It’s How She Rolls: Florida Roller Derby

By Jodi Mailander Farrell

Roller derby has been making a comeback. In Florida, at least a half-dozen all-girls derby teams duke it out throughout the state year-round.

Teams today follow the guidelines of Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the governing body for rules, safety, and ranking structure. The bouts are broken down into two teams of five girls. Four are blockers and one is a jammer, the only team members who can score points.

The purpose of the game is to block the players of the opposing team while allowing your team's jammer to score, which means plenty of yanking, shoving, hitting and falling.

After making it through the pack of blockers once, the jammer begins scoring points for each opposing blocker she passes legally and in bounds. She can also score points on opponents who are in the penalty box and can get a fifth point if she laps the opposing jammer.

Now that you know what’s going on, check out the schedules of these Florida derby teams to catch a bout when you’re in their town.