History of Roller Derby

THE HISTORY

In 1935, during the worst times of the Great Depression, a man named Leo Seltzer invented a spectacle called roller derby. Originally, the derby was just a simulation of a cross-country roller skating race, where participants circled a track thousands of times to simulate the distance between LA and New York. Occasionally, massive collisions and crashes occurred as skaters tried to lap those who were ahead of them. Like any good American sports entertainment promoter, Seltzer realized this was the most exciting part and tweaked his game to maximize the carnage. Two teams of five skaters now circled the pack, with each team sending out a "jammer" to skate around and lap members of the opposing team. It became a full-contact physical sport, with elbows, body-checks and fights galore. The fans loved it.

By the late '40s and '50s, roller derby was at its peak. Bouts drew as many as 30,000-40,000 fans, and skaters, now household names, appeared on the covers of national magazines. This continued through the '60s and '70s, until the gas shortage caused the main derby leagues to fold. Though there have been occasional attempts to revive the sport since then, it has mostly remained dormant UNTIL NOW!!!

THE RULES

There are three positions:

  • Pivot: sets the pace for the pack and is the last line of defense
  • Blocker: tries to stop the jammer, knocks around the opposing team's blockers
  • Jammer: sprints through the pack, scoring points by passing members of the opposing team

The pack starts with a pivot from each team in front, 3 blockers from each team in the middle, and a jammer from each team in the back. When the whistle blows, the pack takes off, and on a second whistle, the jammers start fighting their way through the pack in an attempt to be named "lead jammer." The jammers lap the pack and when they re-enter the pack, the receive one point for each member of the opposing team that they pass. A jam lasts a maximum of two minutes, but the "lead jammer" has the right to call off the jam at any time.