Detroit
Roller Derby
Frequently Asked Questions
How
old do I have to be?
All skaters must be 18 or over, for liability reasons. However,
anyone
of
any age can help support DRD through promoting, fundraising,
attending
events and matches, building scoreboards, making signs, sewing uniforms,
sponsors, etc.
Detailed rules are located here. The following is a brief synopsis of the basics: It's
not if you get hurt, it's when you get hurt! Pulled muscles,
sprains,
strains, bruises, and broken bones have and will happen in
DRD.
For this reason, all skaters are not only required to wear
protective
gear, but are also required to maintain health insurance.
This
may sound expensive if you don't have insurance through your
employer,
but we've found some affordable individual plans through
reputable
insurance companies for as little as $30 a month.
Practice,
meetings, fundraising, matches, promoting, and planning for
DRD
can take a considerable time commitment, especially for skaters. It
can
be as many hours as you have available. We have a lot of fun at our
events,
and most people do choose to be involved in helping make
decisions,
so the average amount of time is probably in the neighborhood
of
5-7 hours a week.
The
biggest expense will be for your equipment and health insurance if
you
don't already have it:
Protective
Gear: You can get a starter set of pads at Target for $15
which
includes knee, elbow and wrist pads/guards. Skate helmets and pads
can
also be found at used sporting equipment stores and on eBay for very
reasonable
prices. Skates: Can be rented for $2-3 at the rink. This will
get
you by for the first 2-3 weeks, possibly longer, but if you keep
skating,
you WILL want to upgrade your equipment. You can also get cheap
skates
at thrift stores, eBay, and used sports equipment stores, like
Play
It Again Sports.
The
first thing you?ll need is protective gear; a skate helmet, wrist,
elbow,
and knee pads are required for practice and match skating. Mouth
guards
and tailbone pads are also highly recommended. It makes good
sense
to avoid and reduce the severity of as many injuries as possible.
You
can get thrift store skates, or cheap practice skates at discount
department
stores. However, once you?ve decided that DRD is really for
you,
you'll want to invest in a good pair of speed skates, which will
run
$80-$150. Once you're hooked, you'll find the cheaper skates will
slow
you down, and make skating harder. In the beginning, you?ll be able
to
rent skates at the rink.
No.
We skate on a marked out area of a regular flat skating rink. We
will
eventually raise the money to build and maintain a banked track.
No.
It's real, and you can really get hurt, just like any sport.
The
fights are real, but ultimately, we are all friends. We spend a lot
of
time practicing and skating together, so things do get heated andtempers
flair. We always shake hands after. You might take an elbow or ahard
punch occasionally, but it really doesn't hurt, especially when your
adrenaline is high. And if you don't want to fight, don't start
one.
Some girls are never involved, others are always in the pile when the
fists start flying ? you will decide where you'll be.
No.
The smaller girls are typically faster and usually train to be inthe
Jammer position as team scorers. They are often squirrelly, quick,and
easy to whip around the rink, and often hard to knock down when theyhave
a lower center of gravity. No.
Big girls are hard to push around and make for great blockers. Skating
on a roller derby team will most likely get you in the bestshape
of your life! It?s excellent exercise that builds strength and endurance
and many big girls are great jammers, as well, with enough training
because an average size blocker will have a lot of trouble stopping
a big girl who's moving fast. Nope.
Very few of us came into this as regular roller skaters, and some hadn't
been on skates for years. We all started out at different skill levels,
but with a lot of practice we have developed great teams that will
be up against some of the more seasoned teams around the country very
soon. Don?t worry, just wear your protective gear and take it slow at
first. DRD has lots of drills designed to help you get confident on your
skates, and a practical skills assessment that will help you develop
and shoot for realistic goals that match your drive and athleticism.What
are the rules?
Basically,
there are two teams of 5 chicks each. Each team has one
scoring
position called a Jammer and the Jammer starts at the back.
The
rest of the chicks are Blockers, and they form what we call a pack.
The
two Jammers start sprinting at the whistle, and they have to get
through
the pack and back around another lap before they start scoring.
On
their second and future trips through, they get a point for every
opponent
they pass. Everyone else tries to stop them from passing.
What
if I get hurt?How
much time will it take?How
much does it cost?
Rink
Expenses: $30-60 per month for an all-session pass including all
closed
DRD practices
Health
Insurance: Varies by individual and plan.
Other
Expenses: Misc. expenses will require fundraising events to cover;
advertising, uniforms, team equipment, etc.
What
equipment do I need?Is
it like in the 70?s with a banked track?Is
roller derby fake?Are
the fights real? What if I don't know how or just don't want to
fight?What
if I'm really little? Don't you have to be big and burly to be in
Roller
Derby?What
if I'm really big? Don't you have to be athletic and in shape to bein
roller derby?What
if I haven?t been on skates since Junior High? Don't I have to be a great
skater to even attempt roller derby?
For
More Information, Please Contact 
