Detroit Derby Girls

(Double click to enlarge)

On Saturday a bunch of friends went to see the season opener of the Detroit Derby Girls. They just moved from the Masonic Temple to Cobo Arena. It is a good old fashioned Roller Derby with a bit of a twist - Detroit themed team names (Motor City Disassembly Line, D-Funk, Devil's Night Dames, Grand Prix Madonnas, etc.), wacky athlete names (Ghetto Barbie, Cool Whip, Fatal Femme, and some a bit too racy to mention at this site), lower bowl seating which is affectionately referred to as "suicide seating" (strangely it costs a lot more to sit there), hysterical announcers, and well - the costumes - they are a trip - anything from fishnet stockings - skirts - spandex - and hotpants. This is a full contact sport that sports some fashion. Plastered on the costumes were the athlete's numbers which just plain 'ol cracked me up. My favorite was #O+. Others were #313, #24/7, #100%, and #911. Who comes up with this stuff? Hy-StEr-I-cAl!!

The night was filled with a ton of 'people watching' and trying to figure out the rules which were printed in the program. They are bit different - the rules and the people. The rules included things like:

8.4 - A Jammer pass, either initial or scoring, cannot be initiated by entering the pack from the front. If a Jammer who has exited the front of the engagement zone is then swallowed backward into the front engagement zone and/or pack, she returns to her previous pass (see ) until she again re-exits the front engagement zone. (See Section 8.6.4 for points scored before a Jammer returns to her previous pass.)
8.4.1 - If a Jammer is lapped by the pack and is swallowed back into the pack before she has begun her initial pass, that time she spends in the pack will not be considered her initial pass. Her forward engagement of the pack on her subsequent pass will be considered her initial pass.

All-in-all - it was fun - considering myself 'schooled' in Derby!

Oh - and I almost forgot, there was an impromptu visit/performance by the Detroit Marching Band.