Roller Derby, Part II: Watching
Jul. 2nd, 2007 08:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebBetween the time when doors opened and the event started, we got to watch roller "girls" warming up by skating around the ring.
Once the bout started, the rules weren't exactly how I imagined them. It was less like hallway football than it was like a video game about being late to work during rush hour traffic: two people are trying to pass everyone else, but lots of the other people are not letting them in, not letting them pass, and occasionally bumping them off the road.
It was actually quite fun to watch and impossible to see all that was going on. I mostly watched the jammers, the people trying to get through the traffic. It seems like a fast, thin person would make the ideal jammer because she can fit through tiny spaces. On the other hand, such a dainty thin thing is easier to bump into the stratosphere.
We got to watch two bouts actually, so four teams. The first two teams included my friend, so that was fun because we knew who we wanted to cheer for and sometimes we got to watch her play.
The second two teams were mismatched. I enjoyed that, too, because it made it much more clear how difficult it can be to get by people trying to block you. The first two teams made it look pretty easy, but in the second bout, some people who were certainly trying everything I could think of just couldn't get around. One good tactic for these poor creatures seemed to be to get right behind the jammer for the other team and follow her all the way through. Then, if you can keep up, you can at least keep the score a tie.
There wasn't actually much flying, and much less falling than I would expect with so many people roller skating so closely to each other and often trying to take up a lot of space.
There were a lot of loud announcers blabbing continuously about rules, sponsors, and cheering that you should be doing, as I suppose is to be expected at a sporting event. This was acceptable with ear plugs.
I would have preferred stadium seating (or watching on TV). There were just too many heads in the way, especially during one-fourth of the time where a couple of cheerleaders blocked our view of one-fourth of the track.
Overall, it was kind of fun. Not something I want to do a lot, at $12.50 a pop, but I will certainly watch my friend again as she gets better.
Once the bout started, the rules weren't exactly how I imagined them. It was less like hallway football than it was like a video game about being late to work during rush hour traffic: two people are trying to pass everyone else, but lots of the other people are not letting them in, not letting them pass, and occasionally bumping them off the road.
It was actually quite fun to watch and impossible to see all that was going on. I mostly watched the jammers, the people trying to get through the traffic. It seems like a fast, thin person would make the ideal jammer because she can fit through tiny spaces. On the other hand, such a dainty thin thing is easier to bump into the stratosphere.
We got to watch two bouts actually, so four teams. The first two teams included my friend, so that was fun because we knew who we wanted to cheer for and sometimes we got to watch her play.
The second two teams were mismatched. I enjoyed that, too, because it made it much more clear how difficult it can be to get by people trying to block you. The first two teams made it look pretty easy, but in the second bout, some people who were certainly trying everything I could think of just couldn't get around. One good tactic for these poor creatures seemed to be to get right behind the jammer for the other team and follow her all the way through. Then, if you can keep up, you can at least keep the score a tie.
There wasn't actually much flying, and much less falling than I would expect with so many people roller skating so closely to each other and often trying to take up a lot of space.
There were a lot of loud announcers blabbing continuously about rules, sponsors, and cheering that you should be doing, as I suppose is to be expected at a sporting event. This was acceptable with ear plugs.
I would have preferred stadium seating (or watching on TV). There were just too many heads in the way, especially during one-fourth of the time where a couple of cheerleaders blocked our view of one-fourth of the track.
Overall, it was kind of fun. Not something I want to do a lot, at $12.50 a pop, but I will certainly watch my friend again as she gets better.
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no subject
on 2007-07-03 01:37 pm (UTC)Have you noticed? Evidently just three hours of rollerblading a day will not only lead to weight loss, but very attractive legs! *laugh* I think it is the "3 hours" part that I cannot commit to.
no subject
on 2007-07-11 04:07 am (UTC)The second time she fell on the other side where I couldn't see, so I don't know how it happened. She was able to get up no problem, did not land in anyone's lap, and did not cause anyone to spill their beer, so I'd say it wasn't too bad.