Bout Time... Flat Track Derby

   

      I have learned a LOT about the game we call a BOUT. A lot of people ask me what roller derby is and the objective of the game. My usual response is that it's like playing football on skates without a ball and that I play for a league that plays flat track roller derby. A bout is a game that consists of 2-30minute halves with 2 minute jams. A jam is played with 10 players, 5 skaters each team. The Jammers wear a star panty on their helmet (yes I said panty, this is removed from player to player as they become the jammer) they are like your linebacker. They start behind the pack which consists of 4 blockers of each team (who play both offense and defense simultaneously) one of whom is your pivot or your quarterback. The pivot is the one wearing the stripe panty on her helmet, she also controls the pack and when need be can become the jammer herself when the jammer decides she can no longer fulfill getting points but doesn't want to call off the jam. The first whistle blows and the jammers need to get through the pack. The first one to get through the pack then becomes your lead jammer which means she can call off the jam before 2 minutes by tapping her hands on her hips.  Each jammer can start collecting points as soon as she returns to the pack and gets through and past each opposing player, (one point per opposing skater). During this time the blockers will hip, booty, or shoulder check the opposing jammer in an attempt to NOT let her through all the while making a way for their jammer to get through. If a player makes any illegal hits they will be called out into the penalty box for 1 minute. If the lead jammer happens to get called to the penalty box the jam then becomes a POWER JAM in which the opposing jammer can collect points until the lead jammer has served her time, given there is still time on the clock.

     I encourage you to look for a roller derby league/team near you to join or support your local roller derby girls. The movie Whip It is not a precise adaptation, but nonetheless very entertaining.

     We just had a Derby101 class and it is always awesome to get your coaches and team skaters different perspectives on strategies. I LOVE ROLLER DERBY!!!!!!!


Beach Cities Roller Derby has themed bouts and this next bout coming up July 27th 2013 will be NERDS! (pictures to come after the bout) Also with each bout we help support our community. Last months bouts theme was super hero which helped us raise funds and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis, this month our featured charity event will be for women in recovery <3

    

3 months of fresh meat

   

     So let me begin by introducing myself, HI I am MF BOOM (all caps) and I play roller derby. Yes that is correct, ROLLER DERBY. I'd like to begin this journey with how I got into this sport. I don't really remember ever watching it on t.v, but i do remember having a fascination with skates. I was an adolescent when I put on my first set of "skates". You know the mickey mouse plates with wheels you'd strap on under your shoes? Yeah that was my first experience. I then grew up a little enough to actually wear some real skates and skated around my street, but that was the extent of my skating years. Then one day in 2009 I came across the movie Whip It with Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, Eve, Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig etc and i was like "holy hell I NEED to find something like this!!!!" aaaaaaand that was the extent of my inspiration that year.

     Fast forward to March 2013... A buddy of mine posted a facebook status telling all his friends that he'd be hosting a roller derby meeting and boy was I game! A couple of friends and I went to the recruitment orientation meeting and that is when my life changed completely! I went on craigslist and found a pair of skates for sale, and  that was that! Went to a couple of practices, which I was so glad they teach you EVERYTHING you need to know from lacing your boots, checking your wheels and so on, to actually stepping in the rink and moving forward to eventually hits.

     I got insured with the WFTDA after my second practice because that is a MUST. And ummmmmmmmmm yeah you better get insured because training can get intense!

     THE NAME! Picking a name can get pretty tough, I mean there are so many girls worldwide that play roller derby it's really hard to choose something that isn't taken or can be modified. A few names I wanted to go with were Ghostface Killher and Snoop Dodgie Dodge being that I am a major hip hop head, but they were taken AND modified. Damn what's a gal to do now? SO I started brainstorming. What is my theme? HIP HOP of course. Okay, what about hip hop? The production! Favorite producers? Alchemist, DJ Muggs, J Dilla, Nujabes, 9th Wonder, Pete Rock, DJ Premiere, MF DOOM... hey roller derby is a contact sport and when you hit someone it sounds like BOOM in your head and is an awesome onomatopoeia, OMG I am soooo gonna be MF BOOM! YES that is IT! (MF DOOM got his name based on Dr. Doom, and the MF stands for Metal Face and Metal Fingers. In my name it stands for Metal Feet). Metal Feet BOOMskates oh yeah! MF BOOM in da haus!

     3 months later and I have already gotten bruised and beat as well as strained some muscles, BUT it is always worth it. Learning to skate, stop, and all the other fancy stuff you do in derby is fun, but what is even way more fun is getting to know the girls on your team/league The camaraderie is AMAZING! You really do gain a whole new family the minute you step foot in the rink. My coaches are AWESOME!!! Always impressive with the skills they possess and willingness to share any insight. I am so blessed to have found a roller derby team near my home at the perfect time as well. Had I known about this a couple of years ago it would have remained a secret dream of mine.

     I ENCOURAGE YOU TO FIND A TEAM NEAR YOU AND GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT! Our league doesn't just take skaters, we also have so many positions available like NSO (non skating official), Referees, and we also do a lot of community work and it takes a brigade to put on a bout (game). So roller derby is not just limited to skaters, we are a whole family of a lot of things.

If you are in the South Bay area in California look up Beach Cities Roller Derby or check out our facebook page and give us a gander.