MOUNT VERNON — One of the fastest-growing sports in the nation, Roller Derby made its debut at Skateland Roller Rink in the Winter Snowbrawl when the Violet Offenders took on the Trauma Vixens Sunday afternoon.
The Roller Dolls is Knox, Licking and surrounding counties’ first flat track Roller Derby League. Formed in June 2011, the Central Ohio Roller Dolls had been practicing ever since for the kickoff event on Sunday. The Roller Dolls compete in an Apprentice League with the Roller Derby Association, hoping to one day compete in a sanctioned league.
“I wanted to do something physical. This is an activity as well as a physical sport,” said Mount Vernon resident Crystal Kettell of her reason for joining the Roller Dolls. Katell is a jammer for the Trauma Vixens team. “It’s great getting together as a team.”
The Roller Derby teams compete in a bout with five ladies on the floor at a time, with each team fielding one jammer and four blockers. Points are scored as the jammer is able to make her way around the pack of four blockers on the opposing team. Two-minute “jams” follow each other with each team able to accumulate points from the jammers. Each bout consists of two halves of 30 minutes each.
