# Roller derby. (Modern) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 12, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372 "2020-03-12T22:35:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/1 "2020-03-12T22:35:29Z")
Anyone in to roller derby? About 10 years ago, I briefly dated a roller derby skater. After we weren’t together I still checked it out online now and then, but haven’t for quite a while. Well wife has been itching for a new “thing” and it occurred to me that it might be up her alley, so I looked in to it again today. I may be mis-remembering, but I think the entire activity changed. What I remember is what you would imagine: actually skating around in circles. From what I’ve seen of recent matches, it’s pretty static and looks more like a rugby scrum that over in about 40 seconds and moves about 10 yards before they reset and do it again. So it went from fun and dynamic to watch, to basically watching paint dry. On skates. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/2 "2020-03-12T22:39:58Z")
I’ve watched it in person multiple times over the last probably 6 years or so. I’ve never seen it be the way you describe – like a rugby scrum. I don’t really see how that would be possible without fouls. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/3 "2020-03-12T22:48:43Z")
Most of what you see now are women’s leagues on a flat oval. About 6 years ago in Santa Cruz I went to an old-school roller derby with a banked track, (mostly older) men and women, staged stunts, and theatrical trash talk. It was a hoot until the paramedics arrived to take away a skater with neck injuries. The derby had to be called and we all went home early. I got the feeling I was watching the end of an era. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/4 "2020-03-12T23:08:34Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > I’ve watched it in person multiple times over the last probably 6 years or so. I’ve never seen it be the way you describe – like a rugby scrum. I don’t really see how that would be possible without fouls. Yes, it was flat track. And there were lots of fouls. I recall the teams in the past being able to make it around the track several times before the action halted. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/5 "2020-03-12T23:10:56Z")
Here are a couple videos I looked at: [http://https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DxIXqqrJYoCA&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiQw8iu\_JXoAhVMd6wKHTetCLgQtwIwAXoECAUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3HiQaJO\_Hkl94lLbvhU4ou](http://https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DxIXqqrJYoCA&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiQw8iu_JXoAhVMd6wKHTetCLgQtwIwAXoECAUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3HiQaJO_Hkl94lLbvhU4ou) [http://https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DxIXqqrJYoCA&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiQw8iu\_JXoAhVMd6wKHTetCLgQtwIwAXoECAUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3HiQaJO\_Hkl94lLbvhU4ou](http://https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DxIXqqrJYoCA&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiQw8iu_JXoAhVMd6wKHTetCLgQtwIwAXoECAUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3HiQaJO_Hkl94lLbvhU4ou) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/6 "2020-03-12T23:19:02Z")
A jam usually starts out like a scrum as the jammers fight to get through the initial blockers. Once one of them breaks through, the whole pack often starts skating to keep the jammer from passing them too much (and therefore scoring points). There’s still blocking, but the jammer has speed so you see a lot more acrobatic moves to get through instead of the brute-force pushing. You can still get scrum-style blockages if the defense resets. [This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNTWUrDp1ZI) is pretty typical of the games I’ve seen, and I don’t think it’s changed in the 10 years I’ve gone. Your links aren’t working, so I can’t compare them. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/7 "2020-03-13T00:00:52Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > A jam usually starts out like a scrum as the jammers fight to get through the initial blockers. Once one of them breaks through, the whole pack often starts skating to keep the jammer from passing them too much (and therefore scoring points). There’s still blocking, but the jammer has speed so you see a lot more acrobatic moves to get through instead of the brute-force pushing. You can still get scrum-style blockages if the defense resets. > > [This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNTWUrDp1ZI) is pretty typical of the games I’ve seen, and I don’t think it’s changed in the 10 years I’ve gone. Your links aren’t working, so I can’t compare them. Well dang. Looks like I lost a post to the abyss. Anyway, I did check out that video and showed it to my wife. I don’t remember that much locking up at UT beginning of a jam, but I could be misremembering. Anyway, she thinks it looks like hella fun and she’s doing to look in to our local group once we’re all clear to actually go out and do things again. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/8 "2020-03-13T00:28:21Z")
Back in the day, roller derby was worked in much the same way as pro wrestling. I have a friend that does the modern flat track version. She swears this is a legit competition, but I remain skeptical. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/9 "2020-03-13T00:31:49Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Back in the day, roller derby was worked in much the same way as pro wrestling. I have a friend > that does the modern flat track version. She swears this is a legit competition, but I remain skeptical. Nah it really is legit. And they’re soooper sensitive to the comparison. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/10 "2020-03-13T00:47:03Z")
Heres a new book on Roller Derby. I got a copy and am looking forward to reading it: > **[Amazon.com: Rolling Thunder: The Golden Age of Roller Derby & the Rise and...](https://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Thunder-Golden-L-T-Birds-ebook/dp/B07Z78XVLL)** > > Buy Rolling Thunder: The Golden Age of Roller Derby & the Rise and Fall of the L.A. T-Birds: Read Kindle Store Reviews - Amazon.com Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/11 "2020-03-13T00:51:03Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Anyway, she thinks it looks like hella fun and she’s doing to look in to our local group once we’re all clear to actually go out and do things again. She should absolutely do it! If for nothing else than picking a kick-ass derby name. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/12 "2020-03-13T01:00:40Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > She should absolutely do it! If for nothing else than picking a kick-ass derby name. Hahaha! I KNOW! Looks like tryouts have come and gone, so she gets the rest of the year to brainstorm a good one 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/13 "2020-03-13T02:59:29Z")
She can dress as an Oktoberfest lady and call herself Sicks Nein. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/14 "2020-03-13T03:11:40Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Back in the day, roller derby was worked in much the same way as pro wrestling. I have a friend that does the modern flat track version. She swears this is a legit competition, but I remain skeptical. My daughter plays roller derby, or did until she decided to make me an upcoming grandpa, and it’s legit. I’ve watched a number of matches since she’s started, yet still have no idea what I’m watching or how scoring works.\* But I get to watch my daughter skate and have fun and hit people (or be hit) like I used to when I played hockey (many many decades ago) and drink beer. \*Don’t bother explaining. It’s been tried many times. I zone out after about 8 seconds of explanation now, down from 30 seconds initially. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/15 "2020-03-13T04:40:00Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > She should absolutely do it! If for nothing else than picking a kick-ass derby name. We had a thread on that years ago, when a Doper was looking for a roller derby name: > **[Help me come up with a roller derby name!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=418431)** > > I renewed my account JUST to post this, which for a poor college student is nothing to sneeze out, so I am really hoping the dope pulls through! It should be something that’s a play on words, a celebrity’s name, etc, preferably while somehow... ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/16 "2020-03-13T04:53:31Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > She can dress as an Oktoberfest lady and call herself Sicks Nein. I have a friend who does roller derby in Idaho, and her name is Mia Wallops. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/17 "2020-03-13T05:45:02Z")
actually roller derby has the unique notoriety of being legit in some leagues and worked in others or both at the same time… here’s a rundown of it until around the early 00s [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xFcKV2L6Tds/maxresdefault.jpg "Jim Cornette on Roller Derby") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFcKV2L6Tds) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/18 "2020-03-13T05:57:22Z")
Just remembered a movie about women’s roller derby: _Whip It_, with Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig, and Drew Barrymore: > **[Whip It (2009) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172233/)** > > Whip It: Directed by Drew Barrymore. With Sarah Habel, Shannon Eagen, Edward Austin Kelly, Mary Callaghan Lynch. In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock-loving misfit finds a way of dealing with small-town misery after discovering a roller-derby league in... Great fun. It’s banked-track, not flat track, and apparently an honest contest between two teams (as presented in the movie), and well worth a watch if you’re interested in roller derby. It also does a good job of explaining the rules of the game. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roller-derby-modern/849372/19 "2020-03-14T00:39:01Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Nah it really is legit. And they’re soooper sensitive to the comparison. When EPSN did their “Ocho” day one year they did show a flat track roller derby championship. I assumed it was legit based on the fact that it was much more boring than the days of the banked tracks and soap opera storylines.