Team Entry
In Roller Derby, the score board usually shows the time to bout counting down. No need to check your watch or be anxious you might miss the start when leaving your seat for a beer or some snacks.
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| #27 Hot Tamaule - Roller Girls of the Apocalypse (Kaiserslautern) |
Around 10 minutes before the bout starts the teams enter the arena. Every team has usually picked some special music to accompany the entry. Sometimes especially for their opponent.
Players are announced, flags are being waved, the occasional glitter cannon sets off and the teams are greeting each other.
First Whistle
Together with the teams, the photographers look for their places. (I'll probably make another blog entry about "what and where") All goes suddenly quiet on the track, NSO's are getting ready, focussed on their job and the game. The players take a last deep breath, remember the strategy or simply having a look at their opponents. What's their shape? Do they look like they hit hard, skate fast?
The first jam is setting usually setting the tone for the first 10 minutes of the game. Just like an opening move does in Chess.
A Jammer is through the Pack
When a jammer finally managed to get through the pack (or around), it is the slip-second after which I like. Depending on the effort to get through or the physical exhaustion you get deeply emotional pictures (if the jammer is looking up. Around 30% of all jammers I encountered are looking down for the first 2-3 meters.)
Power Jam
A Power Jam is when the opponent jammer is in the penalty box and only the remaining one can score (a total of 5 points because players in the penalty box count to the score). Depending on the game situation this can be a real nail biter or a triumphal procession. And of course they are exhausting for the remaining jammer. Trying to get as many points as possible can be a tough job.
Let me quote the Guiness Book of records:
"The most points scored in a WFTDA Roller Derby power jam by an individual is 50 and was achieved by Megan Lazorski aka Slim Skatey (USA) for FoCo Girls vs Castle Rock at the First Bank Center, Broomfield, Colorado, United States on 27 April 2013."
That was before the penalty time was reduced from 60 to 30 seconds in March 2014. There might never be someone able to break that record.
The Wall
A Power Jam is when the opponent jammer is in the penalty box and only the remaining one can score (a total of 5 points because players in the penalty box count to the score). Depending on the game situation this can be a real nail biter or a triumphal procession. And of course they are exhausting for the remaining jammer. Trying to get as many points as possible can be a tough job.
Let me quote the Guiness Book of records:
"The most points scored in a WFTDA Roller Derby power jam by an individual is 50 and was achieved by Megan Lazorski aka Slim Skatey (USA) for FoCo Girls vs Castle Rock at the First Bank Center, Broomfield, Colorado, United States on 27 April 2013."
That was before the penalty time was reduced from 60 to 30 seconds in March 2014. There might never be someone able to break that record.
The Wall
Not that I like seeing someone to be hurt, but also one of my favourite thing is the wall that fellow players, refs and/or NSO build when a player can't get up again and is being treated by the medics. It is considered inappropriate to shoot and publish pictures of such an incident. I asked a few times, it has always been denied. If I happened to take pictures of the incident, then I reach out to the injured player and offer them the pictures.
"The wall" is to give the injured player a little bit of privacy and of course to avoid some gazers to take pictures with their mobiles and spread them. A lot of times I have seen that the team from the injured player is also taking a knee and it gives me shivers every time.
The Honours
Game is over, everybody loved, cried, took their emotional share out of that. What follows is one of the greatest things I have ever watched in a sport.
The viewers are invited onto the track, they line up on on side and both teams are fan-hand-slapping while rolling by. The occasional butt slapping might occur also. Sometimes there is a "player-tunnel" where the teams are rolling through and sometimes the teams take a knee to thank the game officials.
After all settles down stray groups of friends and family remain, celebrating what had just happen.
The picture editing
You say "But it is work?" and yes it is. But when scrolling through the hundreds of pictures at least I have a constant smile on my face because I recall all the great moments, see all the great people and it is like being back there.
These are not all of my favorite things of course but quite a lot of them. So thank you for joining me here and yes, I'm smiling again recapturing these moments.
Take care...
"The wall" is to give the injured player a little bit of privacy and of course to avoid some gazers to take pictures with their mobiles and spread them. A lot of times I have seen that the team from the injured player is also taking a knee and it gives me shivers every time.
The Honours
The picture editing
You say "But it is work?" and yes it is. But when scrolling through the hundreds of pictures at least I have a constant smile on my face because I recall all the great moments, see all the great people and it is like being back there.
These are not all of my favorite things of course but quite a lot of them. So thank you for joining me here and yes, I'm smiling again recapturing these moments.
Take care...
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