Roller derby is a roller skating, full contact sport played by two teams of
fifteen members. Game play consists of a series of short scrimmages (jams)
in which both teams designate a jammer (who uniquely wears a star on the
helmet) and four blockers to skate counter-clockwise around a
predominantly flat track.
The jammer scores points by lapping
members of the opposing team. The teams attempt to
hinder the opposing jammer while
assisting their own jammer—in effect, playing
both offense and defense simultaneously.
Roller derby began its modern revival in
Austin, Texas in the early 2000s as an all-female, woman-organized amateur
sport. By August 2006, there were over 135 similar leagues. Leagues
outside the U.S. also began forming in 2006, and international competition
soon followed.
There are
over 2,000 amateur leagues worldwide in
countries including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil,
New Zealand, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Israel,
Singapore, UAE, Egypt, Thailand and China.