NEWS
Roller Derby is a popular team sport that is played in the United States of America and a range of other countries across the world. It is a full contact sport that is action packed and exciting for both competitors and spectators. The sport has a number of governing bodies, but by far the largest is the that looks after over 400 leagues, reflecting the fact that it is a game that is predominantly played by teams of women.
However, there are more and more men taking up the game, and another governing body, the has been formed to look after this side of the game. Many different countries also have their own national governing bodies.
The object of Roller Derby is simple. Each team is trying to score more points than the opposition. Points are awarded when the offensive player from one team, known as the jammer, laps a member of the opposing team. As a full contact sport, the defensive players of the opposing team, known as blockers, can use physical force to stop the jammer passing them, as well as helping to clear the way for their own jammer.
Each rollerball team consists of up to 14 members but fields five players at a time, four of which are known as blockers, and one being a jammer. The single jammer on each team is the only member who is allowed to score, and they are signified by the star that they wear on their helmet. Of the four blockers, one of these is known as the Pivot. The Pivot acts like a captain or pack leader, and makes the defensive play calls.
All players skate on quad roller skates rather than inline skates. This is because quad skates have a smaller wheelbase which means there is less chance of skaters tripping on each other’s skates. They are also generally more stable and easier to control, which makes things easier for players considering the combative nature of the sport.
Other equipment that players are required to wear include mouth guards, knee and elbow pads, wrist guards and a helmet. Gender specific protective gear may also be worn, such as protective sports bras for women and a groin guard for men.
Scoring in Roller Derby can only occur during periods of time known as jams. These occur throughout each half and last for up to two minutes, though the lead jammer can call them off earlier. Points are scored during the jam when a team’s jammer laps members of the opposing team. To try and prevent this, the opposing team will use a whole host of tactics such as blocking and body contact to try and prevent this happening. The jammer scores a point for each member of the opposite team that they lap.
The team that has the most points at the end of the match is deemed the winner. Because Roller Derby matches are not allowed to end in a tie, an overtime jam occurs to determine the winner. The overtime jam has no lead jammer and the team with the most points at the end of the jam is declared the winner. If the match is still tied, then successive jams will occur until a winner has been found.
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