By now, a huge number of sports have been formed. However, most of them are universal: designed for both men and women. But there is not very popular at the moment sports game – roller derby. Its peculiarity is that it is played only by women, for men it is simply not intended.
In the 20th century in America there was already such a sport as roller skating on an inclined surface. It was called the same as now – roller derby. A little later, Leo Seltzer organized an event on this sport. Observing the participants during the activity, he noticed that there were physical collisions between athletes and falls. By slightly changing the rules, Leo created a new game with the same name.
The game is open to up to 15 people (usually 5 per team). Two teams enter an oval court on roller skates. There are two roles on a team: jammer and blocker. The jammer is one per team, and there are four blockers. The four blockers are in front and the jammer is the main player behind them, this is the structure of one team. The idea is that in a certain time the main player of one team, with the help of his blocker allies, passes through the blockers of the other team as many times as possible. Players can move at any speed, but the goal remains the same. A point is awarded to a team for one jammer overtaken by an opponent. One round lasts 2 minutes, and a session of the entire game is 60 minutes. The goal is to score as many points as possible.
Outside the playing area are the benches for the offenders. The offender is the one who made a defense on the forbidden places on the opponent’s body. Such places are: head, neck, spine, part of the arms (from wrist to elbow) and part of the legs (from ankle to knee). Permitted places for blocking are: thighs, abdomen, part of the arms (from elbow to shoulders), back and buttocks. A penalty point is awarded to the team for each offender.
The game gained increasing popularity in America from the 1940s through the 1960s. More and more competitions were held and televised. But from the 1960s onwards, the events had less demand and soon, in 1973, disappeared altogether. Many attempts were made to revive the sport, and it wasn’t until the 1980s that varieties of the game were invented, which helped to reignite the popularity of these competitions. The varieties were created by changing the shape of the playing court and making changes to the rules of the game.
A big leap in the development of the competition occurred in September 2006, when the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association (WFTDA) was formed. Since then, the competition became official, and in the organization of this game at the moment there are about four hundred leagues of different countries. Every year there are competitions in which the most prepared teams participate, fighting among themselves for the title of champion. The leader remains the creators of this sport – America.
In the modern world of sports, roller derby is quite an exciting spectacle. Most often women take part in this game, but recently, competitions among the male sex are gaining popularity. Both children and adults can participate in the game.