2. Questions to ask before signing up for membership?
a. What is the age requirement for adult leagues? (some are over 18 and others are over 21)
b. What is the commitment like? (how many practices per week, bouts (games) per month, do I have to be on a committee, what tasks are required /encouraged for new girls to participate or volunteer)
c. What type of league am I signing up for? There are a few different types of leagues. Once you find a league, make sure to ask what type of league it is. Find out about the different types of leagues and the goals they have then choose for yourself. This way you will ensure the best possible experience based on your interests and commitment level. Here is a list:
- Modern All-female Flat-track WFTDA leagues
- Modern All-female Flat-track leagues
- Modern Co-ed flat-track leagues
- Modern All-female banked track leagues
- Old school co-ed banked track leagues
- All-female Renegade leagues
3. Ask what the dues are and what they cover? Are there additional fees?
4. After buying the necessary gear and equipment, then,….
a. Learn the rules required to play.
b. Read the literature in your membership packet (not all leagues have one) and read the website and myspace of that league to find out about the upcoming events you can involve yourself in.
c. Find out how to login to the league messageboard, (most leagues have one).
d. Get connected to Roller Derby culture and news by frequenting the different Roller Derby sites and National messageboards.
Have Derby Will Travel
Blood & Thunder Magazine
Wayne's Derby World Blog
World List of Roller Derby Leagues
www.leadjammer.com
Junior Roller Derby Yahoo Group
National Roller Girls Yahoo Group
Referee Yahoo Group
Rollergirl The Book
5. How to get a roller derby name?
Did you know that your roller derby name must be registered? There is an international registry listed at here. The registry protects your name from being used by anyone else. Once you’ve chosen one, make sure that it is not listed on the registry. There is one person from each league that collects names and sends them into the registry in bulk. After you choose your name, find out who registers names on your league – do not try to contact them individually.

II. What gear do I need in order to get started playing Roller Derby?
1. Roller Skates- Buying roller skates is just like buying a car (but more fun since they’re cheaper and unregistered!). You can buy them stock with the factory parts and they will run fair. Or, you can replace the lower end parts with higher end parts and they will run good. Or, you can build your skates custom so they run exactly the way you want them to. Before you buy a lemon, inform yourself about buying roller skates by reading the tips and information below.

Tips For Beginner Roller Derby Skaters:
If you are just starting out and you want a pair of roller skates for the purpose of TRYING OUT roller derby, you are most likely looking for inexpensive skates. Just be aware that inexpensive skates will not last very long and will not be as
enjoyable to skate on as the skates you see on the advanced skaters. (If you’ve got crappy skates on and you’re watching an experienced skater and you are wondering to yourself “How does she do that?” - She’s probably wearing a more expensive, custom skate.) It is suggested that a pair of Riedell R3’s or Riedell’s Torq’s will be suitable for your experiment.
If you are just starting out and you KNOW you are going to stay with roller derby, no matter what (usually you get this “calling” feeling), you are looking at investing $100+, but you will be much happier at practice with comfortable feet and your skills will improve quickly. Remember, you can always upgrade parts. There are many things to consider when investing in a brand new pair of roller skates. Please refer to the explanations of skate features for valuable knowledge so you know which product to purchase.

Tips for Advanced Roller Derby Skaters:
If you are an advanced skater, not a rookie, bouting regularly and maybe even on the traveling team, you will want to invest in some advanced equipment that will be durable, withstand many beatings and even make skating more enjoyable. Please refer to the explanations of skate features for valuable knowledge so you can learn where you could use an upgrade.

---SKATE FEATURES---
1. Boots- Roller skating boots come in a variety of styles and fits. Some things you want to consider when purchasing a boot are the cut, quality of leather, lace tread and support structures.

a. The cut of your boot depends on your personal preference. Although most roller derby skaters model speed skaters and their low cut boot style, there are some really incredible roller derby skaters out there that refuse to give up their high cut boots.

b. Leather vs. Synthetic- The softer the leather, the faster and more comfortable the break in period. The boot will form fit to your foot much faster. The tougher the leather, the longer it will take to break in and the more painful the process will be. How do you know? The higher the price of the boot, the more likelihood the boot is made out of leather.

Vinyl isn’t as durable or as cozy and will not break in. (trust me- I’ve suffered through many vegan flip flop blisters) For vegans, there are some better alternatives to vinyl coming out this season, but whether those materials are durable, only time will tell.

c. Lace tread- Some skaters prefer to have more room in the toe box* area of the boot. You may notice that these skaters don’t thread their laces through the first 2-3 eyelits at the bottom of the lace tread, or they wear boots that have a lace tread that starts further up the boot. If you prefer a tighter toe box, be sure that you are purchasing a boot that is able to be laced to the very tip of the toe. If you prefer more room, perhaps you will consider a boot that has a tread that starts further up the front of the boot.

Laces- Waxed laces are recommended. They stay in place longer, last longer and will tighten your skates more efficiently.

d. Support- If your foot is more secure, than your skate will react quicker. Some boots have straps and some have clasps for this purpose.

Adjustable clasp- (such as the one featured on the 911 boot) is in place to add support and to keep the lace guard secure so that the laces aren’t loose. This is a jam skating boot. I’ve had these boots and loved the added support I felt from the adjustable clasp and I had no problem with it breaking or hurting my foot when pressure was applied to the side of my boot, but I was warned by many that it wasn’t a safe feature for roller derby.

Straps- The velcro cinch strap adds extra support. Some manufacturers will tell you that it doesn’t, but I feel like it does. It feels more comfortable to have one.

e. Lace guards- These are leather covers to go over your lace tread. They are built-in to the skate. These are mostly cosmetic, but serve the purpose of keeping your laces from flying around while skating. This is most important for jam skaters so they don’t get jammed up during their routines by tripping over their laces.

e. Stoppers- Stoppers are not required in roller derby. Often, speed skaters will complain that they get in the way, however, when roller derby skaters get stopped (such as after falling), stoppers tend to be the most popular method to get going faster, by using the smallest amount of energy. The style of stopper you use (there are many of them) depends on your personal preference.

2. Plates- When shopping for a plate, the most important qualities you want to look for are weight, durability and strength. These are mostly dependent upon the material the plate is made from.
a. Material
An aluminum plate, regardless of the quality, will be stronger than a nylon plate. If you are wondering why there is a plate made out of pantyhose, there isn’t. When people refer to plates as ‘nylon’ they mean nylon-plastic, a very strong yet elastic, refined, synthetic material. Nylon is light, good for greater maneuverability, but it flexes which means less reaction, in other words, to pick your skate off the ground exactly how and when you want. To get better reaction, you need to go with aluminum.

I never broke the nylon plate and have rocked those babies as hard as I could for a year and a half before investing in some Reactors. However, I have been warned by more experienced skaters that they break pretty easily.-estro jen

Aluminum plates are much stronger and react better than nylon plates. They will last you a very long time, but most aluminum plates are much heavier compared to nylon, that is why it is best to go with a plate made from aircraft aluminum

“But Waaa, these plates are more expensive.”
“But they’re everything you ever wanted in a frame, lightweight and bullet strong, they’ll last you longer, you’ll have more fun on them and you won’t have to buy another for a very, very long time!”


b. king pins/pivot adjust- there are 2 types and adjusting these will make your trucks tighter or looser which is entirely dependent upon personal preference
-Inverted kingpins- modern skates have inverted kingpins and they are easier to use than the standard king pins
- Standard kingpins- old style, when adjusting the trucks you must loosen the
lock nut before adjusting the king pin and tighten the lock nut once you are done, so that you do not strip the king pin and lock it into place.

c. bushings - Bushings are the cushions that compress to allow for turning.
There are two different materials for bushings, too. There is rubber- which will not last as long and is primarily used for short performances, and there is polyurethane (which the same material our wheels are made out of). It’s best to use polyurethane bushings for roller derby. And, just like our wheels, our bushings come in different durometers* as well. Manufacturer’s assign different colors to the different bushings depending upon their hardness, therefore, red may mean softest to Powerdyne (skate plate manufacturer) but hardest to another manufacturer.

3. Wheels-
-Different qualities of a Wheel-
a. Durometer, measured in “A” (hardness) also referred to as “grip” or firmness and is crucial when skating on different surfaces.
If you are slipping on the corners/turn, be sure to put a grippier wheel on your front, inside wheel.

For use on sport court or smooth concrete use grippy, durometer of about 88A, flatouts.
For use on laminated wooden floors - in the winter use firm (about 94A) and extra firm in the summer ( about 95A)

b. Size
It is easier to accelerate on a smaller wheel but to a stronger skater the benefit may not be noticeable. To maintain a certain track speed - you want to skate on a wheel with a larger diameter. The 62mm wheel works best because it can maintain the track speed.

c. Width
It is negotiable whether wider wheels get nicked up in the pack more, or not. It really is your personal preference. I personally like the Zodiacs because they are narrower. Narrower Wheels = less stability.

d. Hub
1. plastic hubs flex= delayed reaction (take off on your pushes), less true roll, (compare a rolling balloon to a rolling can, who wins the race?)
2. aluminum hubs don’t flex= dependable reaction on take off on your pushes and a better roll, truer roll

(a tip from a tipper that tipped Estro Jen- I have a pair of outdoor wheels with lower quality bearings and a couple pairs of wheels that I switch out when skating on different surfaces. I use the outdoor wheels at practice, on any surface because it makes practice tougher and then a couple practices before a game I’ll wear the wheels I plan to wear for the game so that I can get used to them.)
a. Surface

4. Bearings
Things to know:
You need 16 (2 per wheel) for roller skating purposes.
They come in 2 sizes (7mm and 8mm) and your size depends on the size of your axle. If you aren’t sure, bring your skate to where you will be purchasing your bearings. Plain and simple, get something reasonably priced, keep them thin and lubricated with oil, not grease. Grease works for slow turning and very heavy weights- so if you weigh over a ton grease is for you.

An ABEC rating will not affect your speed while roller skating. Speed is what you get by roller skating, not bearings. The higher ABEC rating, the less dirt they are able to tolerate. Your axles and wheels affect speed more than bearings do. Lubricant does affect speed. The race and composite the bearing is made from will affect speed. Not the rating.

Recommended- 2 sets of bearings (1 set for outdoor and dirty locations, low abec1 and 1 set for practice and games, abec 5, 7, Swiss)

When your bearings become dirty or noisy- CLEAN THEM!

II. Protective Gear
1. knee pads- When they started having funerals for skate parks, is when the death of innovative protective gear began. For now, rollergirls typically use pads made for skateboarding. The problem with this is that most pads are form fitted for a bent knee and are wide. While skateboarders bail, rollergirls eat shit in an array of chaotic landings. Don’t get me wrong, skateboarding pads are made to protect your knobs, but they are not very comfortable because most of them do not allow full range of motion, and let’s face it, the Fat Boys aren’t going to give us the deepest cross-overs. Via sells the best we could find, most protection with the slimmest width.

What you want to look for in a pad-
- Outer Caps- Are they replaceable? Do they restrict my range of motion?
- Straps- Is it an open back or a pull up back? Open backs are easiest because you can put them on before or after you put your skates on.

2. elbow pads- Did you know that the elbows are ‘generally’ the first to hit the ground in ice hockey? Me neither. Not sure if I believe it, either. All I know is, be sure they are a good fit and they won’t slide down. Caps recommended.

3. wrist guards- what to buy and do they work

What to buy? Be sure your wrist guards have plates that project from the heel of the hand and that you can tie your skates while wearing them.

Do they work?
As a scrappy little brat at the skate park, wearing wrist guards was enforced, but there were these rumors that they didn’t work. It was supposed that the bar is actually in place to break your arm rather than your wrist, which ok, I get it- quicker healing, but I just wore long sleeves to avoid the thought. So I finally looked into it, and I found researchers that did a study on this topic at Brown University. They measured bone strain and energy absorption in the two key bones of the forearm, the radius and the ulnar, with and without wrist guards.
When cadaveric forearms were subjected to compressive forces simulating a fall, wrist guards reduced bone strain in the radius and absorbed some of the energy which would ordinarily pass directly through the bone during a fall. There was also a reduction in ulnar bone strain, but only when wrist guards contained plates which projected from the heel of the hand. Epidemiologic studies link wrist guards with a reduced risk of injury, and the Brown research suggests that wrist guards do indeed protect the wrist during relatively low-energy falls by 'load-sharing' with the wrists and arm bones and by absorbing impact energy ('The Effect of Wrist Guards on Bone Strain in the Distal Forearm,' The American Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 27(4), pp. 500-506, 1999).

4. mouth guard -According to the American Dental Association, an athlete is 60 times more likely to have an injury to the teeth when not wearing a protective mouth guard-

Questions to ask yourself when looking for a mouthguard-
Is my mouth guard insured?
For how much is it insured?
Is Roller Derby covered under the insurance plan?

Types of mouth guards
1- ready made
2- boil and bite
3- custom made by a dentist
*When choosing a mouth guard, it should be noted that a mouth guard custom made from your dentist will give you superior protection

5. Helmet- don’t scramble your brains, wear one that fits, replace it after 5 years.

-Important protective gear notice: there is currently no US law that requires manufacturers to meet a specific safety standard for a skateboard helmet. The ASTM certification is voluntary, not mandatory. So, a skateboard helmet may or may not carry the ASTM certification.-

That disclosure is simply warning consumers to purchase a helmet that has been tested and approved.

VOCAB QUIZ

*-Durometer= measure of hardness (lowest=softest, highest= hardest)
*- Polyurethane= material our wheels and bushings are made from
*- ABEC- has nothing to do with speed. Stands for Annular Bearing Engineers’ Committee.
*- Toe box-You toes situated around space in the toe area of your boot
*- Jam Skating is comparable to- competitive roller skating comparable to roller break dancing
*- Artistic Roller Skating is comparable to- figure ice skating, on roller skates. Did you know that they are actually the same boots, too?