An introduction to the rules and sport of Roller Derby
and recommendations about how to promote the sport.
It may come as a shock to the roller derby skaters, management, and hard core
fans, but lots of people have no idea about roller derby.
To most of us, the sight of that huge banked track, measuring over 100 feet
long and over 50 feet wide, is simply a given. The idea of skaters travelling
at high speeds around a track, that is more steeply banked than the roof of
your house, is not in question. The shock to the system, is finding out that
many younger people have no idea what a track even looks like.
On the other hand, to go into elaborate detail about the finer points of derby
tracks, is of no value either. The fans really do not care. Once a fan knows
that the track is the game playing field, that is the limit of their interest.
Maybe the skaters and hard core fans care, but most casual fans do not.
The very concept of a sport, where each overall team is subdivided into a
women's team and a men's team, is not on their radar screen. They may have
heard that derby has been termed "wrestling on wheels", or some similar label,
but they really have no picture in their minds of how the sport is played.
Any discussion of derby, for the "lost generation", must clarify how the
game is skated. That description must be clear and concise. They do not
know, that in an eight period game, the women's teams and men's team skate
alternate periods. Not known to those who have not seen the game, is how
women in derby broke down gender barriers in sport, long before the idea
became mainstream.
We take for granted that everyone knows that there are five skaters on the
jam, grouped together in the "pack". A term such as a "jammer" breaking out
of the "pack", to score points by passing opposing skaters, is obvious to us.
It is not obvious to someone who has never watched a game. While a "blocker's"
duties may be self evident, the nuances of blocking and scoring are not. The
beginning fan needs to be educated about the game.
We can not simply take for granted that everyone knows about roller derby,
and how the game is played. Debates about details, like whether the game is
better on quad skates or inline skates, are not enough. I personally prefer
the use of inline skates, but that is another story.
With the exception of RollerJam of the late 90s, Rock-n-Roller Games of the
late 80s, and the sporadic appearance of a poorly marketed live game, the
younger generation has had no exposure to the sport at all.
As it was, RollerJam was not well promoted on the TNN network, and TNN did
not reach all households. RollerJam limited the amount of actual skating
to what seemed to be as little as possible. The result was that a fan saw
more soap opera than RollerJam"s talented skaters in action.
Rock-N-Roller Games only enjoyed a very limited television run. With the Wall
of Death track modifications, and the infamous alligator pit, Rock-N-Roller
Games could be very confusing for a novice fan.
Any future marketing of roller derby, to a generation of fans not raised on
the sport, will require an educational component. Derby is an entertainment
product. Movies provide trailers to give potential customers an idea of their
product content. No one will buy a ticket to derby, unless they know what
the game is all about either.
Once again, it comes down to accepting that derby is a business, facing a set
of marketing and promotional challenges.
Just like any other business.
|
|
Visit Our 12 Skating Forums
Forums for discussing aggressive, artistic, beginning, hockey, fitness, recreational,
roller basketball, roller derby, roller dancing, rollersoccer, quad skating,
slalom skating, and speed skating.
|
Related Links:
Roller Derby - Main Menu
Different Styles of Skating
Skating in 100 Countries
Translate Any Web Site or Phrase
|
Subscribe to our Atom formatted
Newsfeed