As most of you know, I am part of a roller derby team.
When I tell people that I do roller derby, I would say 3 out of 5 of those people haven’t got a clue what the hell roller derby is. Left with the name alone, it’s not exactly easy to decipher (except for maybe the fact that we use roller skates) but besides that, roller derby to many people (particularly Japanese people) is an alien concept.
Many women in derby talk about being asked, “where’s the ball?” when explaining the sport they love. Skates, blockers, a pivot, and a jammmer, that’s all you need (maybe a ref as well). And in the rough and tumble world of derby, the jammer* isthe ball!*A jammer is a person by the way.
Tokyo Roller Girls (TRG) league recently held a mixed bout on Yokota Air Force base which was comprised of members of all of the teams under the TRG umbrella. Yokota Scary Blossoms, Zama Killer Katanas and Yokosuka Sushi Rollers. Tokyo Bomber Girlsdidn’t participate this time. We’re holding out for the bout on September 22 for which we will be prepared especially after weekly scrimmages and help from veterans of the other teams in the league.Here’s a quick look at the summer smash-up bout.
