ITS BACK! This cult is dedicated to aid in the resurrection of the greatest Women's Sport of all time: Roller Derby. This cult provides people with information, bout info, team info, and anything else roller derby related.  UNDER CONSTRUCTION! PLEASE HELP THIS CULT GROW! ROLLER DERBY HISTORY In 1935, sports promoter Leo A. Seltzer held a roller skating endurance race similar to bicycle races that had become popular during the Great Depression. Seltzer's contest involved 25 teams, each with one male and one female skater. The goal was to complete 57,000 laps around the rink -- approximately the distance across the continental United States. Sports historians mark this as the first roller derby. Seltzer organized these races until 1937, when sportswriter Damon Runyon noted that the most exciting moments were the collisions between skaters. Then, the competition changed from an endurance event to game with defensive and offensive skaters. Teams played on a banked track, and women and men played in alternating periods. Roller derby's popularity grew during the 1940s and '50s. The sport gained a reputation for being rough and aggressive, and players developed intense rivalries. In the early 1970s, the slowing economy and rising fuel costs led to the sport's decline. Televised bouts, some with theatrical elements similar to professional wrestling, could not revive people's interest. The current roller derby revival started in 2001. New leagues have kept the same general structure of the game but with distinctive, all-female teams.  RULES OF THE GAME Official WFTDA Website (for info):  WFTDA OFFICIAL RULES (PDF):  SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL DERBY TEAM! BUFFALO, NY  Which consists of:    HACKETTSTOWN,NJ
Myspace or VampireFreaks
KINGSTON, NY
CENTRAL/SOUTH, NJ
NEWARK, NJ
made up of:
  
LEHIGH VALLEY, PA
Which Consists of:
FORT MYERS, FL
MADE UP OF:
Palm City Punish Hers
Ft.Myers Miss Da Mean Hers
ROCKFORD, IL
MADE UP OF:
  
ATLANTA, GA
MADE UP OF:
   
NASHUA, NH
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This Equipment information was written by Diamond Crusher of the Devil Dollies (League Queen city Roller Girls of Buffalo NY) Thanks Diamond!
--SKATE FEATURES---
1. Boots- Roller skating boots come in a variety of styles and fits. Some things you want to consider when purchasing a boot are the cut, quality of leather, lace tread and support structures.
a. The cut of your boot depends on your personal preference. Although most roller derby skaters model speed skaters and their low cut boot style, there are some really incredible roller derby skaters out there that refuse to give up their high cut boots.
b. Leather vs. Synthetic- The softer the leather, the faster and more comfortable the break in period. The boot will form fit to your foot much faster. The tougher the leather, the longer it will take to break in and the more painful the process will be. How do you know? The higher the price of the boot, the more likelihood the boot is made out of leather.
Vinyl isn't as durable or as cozy and will not break in. For vegans, there are some better alternatives to vinyl coming out this season, but whether those materials are durable, only time will tell.
c. Lace tread- Some skaters prefer to have more room in the toe box* area of the boot. You may notice that these skaters don't thread their laces through the first 2-3 eyelits at the bottom of the lace tread, or they wear boots that have a lace tread that starts further up the boot. If you prefer a tighter toe box, be sure that you are purchasing a boot that is able to be laced to the very tip of the toe. If you prefer more room, perhaps you will consider a boot that has a tread that starts further up the front of the boot.
Laces- Waxed laces are recommended. They stay in place longer, last longer and will tighten your skates more efficiently.
d. Support- If your foot is more secure, than your skate will react quicker. Some boots have straps and some have clasps for this purpose. Adjustable clasp- is in place to add support and to keep the lace guard secure so that the laces aren't loose. This is usually on a jam skating boot but I was warned by many that it isn't a safe feature for roller derby.
Straps- The velcro cinch strap adds extra support. Some manufacturers will tell you that it doesn't, but I feel like it does. It feels more comfortable to have one.
e. Lace guards- These are leather covers to go over your lace tread. They are built-in to the skate. These are mostly cosmetic, but serve the purpose of keeping your laces from flying around while skating.
This is most important for jam skaters so they don't get jammed up during their routines by tripping over their laces.
f. Stoppers- Stoppers are not required in roller derby. Often, speed skaters will complain that they get in the way, however, when roller derby skaters get stopped (such as after falling), stoppers tend to be the most popular method to get going faster, by using the smallest amount of energy. The style of stopper you use (there are many of them) depends on your personal preference.
2. Plates- When shopping for a plate, the most important qualities you want to look for are weight, durability and strength. These are mostly dependent upon the material the plate is made from.
a. Material
An aluminum plate, regardless of the quality, will be stronger than a nylon plate. If you are wondering why there is a plate made out of pantyhose, there isn't. When people refer to plates as `nylon' they mean nylon-plastic, a very strong yet elastic, refined, synthetic material. Nylon is light, good for greater maneuverability, but it flexes which means less reaction, in other words, to pick your skate off the ground exactly how and when you want. To get better reaction, you need to go with aluminum.
I did hear that you should not weigh over 175 pounds if using a nylon plate, but I have been skating on them for over a year....and that tells me that the weight limit is a bunch of whoey!
Aluminum plates are much stronger and react better than nylon plates. They will last you a very long time, but most aluminum plates are much heavier compared to nylon, that is why it is best to go with a plate made from aircraft aluminum or magnesium.
"But Waaa, these plates are more expensive." "But they're everything you ever wanted in a frame, lightweight and bullet strong, they'll last you longer, you'll have more fun on them and you won't have to buy another for a very, very long time!"
b. king pins/pivot adjust- there are 2 types and adjusting these will make your trucks tighter or looser which is entirely dependent upon personal preference -Inverted kingpins- modern skates have inverted kingpins and they are easier to use than the standard king pins
- Standard kingpins- old style, when adjusting the trucks you must loosen the lock nut before adjusting the king pin and tighten the lock nut once you are done, so that you do not strip the king pin and lock it into place.
c. bushings - Bushings are the cushions that compress to allow for turning. There are two different materials for bushings, too. There is rubber- which will not last as long and is primarily used for short performances, and there is polyurethane (which the same material our wheels are made out of). It's best to use polyurethane bushings for roller derby. And, just like our wheels, our bushings come in different durometers* as well. Manufacturer's assign different colors to the different bushings depending upon their hardness, therefore, red may mean softest to Powerdyne (skate plate manufacturer) but hardest to another manufacturer.
3. Wheels- -Different qualities of a Wheel- a. Durometer, measured in "A" (hardness) also referred to as "grip" or firmness and is crucial when skating on different surfaces.
If you are slipping on the corners/turn, be sure to put a grippier wheel on your front, inside wheel.
For use on sport court or smooth concrete use grippy, durometer of about 88A, flatouts. For use on laminated wooden floors - in the winter use firm (about 94A) and extra firm in the summer ( about 95A)
b. Size
It is easier to accelerate on a smaller wheel but to a stronger skater the benefit may not be noticeable. To maintain a certain track speed - you want to skate on a wheel with a larger diameter. The 62mm wheel works best because it can maintain the track speed.
c. Width
It is negotiable whether wider wheels get nicked up in the pack more, or not. It really is your personal preference. Narrower wheels = less stability.
d. Hub
1. plastic hubs flex= delayed reaction (take off on your pushes), less true roll, (compare a rolling balloon to a rolling can, who wins the race?)
2. aluminum hubs don't flex= dependable reaction on take off on your pushes and a better roll, truer roll
(a tip from a tipper that tipped Estro Jen (kick ass skater from Rollercon)- I have a pair of outdoor wheels with lower quality bearings and a couple pairs of wheels that I switch out when skating on different surfaces. I use the outdoor wheels at practice, on any surface because it makes practice tougher and then a couple practices before a game I'll wear the wheels I plan to wear for the game so that I can get used to them.)
3. Bearings
Things to know:
You need 16 (2 per wheel) for roller skating purposes. They come in 2 sizes (7mm and 8mm) and your size depends on the size of your axle. If you aren't sure, bring your skate to where you will be purchasing your bearings. Plain and simple, get something reasonably priced, keep them thin and lubricated with oil, not grease.
Grease works for slow turning and very heavy weights- so if you weigh over a ton grease is for you.
An ABEC rating will not affect your speed while roller skating. Speed is what you get by roller skating, not bearings. The higher ABEC rating, the less dirt they are able to tolerate. Your axles and wheels affect speed more than bearings do. Lubricant does affect speed. The race and composite the bearing is made from will affect speed. Not the rating.
Recommended- 2 sets of bearings (1 set for outdoor and dirty locations, low abec1 and 1 set for practice and games, abec 5, 7, Swiss)
When your bearings become dirty or noisy- CLEAN THEM!
II. Protective Gear
1. knee pads- When they started having funerals for skate parks, is when the death of innovative protective gear began. For now, rollergirls typically use pads made for skateboarding. The problem with this is that most pads are form fitted for a bent knee and are wide. While skateboarders bail, rollergirls eat shit in an array of chaotic landings. Don't get me wrong, skateboarding pads are made to protect you, but they are not very comfortable because most of them do not allow full range of motion, and let's face it, the Fat Boys aren't going to give us the deepest cross-overs.
What you want to look for in a pad-
- Outer Caps- Are they replaceable? Do they restrict my range of motion?
- Straps- Is it an open back or a pull up back? Open backs are easiest because you can put them on before or after you put your skates on.
2. elbow pads- Did you know that the elbows are `generally' the first to hit the ground in ice hockey? Me neither. Not sure if I believe it, either. All I know is, be sure they are a good fit and they won't slide down. Caps recommended.
3. wrist guards- what to buy and do they work
What to buy? Be sure your wrist guards have plates that project from the heel of the hand and that you can tie your skates while wearing them.
Do they work? (true story from a skater at Rollercon) As a scrappy little brat at the skate park, wearing wrist guards was enforced, but there were these rumors that they didn't work. It was supposed that the bar is actually in place to break your arm rather than your wrist, which ok, I get it- quicker healing, but I just wore long sleeves to avoid the thought. So I finally looked into it, and I found researchers that did a study on this topic at Brown University.
They measured bone strain and energy absorption in the two key bones of the forearm, the radius and the ulnar, with and without wrist guards.
When cadaveric forearms were subjected to compressive forces simulating a fall, wrist guards reduced bone strain in the radius and absorbed some of the energy which would ordinarily pass directly through the bone during a fall. There was also a reduction in ulnar bone strain, but only when wrist guards contained plates which projected from the heel of the hand. Epidemiologic studies link wrist guards with a reduced risk of injury, and the Brown research suggests that wrist guards do indeed protect the wrist during relatively low-energy falls by 'load-sharing' with the wrists and arm bones and by absorbing impact energy ('The Effect of Wrist Guards on Bone Strain in the Distal Forearm,' The American Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 27(4), pp. 500-506, 1999).
4. mouth guard -According to the American Dental Association, an athlete is 60 times more likely to have an injury to the teeth when not wearing a protective mouth guard-
Questions to ask yourself when looking for a mouthguard- Is my mouth guard insured? For how much is it insured? Is Roller Derby covered under the insurance plan?
Types of mouth guards
1- ready made
2- boil and bite
3- custom made by a dentist
*When choosing a mouth guard, it should be noted that a mouth guard custom made from your dentist will give you superior protection
5. Helmet- don't scramble your brains, wear one that fits, replace it after 5 years.
-Important protective gear notice: there is currently no US law that requires manufacturers to meet a specific safety standard for a skateboard helmet. The ASTM certification is voluntary, not mandatory.
So, a skateboard helmet may or may not carry the ASTM certification.-
That disclosure is simply warning consumers to purchase a helmet that has been tested and approved.
VOCAB QUIZ
*-Durometer= measure of hardness (lowest=softest, highest= hardest)
*- Polyurethane= material our wheels and bushings are made from
*- ABEC- has nothing to do with speed. Stands for Annular Bearing Engineers' Committee.
*- Toe box- a not-so kinky maneuver in which your toes situate around space in the toe area of your boot
*- Jam Skating- competitive roller skating comparable to roller break dancing
*- Figure Roller Skating- figure ice skating, on roller skates. Did you know that they are actually the same boots, too?
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