keep on rolling... roller girl!
Soldiers, with a view to keeping fit in times of peace, came up with games that would later become sports. Everyday work, a huge source of gambling while we’re at it, has also become different sports in different countries and cultures all over the world. Religions and beliefs have also caused people to burn up calories... A sport can have many different roots. An example of this is Roller Derby: a sport steeped in friendship, cinema and the punk-rock culture.
The term Roller Derby was used for the first time in 1922 by the Chicago Tribune in an article on a 24-hour roller skating race that had been organised in a Chicago park. The year 1930, a year after the famous crash in 1929, saw the beginning of the end of the marathon dance championships. Aware of what was happening, promoter Leo Seltzer registered the name Roller Derby and introduced a few basic rules that increased physical contact and fighting between the participants. He then contracted a team of skaters to go on a promotional tour of the sport. In a country always thirsty for the new, Roller Derby soon reached popular iconic status in the US. Once their temporarily slated thirst returns, however, the people turn away to look for something new, so the Roller Derbies disappeared over the next couple of decades. That is until the film Rollerball was premiered in 1975. Norman Jewison directed the film. Roller Derbies soon became popular again for a short time. Ever since then a small yet ever-increasing amount of people have kept the sport alive. These people are none other than those unpopular punk college girls.
Nowadays, all Roller Derby championships and leagues are made up of girls teams. The championships are organised in alternative spirit and very much in the DIY (Do It Yourself) mode. All teams are amateurs and autonomous. They set up a federation five years ago to help with coordination but men, the law and business have virtually no say in what goes on in the world of Roller Derby. Matches are played in parks or in rented out sports centres. All you need to participate is the will and desire to smash into an opponent. That and a pair of fourwheeled skates.
The term Roller Derby was used for the first time in 1922 by the Chicago Tribune in an article on a 24-hour roller skating race that had been organised in a Chicago park. The year 1930, a year after the famous crash in 1929, saw the beginning of the end of the marathon dance championships. Aware of what was happening, promoter Leo Seltzer registered the name Roller Derby and introduced a few basic rules that increased physical contact and fighting between the participants. He then contracted a team of skaters to go on a promotional tour of the sport. In a country always thirsty for the new, Roller Derby soon reached popular iconic status in the US. Once their temporarily slated thirst returns, however, the people turn away to look for something new, so the Roller Derbies disappeared over the next couple of decades. That is until the film Rollerball was premiered in 1975. Norman Jewison directed the film. Roller Derbies soon became popular again for a short time. Ever since then a small yet ever-increasing amount of people have kept the sport alive. These people are none other than those unpopular punk college girls.
Nowadays, all Roller Derby championships and leagues are made up of girls teams. The championships are organised in alternative spirit and very much in the DIY (Do It Yourself) mode. All teams are amateurs and autonomous. They set up a federation five years ago to help with coordination but men, the law and business have virtually no say in what goes on in the world of Roller Derby. Matches are played in parks or in rented out sports centres. All you need to participate is the will and desire to smash into an opponent. That and a pair of fourwheeled skates.
