Roller Derby!

This weekend I went to my cousin’s Roller Derby bout. This was the first time I was ever at a bout, and it was quite interesting. The Roller Derby season goes from April to November, and they have bouts once a month. My cousin, Jen, thought that it would be a fun thing to be a part of so she signed up and started training. She put in a lot of hours in the skating rink and started running to get in shape. Our family was really hesitant about encouraging her to do this because she dislocated her shoulder twice and had to get surgery. This didn’t stop her though. At first, we didn’t understand the concept, but after watching a few jams, we caught on. Each skater has a name and a number. Some of the names get pretty crazy. For example, some girls’ names were, Tanker Bell, Meecha Maker, and Lizzy von Leethal. My cousin’s name is Ricci Reckless, and her number is 6202, which is her son’s birthday. There is a track set up in the middle of the rink in the shape of an oval. The skaters must stay within the lines of the oval. There are four skaters from each team on the track at a time. One is called a pivot, two are blockers, and the other is a jammer. The jammer is that skater who scores points. The goal is for the jammer to pass the blockers. They have to keep passing the people on the other team to score points. Each time they pass, they get four points. The pivot sets the pace of the blockers. The blockers and the pivot have to stay in a line formation. Once you understand it, the bout is fun to watch. These girls can be rough too. They get pushed all over the place. There is even a penalty box for unnecessary roughness. I look forward to going to her next bout.