Final home team double header with Rat City Rollergirls Saturday in Shoreline

Jammers fight for position as ref moves in
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

It’s Home Team Championships time!! Join us THIS SATURDAY 4/2 for our final home team double header for the season!

First off, we’ll have the grudge match between the Sockit Wenches and Grave Danger. Both teams are battling to stay out of last place… Who will come out on top? Then, watch as the Throttle Rockets - Rat City Rollergirls try to dethrone Rat City’s reigning champions, Derby Liberation Front in an epic showdown to finish out the home team season!

So wear your best Rat City home team gear, and get ready to show your support for your favorite skaters! Although we will have tickets at the door, this bout is bound to sell out, so get your tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.

Please join us at the Rat's Nest, 19022 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, Washington 98133. Buy tickets at the door. General admission tickets are $20. Tickets for children 12 and under are $15.Children 5 and younger are free. Doors open at 4:30 pm, first whistle at 5:30 pm.

If you don't know anything about Roller Derby here is a quick synopsis.

Each team fields four blockers and one jammer, for a total of ten skaters on the track at a time. The jammers are the point-scorers for their team: they wear a star on their helmets, and start behind the blockers. On their first trip through the pack, the jammers do not score points – they are instead fighting for lead jammer position. That means they must be the first to break through the pack without getting knocked out of bounds and without getting any penalties.

The lead jammer referee will signal who is lead jammer by making an “L” formation with their arms, pointing at the jammer with lead jammer status. The lead jammer has the advantage of being able to call of the jam at any time before its natural conclusion (2 minutes).

Once the jammers have lapped the pack once, they can now score points for each opposing skaters’ hips they pass legally (in bounds and without getting a penalty on).

It is not easy though! The opposing teams’ blockers will be impeding the jammer’s movement through the pack while trying the clear a path for their jammer.

You can also check out this video for another explanation. The best way to understand the excitement of derby? Come check it out in person!