Rules

Roller derby is a full-contact, competitive game played on quad roller skates. Players skate around an oval track in a counter clockwise direction. Games, known as bouts, consist of three 20-minute-long periods, which are divided into two-minute-long jams. Jams consist of up to five players on the track from each team. Each team gets one pivot, one jammer, and three blockers on the track.

Pivots, sporting the striped helmets, skate at the front of the pack. They set the pace and often call plays for the team. The pivot is the last line of defense to prevent an opposing jammer from scoring.

Blockers keep the pack in a tight formation and work to prevent the opposing team’s jammer from scoring points. Blockers also work to provide safe passage for their jammer through the pack. Blockers achieve both goals by engaging in checks and bumps with the opposing teams players.

Jammers, sporting the starred helmets, are positioned at the back of the pack. The jammers work their way through the blockers and pivots and score points by passing players of the opposing team.

The jam starts when the referee blows the whistle. The pivots and blockers begin to roll forward after the first whistle. When the referee blows the double whistle, the jammers begin racing their way through the pack in an attempt to be named 'lead jammer.' The first jammer to get through the pack without committing a penalty is the lead jammer. Each successive time that the jammer laps the pack after their first pass through, they receive one point for each player of the opposing team that they pass. A jam lasts a maximum of two minutes, but the lead jammer has the right to stop or call off the jam at her discretion.