AVENUE: What is roller derby? How is it played? Psych0 Starship: Well I think this question can be answered in two ways... first of all, roller derby is about that ‘GRRL’ attitude, that punk D-I-Y philosophy, a viable sport that hones brutal skating, the craziest styles and headstrong and powerful female figures truly set to inspire girls of all ages. The message of SLRDA Roller Derby is - BE YOUR OWN HERO! BE YOUR OWN ICON! As for what Roller Derby, the sport is, well these are the basics... Roller Derby consists of two teams of four defensive players and one jammer – the point scorer. The game begins with the pivots and the blockers (defensive players) skating in front in a tight formation (the pack). The jammers race to pass through the pack once, at which time no points are scored – but a “lead jammer” position can be established. They continue to race around the track a second time and attempt to pass the pack again. The jammers score one point for each opponent they lap as long as they pass that player in bounds and without penalties. The jammers may continue to race and score points for
two minutes or until the lead jammer “calls off the jam” (by putting her hands on her hips). Generally, a jammer scores four points each time she makes it through the pack within bounds and five points if she laps the other jammer! Like any sport, Roller Derby has many detailed rules, penalties and strategies… and obviously, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins! AV: How did you become involved with roller derby? PS: I first heard of Roller Derby because of a RL girlfriend at the time, she was very much into the feminist movement (not that I’m saying Roller Derby is a feminist movement!) and she got into this Roller Derby thing. So naturally, I asked what it was all about, now 8 years later here I am in SL helping to promote and share the love of Roller Derby to all that are willing to listen to me preach! AV: How long has there been roller derby been in SL? PS: Well, Roller Derby has been around in many shapes and forms on SL since around 2006, but each time something seemed to come together it never quite ‘got there’. It wasn’t until 2008 that I began to think about developing something to help promote Roller Derby, not only inside SL but outside too. Of course, it was just a crazy