USARS Roller Derby Rules: thoughts?
So I just caught a glimpse of this article on derbylife.com.
So far, they all seem pretty similar to WFTDA rules. Then I noticed this rules which I very much like:
RD15.01 g. Players are not to direct communication to Officials during a jam except in the case of an emergency; any other communication by Players and/or Teams to Officials shall be through the Captain and/or Alternate only, during a Timeout.
It really bugs me when skaters on the track think they can call other people’s penalties.
BUT, then I saw this rule which I really don’t like!
RD20.07 Penalty Time. A player receiving a Minor Penalty (see RD 55 herein) will serve one (1) minute in the Penalty Box; a player receiving a Major Penalty (see RD 55 herein) will serve two (2) consecutive minutes in the Penalty Box.
Personally, I don’t see the point in serving a whole minute for a minor penalty? I think that it would mean that a lot of people will be off the track at once (and yes, jams are still the same amount of time), however, in the penalty box there would be room for 3 blockers and a jammer per team. THIS MEANS THERE COULD BE A JAM WITH ONE JAMMER AND ONE BLOCKER FROM EACH TEAM. Or one jammer. Period. and one blocker from each team.
It also seems like Pivots can become jammers or “Active Scorers” if they get out of the pack first.. this confuses me. All the Old School Derby rules are incorporated in these. I know they’re for testing. It just makes me very confused. What does the jammer do if the Pivot decides she wants to be the point scorer? :S I read on..
Oh my god. I don’t understand these rules!!!! I’m sticking to WFTDA :( FO SHO.
OSDA vs. WFTDA
sleeepfordays asked:How do you feel about OSDA derby compared to WFTDA?
I personally (as the administrator of this blog) might let you down in the fact that as much as I love Roller Derby and have done my good study on the subject, am not much for picking sides as long as there is derby. I am more like the fan who goes to every match I can, dress in team colors and yell until my throat gives in, and try not to get to involved in the politics of the business. However it is an interesting topic of discussion and would love to hear what our community has to say of it?
“In the WFTDA rules, the lead jammer is the first jammer who legally breaks through the pack, and she retains the lead jammer status regardless of her position relative to the opposing jammer throughout the jam. In an OSDA bout, the lead jammer status changes continuously throughout the jam, depending on which jammer is ahead of the other.”
—Did you know? (¿Sabías?)
No more sickness! Full-time banked track action!
So, after a week of staying off skates to recover from whatever nasty allergy-cold-“derby ick” (as Tasha said) I had, I was back on skates Monday night. I was a little nervous to be up on the banked track the whole time, but, besides the pace line figure 8 rotations and full-speed/strength laps, I stuck it out and held my own! And Dueces, who I never really worked with before who’s the vet coach, was SUPER awesome and nicer than I imagined (she just seemed like a pretty tough / strict coach). We worked a lot on running on all 4 wheels with relays, running through the pack along the top outside line and twisting our upper half to not bump into people. We also did some hip checks which was fun, but made me realize how right Ali was in my need for more cushion for the hitting and blocking. It’ll get there… WE ALSO JUMPED OVER OUR COACHES and yoga mats. I was so nervous to jump Dueces so I just jumped Skip and kind went around her, haha. Didn’t want to make a bad first impression! Finally, we practiced pivot blocking…I guess mostly for funsies but at first I was like HOLY SHIT HOW AM I GONNA SPIN AROUND UP HERE??! But once we practiced a little just going around the track and turning (and, with guidance from Honeybee) I started to get the hang of it and was gliding and spinning like a pro. THEN we added another element: a two person wall. We had to pivot block around them and I just couldn’t quite get it. It’s something I’m definitely going to continue to work on cause A- it looks fucking cool and B- I’ll probably realistically use/need to use that move when I least expect it.
Needless to say I was drenched in sweat by the end of the night, but felt like I had already started making progress!
I’m looking forward to tonight and seeing what’s in store!!
