Roller derby: Difference between revisions

Roller derby is an American-invented contact sport—and historically, a form of sports entertainment—based on formation roller skating around an oval track. While traditionally a professional (paid) sport for both women and men, roller derby has in its current incarnation developed a predominantly female, amateur circuit with a strong DIY ethic.^[1]

Most current roller derby leagues use rules developed by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).^[2] A summary of the WFTDA rules^[3] follows:

Roller derbies take place on a circuit track. The two teams playing send five players each onto the track — three blockers (defense), one pivot (last line of defense) and one jammer (scorer). Helmet covers are used to display the players' positions: a striped cover is used for pivots, a cover with two stars is used for jammers, and no cover is used for blockers.

Pivots and blockers from both teams start the game by forming a single pack. In a pack, all players face counterclockwise. The pivots line up next to each other, followed by a layer of four blockers, followed by a layer of two blockers. The two jammers, who are not considered to be part of the pack, are positioned 20 feet behind the pack. At this point, no differentiation need be made between the two teams; as long as the pack formation is as described above, it does not matter if the team members are interspersed randomly in the pack.

The referee signals the start of jam formation by blowing a whistle. During jam formation, the entire pack moves counterclockwise, during which time players can change position. All pivots/blockers must remain in the pack (i.e., 20 feet in front of or behind any other player who is not considered out of the pack). Jammers remain stationary during jam formation. When the last person in the pack has passed where the front of the pack was initially lined up, the referee blows the whistle again, and play begins in earnest with a jam.

A jam is a 2-minute countdown period during which teams attempt to score points. Points can only be scored by the jammers, who, moving counter-clockwise, attempt to pass the pack and lap around as many times as possible. After passing the pack the first time, jammers earn one point each time they pass an opposing blocker/pivot. During a jam, all pivots/blockers must remain in the pack. If a pivot/blocker falls or otherwise becomes separated from the pack, she is out of play (i.e., cannot block or assist the jammers) until she catches up to the pack.

The first jammer to pass all pivots and blockers once the jam begins wins the status of lead jammer for the remainder of the jam. The lead jammer can decide to end the jam at any time before the 2 minutes are up. She does this by placing her hands on her hips, which signals the referee to officially call off the jam.

After a lead jammer has been established, both jammers have the option of passing their positions to their teams' respective pivots (passing the star). This is done by removing the 2-star helmet cover and handing it to the pivot. The pivot then becomes the jammer, and the jammer becomes the pivot for the remainder of the jam. If the original jammer was the lead jammer, the position of lead jammer is not passed on; the position is forfeited for the remainder of the jam.

To impede the progress of the opposing team's jammer, players may block using body parts above the hips, excluding forearms, hands, and head. Elbows may be used in blocking, but cannot be swung at other players or used to hook an opponent's arm.

Each game consists of three 20-minute periods. At the end of each jam, players re-form the pack and continue play.

Penalties are given to skaters who block illegally, fight or behave in an unsportsmanlike manner, or otherwise break the rules. Possible penalties include sending players to a penalty box (during which time opposing jammers can score points by passing the penalty box) and expulsion of players.

The term roller derby dates at least as far back as 1922, when the Chicago Tribune used it to describe multi-day, flat-track roller skating races, similar to 24-hour banked-track championship races reported on by The New York Times in 1914. One of the Times reports calls the 1914 championships a revival of an "old-time" sport.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]}

Promoter Leo Seltzer and sportswriter Damon Runyon are credited with modifying the endurance competitions of the 1930s by emphasizing the physical contact –and thus the more spectacular aspects of the sport. Seltzer trademarked the name Roller Derby, reserving it for use by his traveling troupe of professional skaters. Roller Derby took root as an icon of popular culture as matches were held in numerous cities throughout the U.S., bouts which were broadcast on radio^[10] and, eventually, on television.^[11]

Rival organizations such as Roller Games came and went as the sport/spectacle endured several boom-and-bust cycles throughout the second half of the 20th century. The initial business model of roller derby finally collapsed in the mid-1970s, but the sport underwent several professional, on-and-off TV revivals which were spearheaded by veteran skaters, including a continuation of Roller Games under new management, a 10-year International Roller Skating League (IRSL), and the short-lived, TV-only spectacles RollerGames and RollerJam.

In California in the early and mid-2000s, a small number of for-profit organizations, consisting largely of veterans from earlier revivals, continued to organize one-off matches using paid skaters. Meanwhile, an international grassroots revival organized by women unaffiliated with previous incarnations of the sport restored a focus on athleticism.

Nearly all contemporary roller derby leagues are all-female and self-organized, and furthermore were formed in an indie, DIY spirit by relatively new roller derby enthusiasts. These leagues deploy traditional quad roller skates, and a punk aesthetic and/or ethic is often prominent. Many if not most are legally incorporated as limited liability companies and a few are non-profit organizations, and most compete on flat tracks.

Each league typically features two or more local teams which compete in public matches, called bouts, for a diverse fanbase. Members of fledgling leagues often practice and strategize together, regardless of team affiliation, between bouts. Moreover, as the business and infrastructure of the sport matures, successful local leagues form travel teams to compete with the roller derby leagues of other cities and states.

A number of all-female leagues, generally scantily clad, (48, as of September 2007) are members of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA, formed in 2004), which coordinates and sets the rules that govern inter-league competition among its members. The WFTDA member leagues create "travel" teams who play against each other in regional matches, although some leagues that are not WFTDA members have independently arranged their own travel teams and inter-league bouts.

WFTDA also publishes rankings and organizes annual championship tournaments for its members in good standing.

While not directly affiliated, many independent leagues around the world have adopted the WFTDA rules and standards either completely or as a foundation for their own rules.

Although the 2000s revival of roller derby was initially all-female, some leagues later introduced all-male teams, and co-ed games.

In May 2007, a handful of leagues formed the Old School Derby Association (OSDA), which promotes, for inter-league play among its members, a set of rules inspired by earlier, banked-track incarnations of the sport. OSDA combines aspects of both old and modern rule sets to create a fast-moving, ultra-defensive game. The organization membership is open to all; men, women, co-ed, flat track and banked track. In addition, TV producer David Sams is said to be mounting a new league for television and live touring. According to RollerGames.com[1], Sams is looking to launch a new series in 2008. He has done this successfully before in 1989, when the original RollerGames hit the airwaves and garnered good ratings in syndication.

A handful of leagues, mostly mixed-gender, have origins in earlier incarnations of the sport and heavily promote themselves as professional due to their history, management, membership, style of play and marketing considerations. As of the mid-2000s, most of these leagues do not compete in regular seasons, but rather schedule infrequent special-event games, drawing from a relatively small pool of skaters to form the roster of two teams put together just for the event, or on one team that plays against a similar club from another league. Team names typically pay homage to memorable Roller Derby and Roller Games teams of the past.

One such league is the Lou Sanchez, Sr.-owned National Roller Derby League (NRDL), established in 1995. Sanchez is a former Roller Games skater known for his underhanded, violent tactics while playing for the Texas Outlaws in the 1960s and 1970s. After retiring from skating, he managed various teams in different roller derby revivals. The NRDL, a.k.a. Roller Derby Inc., began with two teams, the Los Angeles Aztecs and the San Francisco Bay Bombers, skating in exhibition bouts in mid-1995. Potential investors were sought to fund the founding teams plus two more, the L.A. Thunderbirds and the New York Chiefs, in an enterprise to be promoted as Roller Derby 2000, but nothing materialized.^[12][13] The league was briefly known as Roller Blazing Derby League (RBDL) in May 2000 and later Roller Derby USA, then returned back to NRDL. The NRDL consists of teams that train and compete on banked tracks in the coastal cities of Southern California, and in May 2006 began forming two Las Vegas based teams, the Las Vegas Royal Rollergirls (all female) and the Las Vegas High-Rollers (mixed gender). One of the NRDL teams, the L.A. Stars, is sometimes billed as the L.A. T'Birds, and the Texas Outlaws are sometimes billed as just the Outlaws. Recent games include the following:

• On March 22, 2003, Roller Blazing Derby held a pair of matches at the Grand Olympic Auditorium, featuring the LA T'Birds vs the San Francisco Bay Bombers, and the L.A. Stars vs the Red Devils.
• On November 13, 2004, a "Ralphie Memorial" game, held in honor of the late Ralphie Valladares, and featuring the L.A. Stars vs the Outlaws was held at Pacific Palms Conference Resort's Grand Arena in the Los Angeles suburb City of Industry.^[14][15]
• On June 4, 2005, the same two teams faced off at the same venue in a game billed as "Ralphie's Revenge".^[16][17]
• On July 30, 2005, the LA Stars bouted the Red Devils in "Ralphie's Roller Action" at the same venue.^[18][19]

Another such league is the Dan Ferrari-owned, California-based American Roller Skating Derby (ARSD), was established in 1997. The ARSD teams include the San Francisco Bombers, the San Diego Firebirds, the Chicago Pioneers, the Brooklyn Red Devils and the New York Chiefs. Unlike leagues in the past, the ARSD has invested in building a new track, and new uniforms. Dan has made arrangements to have the tracks up at different venues for additional training, and in some cases, for a week or more at a time. They also utilize former skating stars Delores "Tillie" Tucker, "Bad Boy" Alphonso Reyes, Larry Lewis and Jim Fitzpatrick as coaches and mentors during these training sessions.

A match between the Bay Bombers and the Chicago Pioneers was skated on October 14, 2006 at the Alameda venue. A game skated between the Bay Bombers and Brooklyn Red Devils drew nearly 1,700 fans at the Kezar Pavilion on April 28, 2007. More recently, on July 7, 2007 the San Francisco Bay Bombers lost to the Brooklyn Red Devils at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA, and defeated the Chicago Pioneers on July 14th, 2007, also at the Cow Palace. The ARSD has also skated an interleague game between the Bay Bombers and Ralphie's Roller Stars on August 11, 2007 at the Industry Hills Expo Center in the City of Industry, CA. On August 18, 2007, the ARSD set their new attendance record when they drew 2,045 people at the Kezar Pavilion when the San Francisco Bay Bombers defeated the Chicago Pioneers. The World Championship Cup games were skated on October 13, 2007 at the Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, CA. in front of approximately 2,400 people. The hometown Bay Bombers defeated the Brooklyn Red Devils to take the championship. The Red Devils defeated the Pioneers in game one, the Bay Bombers defeated the Pioneers in game two. ^{[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]}

A third league, formed in the late 1990s and based in Northern California, is the Tim Patten-owned American Roller Derby League (ARDL), which focuses on promoting teams whose names include the Bay City Bombers, Los Angeles Turbos, New York Demons, Chicago Pioneers (a.k.a. the Chiefs), and three all-female teams, the Lady Killers, SF Roller Girls, and Orlando Thunder. However, in May 2006, Patten admitted that he was having trouble recruiting and retaining skaters, and only had eight inexperienced skaters practicing once a week in San Francisco.^[28] The ARDL was featured in the 2006 documentary film Jam,^[29] has sponsored novels and a clothing line, and is sometimes promoted as the American Inline Roller Derby League when competing on inline skates.

The Bob Sedillo-owned Roller Games International (RGI) league still operates a single team, the Los Angeles Thunderbirds (T-Birds). A match between the ARDL Bay Bombers and the RGI Los Angeles Thunderbirds (T-Birds) was played July 29, 2006.^[30][31] In late 2007, television producer David Sams announced on RollerGames.com website that he was looking to relaunch the series in 2008. Sams is a TV syndication vet, having launched Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, and Oprah Winfrey for King World. A nine-time Emmy winning producer himself, Sams produced the original RollerGames tv series in 1989-1990, which garnered very good ratings, doubling those of American Gladiators.

Former Roller Games skater Hiroshi Koizumi's Roller Game League in Tokyo, Japan, has played a modified version of the sport since the league's inception in 1990. It held several regular seasons with 4 teams in 1990–1992, a 1993 "World Cup" match between Japanese and American all-stars, and a 2001 championship between two teams. It is unclear whether the league is still active.

In the United States, under the provisions of the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, the definition of an amateur athlete is up to the national governing body for each sport. The U.S. national governing body for all amateur roller skating sports is USA Roller Sports (USARS), which defines an "amateur competitive roller skater" very broadly as anyone who is a good sport when competing in USARS events and who does not misrepresent their previous competitive experience; USARS does not formally exclude anyone on the basis of occupational status or, apparently, any other criteria.^[32] USARS also does not yet acknowledge roller derby by name in its bylaws; it only acknowledges "artistic, speed, and hockey", although its membership application for individuals has additional categories "noncompetitive", "recreation" and "aggressive"—roller derby was listed under the latter in 2005, and is its own category in 2006. However, USARS might accept not-for-profit (as shown by statements of funds disbursement) amateur roller derby leagues as members, at the discretion of the USARS Board of Directors.^[33]

The only other governing body for roller derby in the U.S. is WFTDA, but defining amateur and professional are not within the scope of its charter; it exists primarily to facilitate competition and goodwill among its member leagues, and has no authority.

Currently, the delineation between "professional" and "amateur" levels of competition in roller derby is essentially a matter of self-identification by those leagues claiming both that they are professional and the others are amateur. However, organizations that want to bill themselves as one or the other are free to do so without consequence. Most contemporary leagues don't use such terms at all.

As of 2006, there are, however, notable differences between the organizations that heavily promote themselves as professional and those that do not. While these differences do not necessarily define what is "professional" and what is "amateur," observable trends include:

• Professional leagues tend to favor mixed-gender teams. As of mid-2007, the majority of the current wave of other leagues are all-female.^[34]
• Professional leagues tend to have teams that represent and train in different cities, whereas other leagues tend to train within and identify with a single metropolitan area.
• Professional leagues tend to be owned by individual promoters, investors, sponsors, and/or external corporations. In cases of "skater-owned" (owned by individuals who have a skating background) professional leagues, primary management of the league is not in the hands of the organization's members. Other leagues have a variety of business structures, ranging from for-profit LLCs under outside management to fully non-profit, all-skater-managed organizations.
• Today's professional leagues tend to have roots in earlier Roller Derby revivals like RollerGames, and are comprised partly of athletes and promoters who were active in those eras of the sport. Non-professional leagues tend to have no connection to any historical leagues, a distinction that is often deliberate.
• Historically, skaters in professional leagues were full-time employees of the league, and received financial compensation for their service. Skaters in other leagues are generally not compensated.
• Professional leagues tend to be vocal proponents of banked-track competition. Most other leagues tend to favor flat-track competition, although some do favor banked tracks and some use both. Different track types lead to different styles of play, which are in turn sometimes associated with professionalism or amateurism. The merits and drawbacks of flat vs. banked tracks are sources of heated debates and strong opinions throughout the sport.
• Less professional leagues devote greater attention to showmanship and entertainment gimmicks including costumes and cat fights. Other leagues tend to focus more, although not exclusively, on athleticism and preserving the integrity of the history of the sport. These different approaches to producing a roller derby spectacle reflect the different histories, ownership/management structures, and goals of individual leagues, as well as different interpretations of the expectations of fans. These differences are most notable between those leagues that are profit-driven and that strive to acquire and maintain television exposure, and those that train and compete out of a pure love for the sport.

Some do not consider any form of roller derby to be "professional" since the sport is not covered by major sports media outlets and because it's historical promotional style has been more akin to "professional wrestling" than a sport such as professional hockey.

The relative lack of reliable, published, and Internet-accessible information about the activities of both historic and modern "professional" roller derby leagues makes it difficult to make qualitative assessments of other possible differences, such as types of training facilities, competition venues, rules and regulations, training schedules, etc.

Several trademarks for the proper noun "Roller Derby" are currently in effect in multiple countries. The first three are owned by Roller Derby Skate Corporation, a manufacturer of wheeled skates, based in Litchfield, Illinois:

• An entertainment exhibition involving a contest between teams of roller skaters, first used in commerce in 1935.
• A brand name and logo for roller skates, wheels, and repair parts, first used in commerce in 1935.
• A brand name and logo for t-shirts, jackets, and trousers, first used in commerce in 1987.

The other current trademark was registered June 6, 2005 and applies to a computer game by Ages Entertainment Software, Inc., a subsidiary of Viacom.

The common noun "roller derby" is often used to refer to the sport in all of its forms, be they semi-theatrical or fully athletic, or professional or amateur. It is possible that some uses of this term may infringe upon Roller Derby Skate Corporation's trademark.

This article may contain unverified or indiscriminate information in embedded lists. Please help clean up the lists by removing items or incorporating them into the text of the article. (January 2008)

Roller derby has been the subject of film, television, and literature, in fictional and nonfictional contexts. This is not an exhaustive list.

• In 1949, Roller Derby Girl, a 10-minute short film produced and directed by Justin Herman was released as part of Paramount's Pacemaker series. It was nominated for, but did not win, an Academy Award in 1950.
• In 1971, the documentary film Derby (titled Roller Derby in the United Kingdom) was released. Directed by Robert Kaylor, the film follows skater Mike Snell as he becomes immersed in the world of 1970s professional Roller Derby, and provides competition footage as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of several Roller Derby pros.
• In 1989-1990, RollerGames hit the airwaves in syndication. It was seen in 95 percent of the country. It's ratings were very good in New York and LA, where it played on Saturday afternoons. The show garnered a 4.7 national rating, almost doubling the ratings of American Gladiators. It also did well when aired back-to-back with wrestling. However, some stations aired it against NBC's popular Saturday Night Live and it got killed. The show went off the air after one season because its distributor, Qintex Entertainment, went out of business. Emmy winning producers David Sams, Mike Miller, and Suzanne dePasse produced the show. Chet Forte directed.
• In 1986, the 57-minute documentary Roller Derby Mania was released direct to video (NTSC VHS) in North America. It features the L.A. T-Birds roller games team, as well as classic Roller Derby footage. A Region 1 DVD edition was released in 2003.
• In 1991, the 30-minute documentary Roller Derby Wars was released direct to video (NTSC VHS) in North America. It was released on video in the UK in 1993 (PAL VHS).
• In 2001, Demon Of The Derby, a biographical documentary about aging roller derby star Ann Calvello, was released.
• In 2004, the 32nd episode of the sports documentary series "Woodie's World" aired on ESPN and contained a segment on a 1971 roller derby revival.
• In 2005, the 9th episode of the sports documentary series "Timeless" aired on ESPN and spotlighted the LA Derby Dolls.
• Jam, a film about the lives of derby skaters and promoters, premiered in 2006. The film won best documentary at the South by Southwest film festival. A Jam trailer was made available on the Film Threat web site.
• Hell On Wheels, a documentary about the creation of the all-female roller derby league in Austin, Texas in 2001 that sparked the modern derby revival premiered in March 2007 at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
• In 2007, several league-specific documentaries premiered (or were scheduled to), including Talk Derby To Me^[35] and Blood on the Flat Track: The Rise of the Rat City Rollergirls^[36]

• In 1950, Twentieth Century Fox released The Fireball, a fictional film starring Mickey Rooney as a boy who runs away to join the International Roller Speedway and falls in love. This is one of Marilyn Monroe's first films.
• In 1972, Raquel Welch starred in Kansas City Bomber, a fictional film about a female roller derby player who learns to take control of her life both on and off the track.
• An exploitation film entitled Unholy Rollers: The Leader of the Pack was also released in 1972. Written and directed by Vernon Zimmerman, the movie stars Claudia Jennings as a factory worker who quits her job to join the roller derby.
• In September 1973, "Bailey's Comets", an animated series from DePatie/Freling Studios debuted on CBS. It was about the Comets, a 6 member (3 male, 3 female) roller derby team involved in an international race against other, rather bizarre teams for a $1 million cash prize.
• In 1975, Rollerball was released. The fictional film, set in a dystopian future, is loosely based on the Roller Derby concept, and concentrates on social and political issues. Several skaters from the original Roller Derby have cameo/stunt scenes in the film. It was remade in 2002.
• In 1978, NBC produced a short-lived TV sitcom called The Roller Girls which featured the exploits of a fictional all-female roller games team, the Pittsburgh Pitts.
• In 2005, Variety reported that Paramount purchased a comedy pitch for a film about women's roller derby, and set it up for development with former Paramount president Tom Jacobson and MTV Films.^[37]
• In 2007, Production Charts reported that Whip It, a feature film directed by Drew Barrymore, starring Ellen Page, and written by L.A. Derby Doll and Derby Girl author Shauna Cross, was scheduled to begin production in March 2008.^[38][39]
• Roller derby was incorporated into the plot of the 27th episode of "The Untouchables" in 1960, the 14th episode of the animated TV series "The Addams Family" in 1973, the Disney theatrical film The Shaggy D.A. in 1976, the 12th episode of the TV series "Charlie's Angels" in 1976, the 87th episode of the TV series "The Six Million Dollar Man" in 1977, an episode of the TV series "Laverne & Shirley", the 22nd and 117th episodes of the TV series "Fantasy Island" in 1978 and 1982, the 10th episode of the TV series "Room for Two" in 1982, the 31st episode of "The Fall Guy" in 1982, the 45th episode of the TV series "It's A Living" in 1986, the 30th and 49th episodes of the TV series "Clarissa Explains It All" in 1992 and 1993, the 17th episode of the animated TV series "George and Martha" in 2000, the 181st episode of the "King of the Hill" animated TV series in 2005, an episode of the TV series "CSI: NY" in 2005, the 3rd episode of the TV series "The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman" in 2006, and the 32nd episode of the TV series "Family Business" in 2006.^[40]

• Roller derby players were featured in two reality television shows: episode 8 of "Switched Up!" in 2004, and episode 25 of "Average Joe" in 2005.
• On January 2, 2006, the A&E Network premiered Rollergirls, a reality TV show consisting of 13 one-hour episodes featuring the Lonestar Rollergirls, a banked track league. Another season was planned, but the show was canceled and its final three episodes were aired on April 2, 2006.^[41]
• In 2006 and 2007, members of roller derby leagues appeared in a roller derby-themed TV commercial for Right Guard deodorant and another for Aleve pain reliever.
• Punk cartoon Nothing Nice to Say satires roller derby in a 2007 comic strip.
• Charles Bukowski wrote a short story called "Christ on rollerskates" which was included in "South of no north"

• Michelson, Herb. A Very Simple Game: the Story of Roller Derby. 1971.
• Deford, Frank. Five Strides on the Banked Track: The Life and Times of the Roller Derby. Little, Brown and Company, 1971. ISBN 0-316-17920-5.
• Coppage, Keith. Roller Derby to Rollerjam: The Authorized Story of an Unauthorized Sport. Santa Rosa, California: Squarebooks, 1999. ISBN 0-916290-80-8.
• Fitzpatrick, Jim. Roller Derby Classics… and more!. Foreword by Ann Calvello. Trafford Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-4120-6678-6.
• Bordner, D. M. (Tim Patten) Roller Babes: The Story of the Roller Derby Queen. iUniverse, Inc, 2006. ISBN 0-595-67544-1.
• Joulwan, Melissa. Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track. Touchstone (Simon & Schuster), February 2007. ISBN 978-0743297158.
• Mabe, Catherine. Roller Derby: The History and All-Girl Revival of the Greatest Sport on Wheels. Speck Press, 2007. ISBN 1-933108-11-8.
• Cross, Shauna. Derby Girl. Henry Holt and Co., 2007. ISBN 978-0805080230.

• Ann Calvello
• Joan Weston
• History of roller derby
• List of roller derby leagues

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roller derby.

• General roller derby periodicals & blogs
  • Derby News Network - A roller derby news blog with multiple regular contributors
  • LeadJammer - A roller derby news blog
  • Have Derby, Will Travel - A roller derby news blog
  • Rollergirl Q/A - a Q&A blog for roller derby players
  • Blood and Thunder Magazine - A magazine dedicated to the world of contemporary all-girl roller derby
• Yahoo! Groups about roller derby in general
  • RollerDerbyIsSport - "Dedicated to fans, players, and Roller Derby related individuals interacting and getting information about the current revival of roller derby"
  • bankedtracknews - "Welcomes membership and comment from anyone interested in the game, from the old days in New York and on the Coast to the current crop of Roller Derby style skating"
  • RollerDerbyForum - "Nostalgic forum for fans of banked-track skating to discuss Roller Derby, Roller Games and other banked-track skating groups of the past"
  • Classic_Derby - "Classic Roller Derby from the 1950s and on…We do not support Roller Girls here"
• Other sites about roller derby in general
  • Roller derby explained - Computer animated guide to derby basics
  • US / Canada & International Rollergirls' Master Roster - Listing of every currently active RollerGirl in North America / Canada / International by derby name, number, position, league, team, and team theme
  • Roller Derby Foundation - Fan site honoring Roller Derby and Roller Games in general
  • National Roller Derby Hall of Fame - Fan site and museum honoring Roller Derby athletes
  • Banked Track Memories - Fan site with many historic photo galleries and links to similar ones
  • Buddy Atkinson Collection, 1989–1994 - Information about a former professional skater's archive that was donated to the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin
  • Rollergirls - Promotional site for the defunct television series
• Roller derby organizations
  • Women's Flat Track Derby Association - Official site
  • Junior Flat Track Derby Association - Official site
  • Old School Derby Association - Official site