" If we didn’t have loss in derby then maybe it wouldn’t make each victory feel so sweet" This is so true! When I first started I was lucky enough to have a really good connection to my teammates and we had a series of wins. It didn't last and losing wasn't the best feeling in the world but it did give me perspective.
... and I raise you the shot clock. It was introduced for precisely the same reason that many people feel there's a problem in roller derby right now: teams had learned that a strategy of disengagement increased their likelihood of victory, but spectators found it tedious.
I get that *you* find this area of tactics interesting. A lot of us, and I mean a *lot*, find it utterly unwatchable.
Again to basketball: the essence of the game is about putting the ball through the hoop. Before the shot clock, the key tactic had moved the game away from its essence. For me, and for no-shit at least 98 out of a hundred people I've had conversations with in the past three months, the essence of derby is engagement -- skaters in contact, skaters trying to get past each other, skaters trying to prevent same. "Passive offense" takes 90% of that out of the game.
This is roller derby's shot clock moment. If the sport wants to halt the torrent of fans fleeing from venues, it's gonna need to find a way to disincentivize disengagement tactics.
I wonder if those folks that complain about passive offense have any context in sports. Do you watch sports? Do you watch games on TV, or live? Do you watch basketball, for instance?
So, in the NBA the dominant offense is the pick and roll. This intimately involves two offensive players. Maybe there's a third offensive player near the post moving to get open. Alternatively, that third player is chilling on the perimeter with the other two shooters. These are basketball players who are paid millions of dollars to run to the corner and stand there. They draw the defense away from the center of the court and might take a pass and shoot it a few times a game. Otherwise they're just out of the way of the play.
There's probably a defender standing not far away trying to balance covering the shooter on the wing and narrowing the lanes available to the point guard and forward that are actually running the play. So basically there are like 4-6 guys just standing around thinking about what's the best place to stand and watching the action. Basketball isn't all 10 guys or girls on the court making constant squeaky sounds with their shoes doing "basketball moves," whatever those are. Maybe you haven't noticed, but basketball is considered exciting and popular. I guess if you just watched a shooter standing in the corner, not touching the ball for most possessions it would be pretty boring. Good thing there's always a ball and someone has it and is doing cool stuff that you might want to watch.
I've played plenty of sports before I played roller derby. Standing and watching someone else do things is not an uncommon experience. In many cases that's all you can do because of the rules, or maybe it's the just the smart thing to do. A player isn't necessarily lazy if he or she watched his or her teammate score on a play. Not every play involves every player, and not every player makes equally important impact on each play, no matter what sport it is.
So, if you go to a game and you're watching a dude stand on the wings of a basketball court, or a wide receiver running around with a cornerback, or an outfielder standing around enjoying the weather, you're watching the wrong thing! If you're watching the passive offense standing there, you're watching the wrong thing!!! It's that simple guys, seriously. The jammer is working, the defense is working, spectacular stuff is happening if the skaters are skilled. Just watch that and stop complaining. If you think a sport isn't exciting if both teams aren't running around full speed constantly then you obviously haven't watched or played enough sports to know how it works.
So, my point is that there is absolutely no reason to complain about passive offense other than it's potency and that it over-punishes jammer penalties when used in a power jam. If you think that the act of doing it makes derby boring or somehow not a legit sport then you are a crybaby. Something exciting is happening, and if you refuse to look at it and enjoy it, that's your problem. I wouldn't mind some tweaks to the rules, but all this freaking out and name-calling is ridiculous.
I established two teams in two different cities, and always I felt so bad sometimes..
I started from zero because I learned to skate but when I was a child.. and I found a lot of dificulties, but no doubt the Derby Drama was the worst.
And few days ago I found this article and I opened my eyes: derby drama exists and it's very frustrating to be the only person who be worried for the team (trainings, events, money, etc), because the other members of the team not to be implicated a little. If you don't do somethings, no one will do it.
So in this moment, I decide to have a break, I don't know how long will be but I think I need it.
I have lots of motivation to skate, everyday I want to skate, but I prefer rest now, before resist and explode..
So much force for the girls in Derby Drama topic.
Thanks for write!
Greetings from Spain.
She is on my team and she assured all of us that they were old skates, bearings and wheels so no harm no foul! Derby girls know how to have fun even when things don't seem so great! :)
tiny correction - we've actually played BAD 4 times. in addition to the times mentioned, we battled in a hangover in Carolina back in 2007 and at ECDX 2010 - philly took both.
great article on antidote (our not-so-secret weapon anymore...)!
I can identify with so much of what you wrote. Broke my left ankle (tib-fib fracture) back in August, had surgery four days later, hoping to be cleared to skate in early December. I miss skating so much but I would be lying if I didn't admit to being crazy nervous about going back. Going to read this again every time those thoughts come up.
My Wife is our head ref and I can recall a few conversations where "Its so hard not to cheer" came up. She never has, she is completely impartial out there, but the desire has been there.
I am thankful to everyone who chooses to be an NSO. I do not have the attention span *oh look something shiny* for it. Your jobs are crazy difficult and on top of that you put up with tons of flak. Excuse me I need to bake some cookies...
One of the most challenging things about being an official (skating or non) for me is that we have to form a team on the fly at every single bout - adjusting to everything from a ref calling a home team game at tournament tightness (as well she should) to an OWB who came to watch his sister play and got tackled at the last minute (sorry, dude). The amazing part is that we manage to do it every time, and back up and support and learn from each other in the process. Their might not be a ton of glamour in being a plain black T, but it is a great community and I am blessed to be a part of it. Plus there are usually cookies.
I am older freshmeat (does that mean I am close to expiration? yikes), but I have A LOT of passion and a little skill (okay, not really any skill, but I can stay on my skates if I don't move). I will never be a "rockstar" I know that... I am cool with that, but it was really great to read that I still will have a place in the great world of derby which already has given me so much.
" If we didn’t have loss in derby then maybe it wouldn’t make each victory feel so sweet" This is so true! When I first started I was lucky enough to have a really good connection to my teammates and we had a series of wins. It didn't last and losing wasn't the best feeling in the world but it did give me perspective.
... and I raise you the shot clock. It was introduced for precisely the same reason that many people feel there's a problem in roller derby right now: teams had learned that a strategy of disengagement increased their likelihood of victory, but spectators found it tedious.
I get that *you* find this area of tactics interesting. A lot of us, and I mean a *lot*, find it utterly unwatchable.
Again to basketball: the essence of the game is about putting the ball through the hoop. Before the shot clock, the key tactic had moved the game away from its essence. For me, and for no-shit at least 98 out of a hundred people I've had conversations with in the past three months, the essence of derby is engagement -- skaters in contact, skaters trying to get past each other, skaters trying to prevent same. "Passive offense" takes 90% of that out of the game.
This is roller derby's shot clock moment. If the sport wants to halt the torrent of fans fleeing from venues, it's gonna need to find a way to disincentivize disengagement tactics.
I wonder if those folks that complain about passive offense have any context in sports. Do you watch sports? Do you watch games on TV, or live? Do you watch basketball, for instance?
So, in the NBA the dominant offense is the pick and roll. This intimately involves two offensive players. Maybe there's a third offensive player near the post moving to get open. Alternatively, that third player is chilling on the perimeter with the other two shooters. These are basketball players who are paid millions of dollars to run to the corner and stand there. They draw the defense away from the center of the court and might take a pass and shoot it a few times a game. Otherwise they're just out of the way of the play.
There's probably a defender standing not far away trying to balance covering the shooter on the wing and narrowing the lanes available to the point guard and forward that are actually running the play. So basically there are like 4-6 guys just standing around thinking about what's the best place to stand and watching the action. Basketball isn't all 10 guys or girls on the court making constant squeaky sounds with their shoes doing "basketball moves," whatever those are. Maybe you haven't noticed, but basketball is considered exciting and popular. I guess if you just watched a shooter standing in the corner, not touching the ball for most possessions it would be pretty boring. Good thing there's always a ball and someone has it and is doing cool stuff that you might want to watch.
I've played plenty of sports before I played roller derby. Standing and watching someone else do things is not an uncommon experience. In many cases that's all you can do because of the rules, or maybe it's the just the smart thing to do. A player isn't necessarily lazy if he or she watched his or her teammate score on a play. Not every play involves every player, and not every player makes equally important impact on each play, no matter what sport it is.
So, if you go to a game and you're watching a dude stand on the wings of a basketball court, or a wide receiver running around with a cornerback, or an outfielder standing around enjoying the weather, you're watching the wrong thing! If you're watching the passive offense standing there, you're watching the wrong thing!!! It's that simple guys, seriously. The jammer is working, the defense is working, spectacular stuff is happening if the skaters are skilled. Just watch that and stop complaining. If you think a sport isn't exciting if both teams aren't running around full speed constantly then you obviously haven't watched or played enough sports to know how it works.
So, my point is that there is absolutely no reason to complain about passive offense other than it's potency and that it over-punishes jammer penalties when used in a power jam. If you think that the act of doing it makes derby boring or somehow not a legit sport then you are a crybaby. Something exciting is happening, and if you refuse to look at it and enjoy it, that's your problem. I wouldn't mind some tweaks to the rules, but all this freaking out and name-calling is ridiculous.
We have the same number =) I usually get eleven-o-one, which is strangely faster considering it has more syllables.
Nerdz 4 lyfe
I established two teams in two different cities, and always I felt so bad sometimes..
I started from zero because I learned to skate but when I was a child.. and I found a lot of dificulties, but no doubt the Derby Drama was the worst.
And few days ago I found this article and I opened my eyes: derby drama exists and it's very frustrating to be the only person who be worried for the team (trainings, events, money, etc), because the other members of the team not to be implicated a little. If you don't do somethings, no one will do it.
So in this moment, I decide to have a break, I don't know how long will be but I think I need it.
I have lots of motivation to skate, everyday I want to skate, but I prefer rest now, before resist and explode..
So much force for the girls in Derby Drama topic.
Thanks for write!
Greetings from Spain.
She is on my team and she assured all of us that they were old skates, bearings and wheels so no harm no foul! Derby girls know how to have fun even when things don't seem so great! :)
Her poor bearings :-)
That photo is awesome, though.
tiny correction - we've actually played BAD 4 times. in addition to the times mentioned, we battled in a hangover in Carolina back in 2007 and at ECDX 2010 - philly took both.
great article on antidote (our not-so-secret weapon anymore...)!
Yep, ick. Giving myself those every day right now. Nice to read the experience of someone who is on their way back. Let us know how it goes!
I can identify with so much of what you wrote. Broke my left ankle (tib-fib fracture) back in August, had surgery four days later, hoping to be cleared to skate in early December. I miss skating so much but I would be lying if I didn't admit to being crazy nervous about going back. Going to read this again every time those thoughts come up.
My Wife is our head ref and I can recall a few conversations where "Its so hard not to cheer" came up. She never has, she is completely impartial out there, but the desire has been there.
I am thankful to everyone who chooses to be an NSO. I do not have the attention span *oh look something shiny* for it. Your jobs are crazy difficult and on top of that you put up with tons of flak. Excuse me I need to bake some cookies...
One of the most challenging things about being an official (skating or non) for me is that we have to form a team on the fly at every single bout - adjusting to everything from a ref calling a home team game at tournament tightness (as well she should) to an OWB who came to watch his sister play and got tackled at the last minute (sorry, dude). The amazing part is that we manage to do it every time, and back up and support and learn from each other in the process. Their might not be a ton of glamour in being a plain black T, but it is a great community and I am blessed to be a part of it. Plus there are usually cookies.
Way to keep positive and moving forward! You'll be back on the track and hitting people again in no time.
And great first article. Can't wait to read more.
I am older freshmeat (does that mean I am close to expiration? yikes), but I have A LOT of passion and a little skill (okay, not really any skill, but I can stay on my skates if I don't move). I will never be a "rockstar" I know that... I am cool with that, but it was really great to read that I still will have a place in the great world of derby which already has given me so much.
wish I'd been smart & witty enough to write this! broke mine Feb 4, back on skates in May and working my ass off to get on a team.
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