Destroyers - Imagine, if you can, a full-contact sport where the teams are made up of women with names like Freyda Cox, Blockadile Dundee, Short Stop, Biceptual, and Calamity Maim. Imagine the ring, full of women wearing knee, elbow, and wrist pads, as well as helmets and mouth guards, because the chances of them falling over, or being accidentally whacked while travelling at great speed are very high. Imagine watching women shoving each other with their hips hard enough that they send each other flying across the rink to land on the hard ground. Imagine a very technical sport, where tactics and evil eye are paramount. Welcome to Roller Derby. Australias bronze medal win at the Roller Derby World Cup earlier this month is a testament to the popularity of the sport in Australia, and the breath of talent that exists in leagues across the country. abc.net.au/news/2014-12-08/team-australia-take-bronze-at-roller-derby-world-cup/5952830?WT.mc_id=Innovation_News The origins of the game can be traced to the 1880s (before either NRL or AFL were formally organised in this country), when official roller skating races with cash prizes were being held in the US, and people queued up to watch the contestants ram into each other. By the 1940s, the sport had become a recognisable version of the modern game, and by 1948, bouts were broadcast via the miraculous new medium of television, while week-long contests sold out New Yorks Madison Square Garden. It even came to the attention of the International Olympic Committee, who considered it for inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo games, and whilst it didnt make the cut this time, ... it shows, perhaps, the potential of the game on a world stage. smh.au/good-weekend/the-rise-of-roller-derby-20141107-11b110.html… If you havent gone to watch a bout, and maybe sit in suicide alley then do yourself the proverbial favour. You wont be disappointed. Destroyers, should young girls and women be encouraged to participate in full contact sports such as Roller Derby, or do we need to stick to the more traditional and less violent ones?
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 02:56:47 +0000
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