|
| Questions |
|
|
| Who's eligible to play in Duke City Derby? |
| What kind of time commitment is involved? |
| Do I have to be a good skater before I can join? |
| I'm a petite-sized lady. Am I too scrawny to play roller derby? |
| I'm a plus-sized lady. Am I too out of shape to play roller derby? |
| Will I get hurt playing? |
| Is roller derby fake? |
| How else can I help out Duke City Derby? |
| How much does this gig pay? |
| I'm sold! How do I join? |
|
| Answers |
|
| Who's eligible to play in Duke City Derby? |
| Skaters must be female, at least 18 years of age, and dedicated to becoming a roller girl. |
| (Back to Top) |
|
| What kind of time commitment is involved? |
Skaters attend three practices sessions a week during the season (fewer during the off-season), each lasting around 2 hours. Two practices focus on skills while the other is a conditioning/newbie skate. As with anything, the more you do it, the better you will get and generally, the more play time you will have. There are plenty of informal chances to skate with the girls
Teams may choose to hold their own practices and create their own attendance requirements.
The league is skater operated, so there are also time commitments outside of practice. You don't have to be a league officer, but you should be willing to pitch in to help bouts and fundraisers go smoothly. |
| (Back to Top) |
|
| Do I have to be a good skater before I can join? |
| No. Many of the current skaters had not been on skates since grade school! We will teach and work with those who are dedicated to improving their skills toward joining the derby. The conditioning/newbie practices serve as the time where you can get comfortable moving around on skates again. As your abilities develop, the skills practices will help you with techniques essential for participating in full-contact scrimmages. Once you successfully completed your skills-assessment tests, you are eligible to be selected onto a team and ready to play in your first derby bout! |
| (Back to Top) |
|
| I'm a very petite lady. Am I too small to play roller derby? |
| Nope. Girls smaller in size tend to have more speed and maneuverability on the track, putting them in an excellent position of being the team's jammer, the point-scorer for the team. |
| (Back to Top) |
|
| I consider myself a plus-sized lady. Am I too out of shape to play roller derby? |
| Nope. Bigger girls are usually harder to knock down, and in return deliver the strongest hits. Girls larger in size tend to do the best in the role of blockers: knocking down opposing skaters and assisting their jammer in getting through the pack. |
| (Back to Top) |
|
| Will I get hurt playing? |
| As with any other sport, the potential for injury exists. All skaters must wear helmets, elbow pads, knee pads, and wrist guards when participating in skill practices, scrimmages, or bouts. Other equipment such as mouth guards and tailbone/hip pads are also recommended for minimizing injury. Even with the equipment, skaters usually suffer from occasional bumps, scrapes, bruises, and floor burns. It's inherent from the nature of the sport that skaters wear as a badge of honor for being the bad-ass roller girls who play the game! |
| (Back to Top) |
|
| Is roller derby fake? |
| No! Playing the game is fun and exciting, but the girls are also very competitive and playing to win. None of the action in during the bout is scripted. The team themes, skater personas, and crowd involvement all contribute to provide the rink-side theatrics; giving the event some dramatics and even an occasional skater brawl. The mix of sport and entertainment makes roller derby the joyous spectacle we love. |
| (Back to Top) |
|
| How else can I help out Duke City Derby? |
| Running Duke City Derby requires not only effort from the skaters, but several dedicated volunteers working together to help putting on bouts, scrimmages, public events, and other DCD operations. Positions include referees, statisticians, scorekeepers, ticket/merchandise sellers, audio/visual folks, and a host of others. Girls and guys interested in helping out should contact Duke City Derby at volunteer@dukecityderby.com. Tell us what you'd like to do and we'll try to get you included into the Duke City Derby family. |
| (Back to Top) |
|
| How much does this gig pay? |
Zip. Zero. Not one red cent!
All people contributing to Duke City Derby do this as a community volunteer effort. In fact, skaters must pay monthly dues for helping with the operational costs of bouts and practices. Duke City Derby is a limited-liability company, yet all profits generated from tickets, merchandise sales, sponsorships, and other sources are spent solely on keeping the league running. |
| (Back to Top) |
|
| I'm sold! How do I join? |
| Glad you asked. If you're ready to become the next Duke City Derby roller girl, read over the How to Join section of our site. Also, check the Contacts section to get any other questions answered you may have about Duke City Derby. |
| (Back to Top) |
