Roller Derby

History of Roller Derby

Roller derby, as a sport, has an interesting history. It began in the United States in the 1920s, as a no-contact speed skating competition. As it evolved during the 20h century, it became more sensationalized, eventually becoming a cross between speed skating and professional wrestling. The 1975 film Rollerball shows a futuristic vision of what roller derby could have become: a no holds barred blood sport.

However, as the public lost interest in this type of roller derby, so did professional sponsors. It took a group of young women with a do-it-yourself aesthetic, called the Bay City Bombers, to re-invent roller derby in 2001. They envisioned a grass roots women's sport that would combine the theatrical aspects of roller derby with its hard-core, competitive image.

The Rules of Roller Derby:

  • One skater, called a jammer, must skate through the entire opposing team.
  • Her teammates, known as blockers and pivots, knock down opponents so that the jammer can get through.
  • Blockers on the opposing team try to prevent the jammer from passing them.
  • Each team gets points based on how many opponents the jammer is able to pass.
  • There are different rounds, called jams, in a roller derby competition.

Roller Derby Today

The most distinctive features of 21st century women's roller derby are the outlandish costumes (often inspired by glam rock and punk rock) and the aliases that each player adopts, which are usually macabre puns like Smashly Simpson, Babe Ruthless and Nuke-Leah. If you want to come up with a roller derby name of your own, take the shortcut with this Rollergirl Name Generator.

Women's roller derby is now governed by the WFTDA, the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. This association oversees competition, promotion and expansion of the sport. It divides roller derby leagues into East, West, North Central and South Central. Over 100 leagues are registered with the WFTDA. Women's roller derby has a presence in Canada as well, as seen by the Canadian teams in this roster.

Representation of women's roller derby in popular culture includes Whip It, the 2009 film starring Ellen Page, and the Nintendo Wii game Jam City Rollergirls.

Men's Roller Derby

Men get into this sport too, both in the United States and Canada. Male Canadian teams include the Glenmore Reservoir Dogs and the Red Deer Roller Derby Association. Male American teams include the Collision Men's Derby in North Carolina, and the YOUR MOM Men's Roller Derby in Des Moines, Iowa.

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