Rage City delivers roller-derby mayhem

  • Published
  • By David Bedard
  • JBER PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  When an average person thinks of roller derby, perhaps images are conjured up of a woman wearing a viking helmet, throwing an elbow to brutally catapult an adversary over a banked-track rail into a bewildered crowd.

Jennifer Schober is a contractor working in the 3rd Component Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.  She is also a bout production chair for the Rage City Rollergirls, where she is joined by teammate Air Force Reserve Maj. Lisa Reaver of JBER's 477th Fighter Group.

Schober, better known to many by her skater name, "Hurtz Generator," said roller derby has changed greatly since its 1970's zenith.

"The modern women's flat track roller derby is a sport first and foremost," she explained. "It's one of the fastest growing sports in the world, really, it is international at this point.

"The big difference between the old banked track and today, was banked track was probably a little bit more like (professional wrestling)," Schober continued. "It was a little bit staged, a little bit more hair pulling, elbowing and all that stuff.

"Modern flat track roller derby, first and foremost, is played on a flat track, not on a banked track -- and it's not staged at all, it is real."

What hasn't changed is roller derby athletes still wear roller skates with old-fashioned trucks and wheels, despite the fact that inline skates have largely replaced their older forebears.

Because roller derby is still a full-contact sport, Schober said competitors are required to wear helmets, elbow and knee pads, wrist guards and mouth pieces.

She said the basic premise of the sport is to score points. "Jammers," identified by a star on their helmet covers, are the only skaters who can score.

A bout is usually divided into two 30-minute periods. The periods are further broken down into two-minute "jams."

Four "blockers" from each team constitute "the pack," and they are released from the "pivot line" to circle the track counterclockwise at the first whistle. When all "blockers" pass the "pivot line," a second whistle is signaled, releasing the two opposing "jammers" from a line 30 feet behind the "pivot line."

When the "jammers" catch "the pack,"they attempt to pass through them; "blockers" play defense and offense simultaneously, trying to get their "jammer" through while also trying to stop the opposing one.

The first "jammer" who gets cleanly through without a penalty is deemed by officials as the "lead jammer," giving her the ability to call off the "jam" before the two-minute time limit. Calling off the "jam" is a strategic move to prevent the other team from scoring.

On the initial pass, no points are scored. When a "jammer" laps the pack, she picks up a point for every "blocker" passed.

Schober said there are minor and major penalties called for illegal hits, blocks and other transgressions. Four minor penalties combine for a major penalty and call for one minute in the penalty box, setting a power play for the other team. Seven major penalties calls for the expulsion of a skater from the bout.

Schober said roller derby requires athletic prowess to skate for two minutes straight while throwing and catching blocks.

"An extreme amount of endurance is required for roller derby," she said. "It's a fast-paced sport, especially for the 'jammers' who are full out sprinting the entire time they are on the track, and they're getting hit left and right. It's like [the children's game] 'Kill the Carrier.'"

With tattoos, over-the-top outfits and skater names like "Lethal Lavender," "Pain Maker Sally" and "Killa Magilla," Schober said roller derby is a world where women can reinvent themselves.

"Our league is probably a little older than a lot of the leagues in the Lower 48 [states]," she explained. "So you have a lot of women who have kids. Roller derby gives us an outlet to have fun, to maybe relive our youth a little bit, get a little crazy.

"You can have the most reserved person in everyday life, and they can be the craziest person on the track," Schober continued. "You're kind of schizophrenic, I guess."

She said seven bouts are planned for the 2010-2011 season from October through May, playing teams as close as Fairbanks and as far away as Hawaii.  Schober said Rage City Rollergirls is a non-profit organization who, this year, is donating bout proceeds to area women's shelters.

Many may struggle to put their finger on the widening appeal of roller derby.  Team member Angela Ramirez, known by the skater name "Sarah Impale 'em," offered her thoughts on the matter.

"Derby, I think it just calls to you," Ramirez said. "When I first started skating [roller derby], I hadn't skated since I was 16. I wasn't good then, and I'm still trying to learn the game, but there's just something about it that called me.

"There's just a bond between this group of women that's just, I don't know how to explain it, it's just really unique," she continued. "When you talk to derby players from anywhere, people will say, 'Why derby?' and it's like, 'I don't know, it's just this bond we have.'"

For more information, visit www.ragecityrollergirls.org.