New to Roller Derby?

Has Whip It opened your eyes to the derby revival taking over the country? Inspired you to take a turn around the track? Read on.

By Mona Mour

Whip It finally made its national debut last weekend, and the Boston Derby Dames were lucky enough to get invited to advance screenings at the Brattle Theater. Turns out the movie has generated a little bit of interest in modern roller derby and the women who play it. Some are attracted by director Drew Barrymore’s call to “be your own hero,” while others want to relive their glory days as athletes. Some want to meet new people, get in a good workout, discover their inner badass, or hear their derby name chanted by crowds of a thousand.

Whatever your reasons, it’s important to know that derby isn’t all fishnets and autographs.

First, a primer. Whip It focuses on banked track derby, a subset of the sport that is played on an elevated, sloped track. Due to the cost involved in constructing, housing, and maintaining a banked track, there are only seven such leagues in existence. Flat track derby, which is what the Dames and 400+ other leagues across the country play, is played on any surface large enough to mark off a regulation track. The Boston Derby Dames are members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), which writes the derby rules, maintains rankings, and hosts tournaments (like the 2009 WFTDA Nationals in Philly, to which our all-star team, the Boston Massacre, won an invitation by placing third in September’s Eastern Regionals tournament).

Speaking of rules, unlike Whip It’s no-holds-barred style of derby, WFTDA roller derby is played under a 37-page rule set, and every Derby Dame has to pass a rules test. If you peruse the rule book, you’ll find out that fighting will get you ejected from the game (much like in any other professional sport). While fans may scream for a fight, most skaters would rather stay on the track and help their team than have to listen to the announcers from the locker room. Not to mention that if you slap an opponent and get ejected, it’s likely your team will inflict even greater pain on you later. While we’re eager to take a girl off her skates, we do it legally, without throwing elbows, tripping, punching, or clothes-lining.

(Photo of Maura Buse and a Carolina Roller Girls skater © Swift Bennet Photography)

Sounding too tame? Don’t worry, roller derby is still a full contact sport. Just stop by a bout and check out Maura Buse take a jammer to the ground using only her ass cheek. It’s far more impressive than any sucker punch. In fact, after seeing Whip It, you might notice that roller derby looks even more difficult in real life than it does on screen. It was widely reported that Ellen Page did most of her own skating, which is incredible. However, you’ll notice that as she maneuvers through the pack as a jammer, not that many skaters are getting in her way. Just ask all-star jammers Krushpuppy or Claire D. Way if getting through the pack is anywhere near that easy. They have bruises to prove to you it’s not.

And yes, there are fishnets and autographs too. We definitely are rock stars, but the hours we put in just to play just one bout require a dedication beyond Whip It fandom. The Boston Derby Dames practice three times per week, and if you’re going through freshmeat training, you’re required to be at every single practice. Why? Because derby is dangerous, and the only way to play safe is to play smart. You have to learn the basics of skating: how to stop, how to fall, how to land a solid hit, and most importantly, you have to learn the rules. This takes place over the course of a three-month training process that makes you not only as badass as you can be, but also as safe as you can be (because season-ending injuries are no fun. Just ask Speed Metal and Sheryl Crowbar).

And finally, while Page's 17-year-old Bliss Cavender may have been able to suit up for the Hurl Scouts with a note from her parents, you have to be 21 years old with valid health insurance to play for the Boston Derby Dames. Roller derby is a full-contact sport, and no matter how good you are, someone is going to knock you on your butt—hard. Your body is simply not ready to take that kind of abuse at the tender age of 16. Though Boston is a great city filled with potential skaters, in order to maintain our league’s elite status and team tradition, we’re looking for skaters who can commit some serious time to the sport. In our experience, those skaters tend to be a little bit older.

In short, playing roller derby is a badass, epic, awesome experience. If you think you have the passion and dedication required to be a derby girl, then check out our tryouts on November 8. You don’t need your own gear; we’ve got some you can borrow. What you do need is the time and patience to learn, the thick skin to take the critique, and the determination to make it through a tough season.  And if you’re not interested in being a skater, we may have other places for you. We’re always looking to beef up our ref crew (to enforce that monster rule set), bout production requires dedicated volunteers, and the Boston Massacre is currently looking for a coach (cutoff shorts and fanny packs are not required).

Whether you’ve been a fan of the Boston Derby Dames since we first got rolling in 2005, or if Whip It has piqued your curiosity and brought you to our site for the first time, we’re thrilled to have you and proud to bring nationally ranked, full contact, flat track roller derby to greater Boston.

Interested in more facts about modern roller derby and how it differs from what you might remember from the 50s, 60s, and 70s or what you'll find in Whip it? Check out Derby News Network's FAQs.

--

10/9/09