Roller Derby possible suck

[PepperElf]

Possible suck, but I'm unsure of whether or not this is illegal by the WFTDA rules.


The blockers were skating backwards. Technically they were moving in the right (counter-clockwise) direction. But they were backwards, so they had to skate slower... which can screw up the dynamics of the pack.

I mean I'm all for tough blocking. One of the gals on my home-town team had a name for it (and for getting in the penalty box). But even then there was an air friendship over the track. As one announcer said - they'll fight hard and bruise each other, and after the game they'll buy each other beers.


But the team here, I dunno. That move seemed more like a rotten trick to me. And it's not like they needed to do it. The other team had 8 new skaters and were clearly outclassed to begin with; the local team would have won anyway without using that trick. Not to mention that the Zebras kept not noticing when the pack was too loose.


Somehow I'm just not sure if this is going to give them the kind of name they want in roller derby. Cos to me it makes them look like bad sports. (not to mention making me want to support any other team BUT them)

[Teskeria]

On at least one wftda related site I found two different refs state :Skaters must skate counter-clockwise while initiating a block, retrieving a dropped panty, and going to the penalty box.
Skates may skate 'backwards' as long as they are still moving counter-clockwise and do anything they want on the track they can normally do while facing forward.
All other rules for blocking still apply. Must be In Play, In the Engagement Zone, and initiating the block with a legal portion of their body to a legal target zone."
&
'At first glance, skating backwards and being able to block and assist really does not sound like it should be legal. The easiest way I have found to think about it is how the rules are structured in regards to target and blocking zones in terms of legal contact no matter what direction a player is facing as long as she is skating "in the derby direction". As you state there are no rules saying it is illegal to skate backwards while blocking/ assisting so therefore it is legal.'


So it looks like it is legal.

[Ironclad Alibi]

retrieving a dropped panty,

All of a sudden I might be interested in Roller Derby.

Are you speaking of what has been called The Peculiar Art of Mr. Frahm?

[Dreamstalker]

Yay! LILEKS! I'd forgotten about that section of the site

[PepperElf]

I've not seen anything specific about it in the rules but since i posted this i've seen a couple of refs on FB claim that it's legal.


still seems kinda ... like a dirty trick to me, especially since the back-facing skaters tend to mess up the pack. but part of that may be because I'm biased from what I've seen from my hometown team. Most of the other leagues around them were really former teammates that split off when the team got too big. So sure they'll fight hard on the track but... they were never bad sports about it either.