photos by Tom Klubens
The 3rd home bout of the Naptown Roller Girls flat-track roller derby season (www.naptownrollergirls.com) was held on Saturday, January 16th 2010 at The Pepsi Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, and we are proud to report everyone survived and walked away with a BIG WIN for the home team, it was something like 200 billion to twelve. Seriously, the Tornado Sirens kicked a lot of Kentucky arse in a major rout, keeping the visitors under 20 points for the bout and beating them by over 200 points! Like, whoah! You might think this kind of old fashioned passionate butt whipping would be boring to watch, but everyone involved kept things fresh - a tall order considering the bout was competing with our Indianapolis Colts and their first game of the NFL playoffs.
As always, music was provided by yours truly at A Squared Industries during the bout as well as the after party at Birdy's. This has been such an honor and thrill for us! Honestly, DJing this has been quite a learning experience, we're now realizing just how difficult it is to make everyone happy all the time with track selection and timing and such. Normally when we DJ it is for our own events, parties and concerts that people come specifically to see, hear, and dance. It is quite a challenge to become a piece of a larger puzzle, to complement the situation and not be the attraction; and this is quite a fun challenge. We're getting better and better as DJs because of this challenge and these girls are incredible to support!
If you haven't yet been to a bout you need to make like a computer and get with the program!
How do you play derby??? Glad you asked!
There are 3 positions on the track:
PIVOT: Sets the pace for the pack and is the last line of defense. She wears the helmet with a stripe.
BLOCKER: Tries to stop the jammer and makes life difficult for the opposing team's blockers
JAMMER: Tears through the pack and scores points by passing members of the opposing team. She wears the helmet with a star.
The pack begins with a pivot from each team in front, 3 blockers from each team in the middle, and a jammer from each team in the back. When the whistle blows, the pack takes off, and on a second whistle, the jammers blast off and fight their way through the pack in an attempt to become "lead jammer." The jammers lap the pack and when they re-enter the pack, they receive one point for each member of the opposing team they pass legally. A jam lasts a maximum of two minutes, but the "lead jammer" has the right to call off the jam at her discretion.
It might appear as though there are no rules on the track, but there are penalties such as:
• false starts
• skating and blocking out of bounds
• holding
• illegal blocking
• intentional tripping and falling
• illegal use of the hands
Add all that to general mayhem of skating extra close several other girls who want to knock you down and you'll feel the excitement. See you at the fairgrounds!
NRG <3's A2!!
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