Roller Derby is a competitive hobby sport where skaters race around a track to score points, and recently, Connecticut Roller Derby (CTRD) hosted a bout at the EH Veterans Memorial Rink. 

CTRD has 3 teams separated by skill level and experience. The most experienced team, the A-Team, is the Connecticut All Stars; then the B-team, the Yankee Brutals; and lastly the C-Team, the Connecticut Cutthroats. At the bout on May 16th, both the All Stars and Yankee Brutals competed. The All Stars beat the Western Mass Furies 315 to 84, and the Yankee Brutals lost to the Virginia Vipers 79 to 225. 

On Saturday, May 16th, CTRD hosted a bout at the Veterans Memorial Rink next to JMMS and Academy. Tickets were only 10 dollars a person, and the event had a format I had never seen before. The rink had a smaller track taped onto the middle of the floor that the skaters rode on and used as a boundary. Around the track there was another tape line called the “danger zone”, where spectators are not allowed to stand because they may get hit by sliding players. EHHS Alumni Ayvah Vincent stated “I thought it was really interesting how we were able to sit so close to the track, it was cool seeing the players up close.” On the edge of the rink there were vendors and cameras. This event was different from most others I’ve been to because spectators were encouraged to sit on the rink floor along with the players. 

Rules Overview:

• Bouts (games) are separated into two halves, 30 minutes each.
• Each half is separated into jams that are 2 minutes long.
  • The jammer is the person who scores, they wear a star on their helmet.
  • The 3 blockers try to stop the jammer from scoring.
  • The Pivot acts as a 4th blocker and a back up for the jammer on their team.
  • 5 players per team, 10 per jam.
• Before Jammers can score they have to pass the pack (the majority group of blockers) once.
• By passing the pack first they become the lead jammer, this gives them the advantage to stop the jam whenever they want.
• After passing the pack the first time, they get a point for every blocker they pass after that.
  • This allows up to 4 points per lap.
• After the Jam is over (when the 2 minutes runs out or the lead jammer stops the jam) the teams swap out players and a new jam begins.
• The 30 minute clock runs the whole time even while teams swap players.

Roller Derby is known for being a very accepting and welcoming sport. The sport was originally created in the 1930s as a response to the roller dancing performances. The sport was originally composed of both boys and girls, and they would swap out during the game. This was revolutionary for the time because this was a contact sport in which boys and girls participated together; this made women shine in roller derby. After the original leagues started closing down in the 1970s, a resurgence was made in the early 2000’s of all girls roller derby, where women could shine in a contact sport that was made for them. Now many different types of leagues exist, but the most popular is the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Although the league has “Women’s” in the title, it is open to all people of marginalized genders, including anyone who is transgender. CTRD is part of the WFTDA.

Roller Derby is also a very friendly community, throughout the bout all of the skaters on opposing teams recognized each other, were talking in between halves and jams, and even hugging before the jam whistle blew. Angry Penguin stated that “It’s an awesome sport, and its not just the competitiveness… but the people are awesome.” Even though the players were very competitive, they were all there to have a good time. Most skaters have “skate names” or “derby names”, these are what they go by during bouts, and what players have on their jersey; they even refer to each other by their derby names in casual conversation. Derby names are often given or developed over time. For example, when you first join the team, people might notice something about you or point it out, and this may eventually become part of your derby name. “Sometimes it’s given to you… I had it [Angry Penguin] on the shorts that I wore during my fresh meat period.” 

Check out CTRD’s website for more information and a schedule of upcoming bouts. There will be bouts in East Haven again on June 27th and July 25th, so make sure to keep your eyes open and get some tickets to see what the sport is all about!