the rules as we watched.

From Wikipedia:

Roller derby is an American-invented contact sport—and historically, a form of sports entertainment—based on formation roller skating around an oval track. In past decades, roller derby had been primarily a professional or paid sport for both women and men. Contemporary roller derby is predominantly female, typically operates on an amateur (or unpaid) circuit, and has a strong do it yourself ethic which often features both athleticism and a satirical feminist punk aesthetic.

The basic rules of the game are that the pack lines up ahead of the jammers (one for each team). The jammers wear helmet covers with two stars to identify them. Once the jam has begun, the jammers catch up and attempt to break through the pack (players from the opposing team try to block them). Once a jammer breaks ahead of the pack, she is the lead jammer. When she catches back up to the pack she earns points for each opposing team player she passes without accruing penalties.

This sport definitely has its own culture. Tough girls on skates. I like to skate, but I doubt I could take the hits these girls endure. At one match, a girl broke her finger and kept playing. This ain't your mama's roller skating.