It’s a sport that takes seven referees, constant switching between offense and defense, communication and regular contact — it’s roller derby.
“It’s not your grandma’s derby anymore,” said Kerrie “Honey Badger von Sparkles” Whatley.
Whatley is a member of Red Stick Roller Derby, founded in 2007 as a member of the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association for women 18 and older in Baton Rouge.
Whatley said roller derby’s prime was in the 1980s, but interest in the sport diminished when it became more about theatrics than playing the actual game. Now, the sport has grown so much in popularity that it is being considered for the 2020 Olympic Games.
“I think a nation that loves watching football would enjoy watching derby,” Whatley said.
Whatley said she became interested in roller derby after being “mesmerized” watching a bout, as roller derby events are called, with her friends in New Orleans.
“I was a cheerleader in high school,” Whatley said. “I always wanted to play basketball with the guys but the coach didn’t like that.”
It’s difficult to find serious, full-contact sports for women, Whatley said, but roller derby gives amateur women athletes an opportunity to compete.
Roller derby bouts are made up of two 30-minute periods, with two teams of five skaters. The skaters attempt to score during “jams” along an oval-like track. “Jams” may last for up to two minutes.
“The goal is to get the jammer through the group,” Whatley said. “If I’m a jammer, and I get through four opposing bodies, I score four points.”
Gayle “Turbo Tyke” Kees said the pivot is another key skater position. The pivot must be highly adaptable and communicate with team members quickly and effectively, Kees said.
“Strategies come out of figuring out ways to use the rules against the other team,” Kees said. “Like forcing people to commit penalties.”
Kees said one of the most common penalties is “cutting the track,” which occurs when a skater uses being forced off the track as a means to better her position.
The jammer and pivot are allowed to switch positions, Kees said, and will do so if the circumstances are correct. Skaters switch positions by switching their “helmet panties,” which are stretchy helmet covers. A panty with a star indicates the jammer, and a panty with a strip indicates the pivot.
“If the other jammer is stuck, and your jammer is not in the lead, it’s a good time to pass the panty,” Kees said.
The RSRD teams will play a doubleheader against the Alamo City Roller Girls from San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday at the Baton Rouge River Center. Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
The bout will be followed by an afterparty at The Spanish Moon, featuring karaoke. Entrance fees are $5 with a ticket stub from the bout and $7 without.