Sydney Invasion Bout 2009
They invade, the challenge, the conquer!
On SATURDAY THE 15TH OF AUGUST, the Sydney Roller Derby League invaded Newcastle to give a demo bout.
SRDL skaters were joined by girls from Canberra and Newcastle. It was a great achievement for NSW/ACT Roller Derby.
Roller Derby is a full-contact sport, which is not for the faint-hearted. Yes – it is played on quad skates, and no you CANNOT elbow people in the face (but sometimes it does happen anyway). There is a description at the end of this post.
It has been such a long period of time since I photographed any sports, and I did not know what my outcome was going to be! Frankly, I thought I would be too slow and not be able to focus the camera before the skaters were past me. Luckily for me, as a skater with SRDL; I understand how the game works and the game-play by some of the SRDL players.
The two SRDL teams are The Screaming Assualt Sirens and the Sydney City CBD’viants. The SAS won the day by 48 points.
At the moment, Roller Derby is dominated by female skaters with male referees. Victoria is in development stages setting up men’s leagues.
If you are not familiar with Roller Derby I thoroughly suggest you find a local team and either join or watch out for their next bout. It is an extremely thrilling sport to watch and the more you watch; the more you will understand the game!
DERBY DESCRIPTION:
There are two teams going head to head.
Each team includes up to 14 Skaters. 5 of those are on the track. The remaining 9 are subs. There are no restrictions on subbing. The team captain can choose to sub 5 if they want to put 5 fresh skaters on the track.
Each team has one pivot, 3 blockers and one Jammer on the track.
The pivot is the head blocker. She yells and screams, and is the last line of defense. The pivot has a line on her helmet.
The 3 blockers (and the Pivot) play offensively and defensively at the same time. They block the opposing teams Jammer from scoring, and help their own Jammer to get through the pack.
The Jammer is the skater with a star on her helmet. It is her job to get through the pack and score the points for her team. Her FIRST PASS through the pack she does not score points. This first pass is to only determine if she or her opposing jammer are eligible for LEAD JAMMER STATUS. If the Jammer gets through the pack cleanly, she is given lead jammer status by the referees and can call off the Jam at any stage.
The “bout” lasts for two 30minute halves. Each half, is then divided into several “Jams”. Jams can last up to 2 minutes in length. The length of the Jam is controlled by the clock OR if one teams “Jammer” acquires lead jammer status.
It takes between 12 months and 2 years to become a good roller derby skater. You can start from scratch – you don’t already have to know how to skate. That’s the beauty of it.
You learn how to skate with agility, block effectively, and fall safely! Safety plays a huge part in roller derby because if a skater gets injured; then her team is down a skater.
MORE INFORMATION:
www.sydneyrollerderby.com
www.wftda.com
www.sydneyrollerskates.com
xx Derby Love, Torture Twice
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