Explaining Roller Derby
If you are a serious fan of this blog, you may have noticed over in the sidebar, in David's shared Google Reader items, the announcement that there is big Ottawa roller derby action this Saturday night at the Sandy Hill Arena.
If Manon and I didn't have a previous commitment, we'd be going. We are serious fans.
I even have a rudimentary understanding of how the sport works and if you are in a restaurant with me, I will be happy to explain it to you using water glasses to represent the pack and salt and pepper shakers to represent the jammers.
If you do not have a chance to dine with me before you go to the roller derby, you might want to try this 2 minute video.
There are some questions I hope to learn the answers to before or during my next roller derby:
- Why would a jammer whose team has a commanding lead end a jam before the two minutes are up?
- Does a jam end if the other jammer passes the lead jammer?
- What's the deal when a jammer gives her star helmet cover to a blocker?
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3 comments:
you have me wanting to join a team...thanks!
Because she skated hard and is tired, and doesn't want to let the other jammer score any points if she starts to slow down?
No, it doesn't. Nor does she lose lead jammer status.
A jammer can only give her helmet cover to the pivot, the blocker at the front of the pack (with a stripe on her helmet cover). It's all part of the strategy! The pivot hasn't been sprinting, and the other team's blockers aren't focusing on the pivot, so it could be a good strategy to get some much-needed points with the element of surprise thrown in. Plus, it's fun!
<3 Emily Carr Crash
Kingston Derby Girls
Thank you, Emily, I'll be watching for helmet cover switches when I go to the roller derby this coming
Saturday.
I still don't get about ending a jam when you're in the lead because according to your answer to my second question, the lead jammer doesn't lose her status when the other jammer passes her.
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