 | |
| Hitter Miss with the memorable "I'm fine, I'm fine, I just can't breathe!" |
Derby girls are some of the toughest people you will ever
meet. Roller derby is a full-contact sport and hitting is constant and encouraged.
If you cannot take being hit, you really shouldn’t play roller derby. However,
where there is hitting, there will also be injuries. No matter how many safety
precautions we take, there is going to be people getting hurt and when ten
people are hitting each other constantly at high speed, mistakes will be made.
This is why roller derby is a highly regulated and organized sport.
 |
| Frosty Snowmean and A-Ha Gabor |
When you first join roller derby, you will not be hitting
people right away, nor will you scrimmage (basically practice bouts) for quite
a while either. First, you will learn your basic skating skills. The stronger
your basic skating skills are, the less you will fall, and when you fall, you
will do so in a safe manner, minimizing injuries to yourself and others. Only
after you have become proficient in falls (yes, we do actually practice
those!), how to get back up, many different types of skating skills, stops, and
such will you even begin learning how to give and take hits. This is initially
done at a very low speed. Only after you have passed your minimum skills test
and a written rules of derby test (both can be found here) will you actually start scrimmaging. In GSORD, we have a full
month of scrimmage school before you can be assigned to a team and begin
bouting.
However, even with extensive training, injuries happen. To
further minimize injuries, we wear certain mandatory pads and safety equipment.
As you can see in the picture, we wear (from top to bottom); helmet, mouth guard,
elbow pads, wrist guards, knee pads, properly fitting skates. In fact, if you
do not wear these, you will not be allowed to
participate in training, scrimmages or bouts.
 |
| Image by A. Barr, M. Faille, J. Rivait / National Post |
The helmet is
incredibly important, as we most often skate on concrete. With the force that
goes behind many of our hits, were you to hit your head you would get seriously
hurt, or even worse. This is why it is important to have a well-fitting, snug
helmet, with properly fastened straps.
The mouth guard
protects not only the teeth in the case of a facial hit (which results in a
high block penalty for the offending skater), but also helps prevent
concussions.
The elbow pads
are great for protecting your elbows when you fall, but can also get a lot of
skaters into trouble. We are not allowed to use our elbows for hitting in derby,
but it still happens very often that someone gets hit with an elbow. That extra
plastic shell on the elbow pad can make for quite a painful hit, especially to
the face. This is why skaters need to be careful to keep their arms tucked down
or back when in a busy pack.
Wrist guards
protect our wrists, especially when falling and catching oneself against the
concrete. However, they can also be very useful if someone accidentally skates
over your hands or wrists when you have fallen.
Your knee pads
are the pads that are going to take the most beating more than all of your
other pads combined. This is why it is important to invest in a pair of really
good ones with plenty of padding. The really well-padded ones can feel clumsy
and cumbersome for new skaters, but you get used to it fast and you will be
happy you bought them. As we are supposed to fall mainly on our knees, we need
to protect them. Falling on knee-bruises is incredibly painful and best
avoided.
The skates you
wear are a highly personal choice. As per WFTDA rules, they have to be quad
skates, but from there, we chose the kinds we like. Some skaters like really
low skates, whereas others like ones with a little more ankle support. The
wheels are also different based on preferences. Wheels come in different width,
core, hub, and durometer (hardness). Some skaters like slim wheels, some like
wider. Some use plastic hubs, some metal. Some skaters like their wheels to be
very grippy, some want them hard so they can go faster. Some skaters use a
combination of both.
 |
| Betty Switch |
Sometimes you will see skaters with additional gear, such as
shoulder braces (Our Betty Switch is a good example), back braces, shin guards,
facial shields and more. These are fine to wear, but are not mandatory. Our sponsor Derby City Skates sells gear and much more, be sure to check them out!
At the beginning of every bout, and also usually right after
half time, the skaters will line up and the referees will do a gear check. This
is to make sure that nothing in broken and that everything is correctly
fastened. They do this to further ensure everyone’s safety on the track. To
ensure further safety, we also have a medical team at all of our bouts, in case
something was to happen. We love to play, and we love to play rough, but we
always want everyone to be safe!
Shit does happen though ;-)
 |
| Progression of a derby kiss, image courtesy of Jess the Ripper |
 |
| Broken finger, image courtesy of Helluva Hooker |
(Unless stated, all images by Frayed Edge Concepts, LLC)
