Kick out the jams

Today was my forst live experience of Roller Derby. What an experience it was too. My step sister has been involved for a while with the Auld Reekie Roller Girls who had a match today against Birmingham's Central City Roller Girls. As a result I took a break from MArking to head along. Roz and Maddy had been to an event earlier in th eyear but this was the first one I made it to.

I have to say there was a really good atmosphere and the whole thing was quite exciting. The basic rules are as follows.

The game is played on an oval track. Each team can have five plareys on at one point, comprising of three blockers, a pivot and a jammer. It starst off with both teams blockers and pivots forming a pack and the two jammers starting and equal distance behind the pack. The game is split into two thirty minute halfs each split into several jams of up to two minutes. In a jam the jammers have to battle it out to get past the pack. After they pass the pack for the first time each member of the opposite team a jammer passes results in a point scored. The first jammer to get past the pack after the jam starts becomes lead jammer and can choose to call the jam off any time before the two minutes are up. If you want a more concise breakdown of the rules you can read one here.

Anyway, today's game was fairly exciting, and in the end Edinburgh won by 165 points to 114. It might have been my forst time at Roller Derby but I'm pretty sure it won't be my last.

This is one of the Birmingham jammers having just gotten clear of the pack.