Everyone who plays derby has their own reasons, from an excuse to stay fit to loving competition. For many, this includes a chance to compete in front of an adoring public, aka the fans. I honestly don't know of a single skater who prefers closed bouts to open ones, as they love the sound of that crowd!
Thing is, often that crowd is the last to be considered when setting up a bout. 1st comes the track, then the skaters' needs, then those of the refs and NSOs. Then a bunch of chairs are set up where there's space for the crowd.
This is fine if you're just interested in showing some people how roller derby works. If, however, you want that crowd to return bout-after-bout, you have to put a whole lot more effort into improving the fan experience. Here are some simple ways of doing just that:
The Demo Jam/Kit Checks
Some teams have let the demo jam fall by the wayside because they assume that a high enough percentage of their audience knows how derby works that they don't need to explain it any more. They leave that to the announcers and fellow audience members.
As well, some teams plan kit checks to work around skate-outs really well. Visitors skate whilst home are checked, and vice versa. Otherwise, the fans get all excited during skate-outs, then have to hold on to the excitement for what can seem like a long while. I have personally seen it really hamper a good atmosphere.
Combine the two? Almost every bout I've been to uses a projector for the scoreboard. This means that teams can show videos! Why not show a demo jam/explanation of the game on the scoreboard during the kit check, then do skate outs? A good video will have the crowd excited a bit, then the skate outs will send them over the top, and they'll be psyched for the first jam!
Premium Seats
LRG do this, and you should, too. Separate seats, that are more comfortable, and have waiter/waitress service. They cost a bit more, but come with amenities. One team in Carolina has a set up where there's two couches, each with a cooler full of beer and a subway party platter. One is for hire, the other a door prize given out to one lucky fan via golden ticket in the programme. Who, then, wouldn't want to be the sofa king?
Some fans are willing to spend extra money on sports, and want that added comfort. It's not only a good source of income, but it shows fans that you're willing to go the extra mile for those superfans who want to make a special event out of roller derby.
Halftime Show/Official Timeout Distractions
I know British sports don't do them, but something to watch during that 20 minutes of dead time is a great idea. I've seen professional roller disco skaters come out for halftimes, games involving audience members, and even a 10 minute junior derby bout!
Sure, some of the fans will be going to the loo or to the beer line, but boredom is poison to a sports audience. There has to be something going on in the middle to keep them entertained, maybe 2 skaters demonstrating their jumping ability or a derby duel or two. Even doing the raffle would work. Just make sure to keep the excitement up!
Same thing goes for the official timeout. These are getting fewer and shorter, as the minor passes into oblivion, officials hone their craft, and head refs better ignore requests for official timeouts from bench managers and captains who have already burned an official review. However, whilst they're still in existence, there has to be something to distract the audience.
Jammer dancing does this well, but only works for short timeouts. So, announcers and organisers, get something going to distract the audience. Could be as simple as having a league member who's not otherwise involved leading the wave or some other cheer. Or, why not have a dance-off in the audience to some song? Make sure the audience don't really care that the action's on hold for a minute.
Cake
What is it with derby bouts and daggum cake? Every bout there's at least one cake, if not multiple. I am fed up with cake! Please, let's have the treat after a bout be savoury for once! Wings, fried scampi, even pizza.
I was coaching against Croydon Roller Derby, and they had the best damn food spread at the after party I've seen in the whole of the UK. They had chips, spring rolls, onion bhajis, samosas, wings, and all number of other treats to eat. Of all the after parties I've been to, they won. No damn cake, but real savoury food! I know this one's personal, but learn from them!
When next you plan a bout, please put due care and consideration into the fan experience. Do that a few times, and you'll see your attendance climb. You may even have regular fans who have no connection to derby other than "I showed up once, it was awesome, now I go regularly." That reasoning is exactly why I got involved in derby in the first place. Roll on!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Rule change still coming?
I'll open with the sarcasm: it's still on its way? This is kinda like the little time on the satnav ticking down, but at a much slower rate than the usual clock. "Go on, you're only 5 minutes away!" it says. Funny thing, I was 10 minutes away 2 hours ago.
I love that they're stringing us all along with these announcements every few months. It's like working a job on commission with the whole "oh, it'll pick up soon, I promise" from the boss.
Alright, sarcasm aside.
I'm excited!!! I truly am excited by this announcement.
I know that the WFTDA are giving us a bit more info every announcement, to keep people enticed and following them closely, but this info is great:
Single whistle starts
Read that line again, if you'd like. The jammers and the blockers will all be released simultaneously. What will this help with? Well, quite a few things.
•First, the slow start. Remember gaming the system so that your blocker who's standing in the box will be released before the jammers are? That bored the tears out of the audience, and your competitors, and likely your teammates. Sure, they did it because they though it would help, but they probably didn't like standing there slowing the game down.
Slow starts mean less derby will involve skaters in motion. And what's the point of derby without skating?
•Second, the scrum start. One team has to take a knee, leaving them at a disadvantage. Single whistle fixes that. Most jams now start with the jammers being released less than ½ second after the blockers. Single whistle makes that standard.
Now I don't know if they'll institute the "blocker box" a la USARS and MADE, but they don't necessarily need to. If a team doesn't want a traditional scrum, just have their jammers back up about 5 feet. Also, a blocker box doesn't necessarily kill the mad-dash-for-the-jammer-line which risks injury.
So, this is a large step forward. Single whistle AND no minors, and derby will be much smoother running and easier to officiate, learn, and play. Sure, tactics will have to change, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, that's an opportunity for some new teams to be the ones that come up with the clever play to take the derby world by storm.
Who knows what else may be hidden in those rules. All I can say is, I'm a bit more excited. Roll on!
I love that they're stringing us all along with these announcements every few months. It's like working a job on commission with the whole "oh, it'll pick up soon, I promise" from the boss.
Alright, sarcasm aside.
I'm excited!!! I truly am excited by this announcement.
I know that the WFTDA are giving us a bit more info every announcement, to keep people enticed and following them closely, but this info is great:
Single whistle starts
Read that line again, if you'd like. The jammers and the blockers will all be released simultaneously. What will this help with? Well, quite a few things.
•First, the slow start. Remember gaming the system so that your blocker who's standing in the box will be released before the jammers are? That bored the tears out of the audience, and your competitors, and likely your teammates. Sure, they did it because they though it would help, but they probably didn't like standing there slowing the game down.
Slow starts mean less derby will involve skaters in motion. And what's the point of derby without skating?
•Second, the scrum start. One team has to take a knee, leaving them at a disadvantage. Single whistle fixes that. Most jams now start with the jammers being released less than ½ second after the blockers. Single whistle makes that standard.
Now I don't know if they'll institute the "blocker box" a la USARS and MADE, but they don't necessarily need to. If a team doesn't want a traditional scrum, just have their jammers back up about 5 feet. Also, a blocker box doesn't necessarily kill the mad-dash-for-the-jammer-line which risks injury.
So, this is a large step forward. Single whistle AND no minors, and derby will be much smoother running and easier to officiate, learn, and play. Sure, tactics will have to change, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, that's an opportunity for some new teams to be the ones that come up with the clever play to take the derby world by storm.
Who knows what else may be hidden in those rules. All I can say is, I'm a bit more excited. Roll on!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Women's UK & Ireland derby chart 28-Oct
The rankings presented here are in accordance with the rules and consider Rollin News as the authoritative source for bout scores concerning UK & Ireland teams. If a score is not listed as open or public on that source, it will not be included in this ranking.
Disclaimer aside, here you go.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Sportsmanship & derby
Seriously, for a sport with a strong DIY ethos, there are some surprising gaps in sportsmanship expectations in derby. I enjoy watching a skater be a "hot dog" on the track; I'm not really talking about being a showoff here. I'm talking about some deeper issues.
The High Five
This is one of my favourite derby traditions: the fans all line the track, and both teams each take a lap, slapping fives with the audience. It's one of those wonderful things about derby that blur the participant/audience division line.
Thing is, both teams need to be given fives. I have seen audiences only offer a hand to the home team, or to the team they travelled to support. Sure, there might've been some bad blood in the bout, but it's over now. If you're going to step up to the line for one team, be the bigger derby supporter and step up for both teams. Both teams competed, both worked hard, thus both deserve support after the bout.
The Score
A win is a win, right? Why do we need more 237-45 scorelines? They're not fun to watch, they're not often considered fun to play in, and they're a massively missed opportunity. There's nothing to be gained by confirming the win with a score ratio like 4:1 or worse.
If the win's in the bag, it's time to experiment. New formations, new plays, even new positions are worth trying. Take a blocker, and give her a go at jamming. See what happens when you play 2-offence. Run power jams the old way. So much of derby is done with the scrum start now. Why not switch up once the win's already settled? You may need to when you're behind later, this is a good time to practice.
You've already proven your system works better than theirs. No need to keep rubbing it in.
Preferred Leagues
This one really gets my goat. Picture this: mixed scrimmage, head ref in that role for the first time ever. Captain of the blue team is part of a top-10 league. Captain of the red team is part of a team ranked in the mid 40's. Upon being introduced and hearing this, the head ref directs the entire pre-bout chat to the member of the higher ranked league.
Or picture this: boot camp, a skater comes over to chat to three others who were not in their team's tops. Two were from a league in the 40's, one was from a league in the top 15. Once she learned this, she basically stopped talking to the two from lower ranked leagues.
Do I even need to say why this is unacceptable? A skater becomes less worth talking to, less worthy of respect because of who she practices with? Wow. Just, wow.
Flatfoots
That's my term for those who are involved in derby, but don't skate. They seem to be the most marginalised in derby. This includes the NSOs, of course, who are frequently mentioned and thanked, and shown respect by the skaters. It also includes announcers, DJs, seating ushers, ticket takers, programme handers-out, cameramen and -women, merch-stand operators, and derby journalists.
This group is not shown much respect by the skaters. The "for the skaters by the skaters" ethos is expanded in the mind of some to mean that the flatfoots are working for them. When flatfoots offer an opinion on derby, it's discounted with "oh, but you're not a skater."
The derby community is far more than skaters. That's why I usually call it that! Years ago, the only people who would be called "derby people" were skaters. Now, with the growth of the above positions, there are loads of derby people who don't skate.
Derby wouldn't be derby without them, and they're a part of the community too. Thus, they deserve respect as well.
Victory Songs
Congrats, you just beat a team who travelled to your place to play their first ever open bout. "We are the champions"? "Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye"? The "Hey, you suck" song? Really? That just seems a bit cocky.
Nothing against your taste in music, but the timing's off. That sort of thing goes against the culture of the high five, the hugs & handshakes, and the group photo after the bout. Keep it in check, please.
Referees
This one's been done to death, but I'll say it too: respect the refs! That doesn't mean you have to call them "sir" or "ma'am" but it does mean that you have to accept a decision with dignity.
I'd like to see an end to the "tradition" of jammers signalling their tally of points to the ref after a jam. This is called demonstrating in baseball, and is one of the most common reasons for an ejection. The referee said 2 points, you can either go in and challenge it officially or accept it. Attempting to undermine the referee's authority by signalling 3 shouldn't be an option.
As well, when chatting to the derby public in general, do not blame the refereeing for a loss. This includes the statement "well, the refereeing was a bit spotty" and "I'm not sure some of the calls were exactly correct." Those are just attempts to make "we would've done better if the refereeing had been the way I wanted it to be" sound better.
A great coach once told me "if you blame the refs, it means you don't want to learn to win." The referees aren't crooked. They're just not, so stop. They're working hard to keep the game you play within the rules. Show them respect.
I think I've covered enough here. Derby's a young sport, these are growing pains. But we should show more respect for everyone in the derby community. After all, it's all of us together who make derby such a great thing. Roll on!
The High Five
This is one of my favourite derby traditions: the fans all line the track, and both teams each take a lap, slapping fives with the audience. It's one of those wonderful things about derby that blur the participant/audience division line.
Thing is, both teams need to be given fives. I have seen audiences only offer a hand to the home team, or to the team they travelled to support. Sure, there might've been some bad blood in the bout, but it's over now. If you're going to step up to the line for one team, be the bigger derby supporter and step up for both teams. Both teams competed, both worked hard, thus both deserve support after the bout.
The Score
A win is a win, right? Why do we need more 237-45 scorelines? They're not fun to watch, they're not often considered fun to play in, and they're a massively missed opportunity. There's nothing to be gained by confirming the win with a score ratio like 4:1 or worse.
If the win's in the bag, it's time to experiment. New formations, new plays, even new positions are worth trying. Take a blocker, and give her a go at jamming. See what happens when you play 2-offence. Run power jams the old way. So much of derby is done with the scrum start now. Why not switch up once the win's already settled? You may need to when you're behind later, this is a good time to practice.
You've already proven your system works better than theirs. No need to keep rubbing it in.
Preferred Leagues
This one really gets my goat. Picture this: mixed scrimmage, head ref in that role for the first time ever. Captain of the blue team is part of a top-10 league. Captain of the red team is part of a team ranked in the mid 40's. Upon being introduced and hearing this, the head ref directs the entire pre-bout chat to the member of the higher ranked league.
Or picture this: boot camp, a skater comes over to chat to three others who were not in their team's tops. Two were from a league in the 40's, one was from a league in the top 15. Once she learned this, she basically stopped talking to the two from lower ranked leagues.
Do I even need to say why this is unacceptable? A skater becomes less worth talking to, less worthy of respect because of who she practices with? Wow. Just, wow.
Flatfoots
That's my term for those who are involved in derby, but don't skate. They seem to be the most marginalised in derby. This includes the NSOs, of course, who are frequently mentioned and thanked, and shown respect by the skaters. It also includes announcers, DJs, seating ushers, ticket takers, programme handers-out, cameramen and -women, merch-stand operators, and derby journalists.
This group is not shown much respect by the skaters. The "for the skaters by the skaters" ethos is expanded in the mind of some to mean that the flatfoots are working for them. When flatfoots offer an opinion on derby, it's discounted with "oh, but you're not a skater."
The derby community is far more than skaters. That's why I usually call it that! Years ago, the only people who would be called "derby people" were skaters. Now, with the growth of the above positions, there are loads of derby people who don't skate.
Derby wouldn't be derby without them, and they're a part of the community too. Thus, they deserve respect as well.
Victory Songs
Congrats, you just beat a team who travelled to your place to play their first ever open bout. "We are the champions"? "Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye"? The "Hey, you suck" song? Really? That just seems a bit cocky.
Nothing against your taste in music, but the timing's off. That sort of thing goes against the culture of the high five, the hugs & handshakes, and the group photo after the bout. Keep it in check, please.
Referees
This one's been done to death, but I'll say it too: respect the refs! That doesn't mean you have to call them "sir" or "ma'am" but it does mean that you have to accept a decision with dignity.
I'd like to see an end to the "tradition" of jammers signalling their tally of points to the ref after a jam. This is called demonstrating in baseball, and is one of the most common reasons for an ejection. The referee said 2 points, you can either go in and challenge it officially or accept it. Attempting to undermine the referee's authority by signalling 3 shouldn't be an option.
As well, when chatting to the derby public in general, do not blame the refereeing for a loss. This includes the statement "well, the refereeing was a bit spotty" and "I'm not sure some of the calls were exactly correct." Those are just attempts to make "we would've done better if the refereeing had been the way I wanted it to be" sound better.
A great coach once told me "if you blame the refs, it means you don't want to learn to win." The referees aren't crooked. They're just not, so stop. They're working hard to keep the game you play within the rules. Show them respect.
I think I've covered enough here. Derby's a young sport, these are growing pains. But we should show more respect for everyone in the derby community. After all, it's all of us together who make derby such a great thing. Roll on!
Monday, October 22, 2012
The Derby Duel
This last weekend, two of the most exciting jammers in Europe challenged each other to what I can only call a Derby Duel.
2 Minutes
2 Jammers
1 Winner
Skate around the track. Whoever is further ahead when the time expires wins the duel. All normal derby contact allowed.
Do you skate fast? Do you go for hits? That's all up to you and the one-on-one strategy you choose to employ.
It's really the ultimate test of jammer-on-jammer ability, and a great way of finding out who has the skills to be a good jammer. No pack to get in the way, or offer assistance. Just pure one-on-one. Also, it's the most excitement you'll ever see on 16 wheels!
I can see this being a good training routine--if a team wants to work on jammer skills, what a great way to drill cleverness and contact all in one go.
There is a precedent for this sort of thing. Baseball has the home run derby and basketball has a slam dunk contest. Both are displays of a basic skill taken to the extreme, and given a high degree of showmanship. Both are a part of the all-star festivities in each sport.
I would like to see Derby Duels taking the same sort of position. If there's a tournament, have a duel at the halftime of every bout. Thus, there will be a duel tournament nested within the main one, giving the audience no excuse to leave the track!
Or simply arrange a few to take place at the half time of a regular bout. I'm sure there would be loads of skaters vying for those 4 spots in a duels playoff. They wouldn't even need to be from the leagues involved in the main bout. It would only take 6 minutes to get a champion, and keep the crowd in their seats and screaming for the first part of halftime. Way better than any other halftime show, by far!
The first derby duel was started as a display of sportsmanship and fun, plain and simple. Two jammers only had one opportunity to face each other all day, and wanted another round of it. All that was said was "I jam against you, and you speak it." That 2 minute game showed 100% fun. It was nothing but the sheer joy of derby, and the crowd were right up against the outside line screaming.
2 Minutes
2 Jammers
1 Winner
Skate around the track. Whoever is further ahead when the time expires wins the duel. All normal derby contact allowed.
Do you skate fast? Do you go for hits? That's all up to you and the one-on-one strategy you choose to employ.
It's really the ultimate test of jammer-on-jammer ability, and a great way of finding out who has the skills to be a good jammer. No pack to get in the way, or offer assistance. Just pure one-on-one. Also, it's the most excitement you'll ever see on 16 wheels!
I can see this being a good training routine--if a team wants to work on jammer skills, what a great way to drill cleverness and contact all in one go.
There is a precedent for this sort of thing. Baseball has the home run derby and basketball has a slam dunk contest. Both are displays of a basic skill taken to the extreme, and given a high degree of showmanship. Both are a part of the all-star festivities in each sport.
I would like to see Derby Duels taking the same sort of position. If there's a tournament, have a duel at the halftime of every bout. Thus, there will be a duel tournament nested within the main one, giving the audience no excuse to leave the track!
Or simply arrange a few to take place at the half time of a regular bout. I'm sure there would be loads of skaters vying for those 4 spots in a duels playoff. They wouldn't even need to be from the leagues involved in the main bout. It would only take 6 minutes to get a champion, and keep the crowd in their seats and screaming for the first part of halftime. Way better than any other halftime show, by far!
The first derby duel was started as a display of sportsmanship and fun, plain and simple. Two jammers only had one opportunity to face each other all day, and wanted another round of it. All that was said was "I jam against you, and you speak it." That 2 minute game showed 100% fun. It was nothing but the sheer joy of derby, and the crowd were right up against the outside line screaming.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Women's UK & Ireland derby chart 21-Oct
The rankings presented here are in accordance with the rules and consider Rollin News as the authoritative source for bout scores concerning UK & Ireland teams. If a score is not listed as open or public on that source, it will not be included in this ranking.
Disclaimer aside, here you go.
UK & France men's chart, 20-Oct
The rankings presented here are in accordance with the rules and consider Rollin News as the authoritative source for bout scores concerning UK & Ireland teams. If a score is not listed as open or public on that source, it will not be included in this ranking.
Disclaimer aside, here you go.
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