COMMUNITY • www.groovekorea.com
COMMUNITY • www.groovekorea.com
GK The Korean league was started by four women, including Jody O’Neill, who moved here in March from Detroit, where she was a founding member of the Detroit Derby Girls. “It was real campy when it started,” O’Neill said of derby’s early days. “As time’s gone on it’s gotten more serious, and now it’s really a sport. But the derby names, the rock and roll aspect have stayed. There’s still a good sense of humor behind it.” When it started in the 1920s, roller derby was a coed endurance race, but things changed when it became clear that the collisions were the main draw. Then came the theatrics, the costumes and the derby names. At one point it was even like pro wrestling, with all the hijinks and fake plays that that sport entails. But in the 1970s the flame went out and it looked like roller derby was dead. More than 30 years later, it resurfaced in
Austin as a women’s sport, run by and for women, with a decidedly grassroots appeal. Since then, more than 1,000 leagues have sprung up worldwide, including in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Japan. As a sign of just how far the sport has come, the first Roller Derby World Cup was held last month with 13 teams from around the world. It looks like the sport is at the beginning of a meteoric rise. It may be a while before the Korean league gets to an internationally competitive level, but these women hope to play the first bout in the coming months. The league had its first practice last April and attracted 12 women before posting its first ad. It now has about 30 members from all over the country. “It took my league about a year to get going,” O’Neill said of the Detroit Derby Girls. “I
think we’re looking at about a year from the start to when we finally play here, too, and hopefully we can play by spring.” Given the transient nature of the expat community, the league will most likely be a rec league for now. “We’ll come up with some team names and then we’ll have to divide the teams by skill levels because we’ll always have girls coming in and out,” O’Neill said. On the track, the bouts are fast-paced, full-contact affairs. Two teams of five players, one jammer and four blockers, move counterclockwise around the track in a 2-minute jam. During that time, the jammer gets a point for each skater she passes as the blockers do their best to get in her way. Players can block each other by hitting above the hip — but there are penalties for using the elbows, hands or head.
As a founding member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), which sets rules and rankings for its 130 member leagues worldwide, O’Neill is familiar with the rules because she helped devise them. “We had two pages of rules when we were first starting, just the basics,” she said. “A couple of leagues had a penalty wheel. The girls would spin it if they got a penalty and it was like spank alley where they had to skate in front of the audience and get hit. “In Detroit we were like, if somebody hits me I’m gonna hit ‘em back.” These days, the rules are very specific, dictating how far apart the pack can be spread out and where and how to deliver a hit. Because WFTDA requires member leagues to own and operate a majority of the league’s business, the Korean league hasn’t yet joined the organization.
To join, volunteer or contribute to the league, visit rokderbyblog.tumblr.com. Photo by Derek P. Opdyke
GROOVE KOREA January 2012
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