Roller Derby is a full contact sport, so everyone skates at their own risk.  

BVRD is committed to skater safety, so you will be required to wear your safety gear at all times. You will also be taught how to be safe on the track.

The rules of Roller Derby are meant to keep you safe. For example, skaters cannot hit other skaters along the middle of their back or their head. Our members are expected to abide by these rules whether at practice or at a game.

If you would like to become a derby athlete, you will need to attend our beginner bootcamp. If you would like to become a skating official, we also ask that you attend our beginner bootcamp so that you can possess the skating skills necessary for on-skate officiating. 

If skating isn’t for you, we also offer two forms of off-skates membership. A non-skating official is a super important role within our league. We provide training for the many non-skating official titles. If officiating isn’t in your wheelhouse, we are always looking for associate members to help on committees and perform other tasks that keep our league running smoothly.

If you’re ready to join or for more information, contact us at join@brazosvalleyrollerderby.com

We offer three practices a week that are each 2-hours long.

We have recreational skating twice a week that are each 1-hour long.    

We have bouts on a monthly basis which lasts 1 ½ hours.  

Members are expected to participate in at least one of our team events per month outside of practice or bouts.  

The average member will spend 6 - 8 hours per week on derby. However, the more time you put into derby the more you get out of it.

You’re required to have the following:

Skates (quads, no inline skates)

Knee Pads

Elbow Pads

Wrist Guards

Helmet

Mouth Guard

A fresh meat skater package from an online vendor will run $200.00 and up, depending on the quality of gear you purchase. Don’t let that price scare you into not trying! We offer loaner gear on a first come - first serve basis!  You can review more prices here:

Derbywarehouse.com https://www.medusaskates.com/

Bruisedboutique.com https://wickedskatewear.com/

Not a problem, our experienced BVRD trainers will teach you!  We train all skaters from giraffe on ice level to bout ready. 

We also offer a recreational skating hour before our practices so that you can work on your skating abilities. For more information on our recreational skating hour contact us at info@brazosvalleyrollerderby.com

BVRD is recruiting members, that includes women, men, and everything in between.  We offer training to everyone and often host and participate in co-ed bouts.

We still want you!  This league takes a lot of people power to make derby magic happen. If skating isn’t for you, we also offer two forms of off-skates membership. A non-skating official is a super important role within our league. We provide training for the many non-skating official titles. If officiating isn’t in your wheelhouse, we are always looking for associate members to help on committees and perform other tasks that keep our league running smoothly.

For more information, contact us at join@brazosvalleyrollerderby.com

This is different for every individual skater.  Once you have passed your minimum skating requirements, you will be eligible to bout.  Some skaters are able to pass these requirements in a few months, others take a year or more.

Much like in football, the ref squad internally divides areas of responsibility -- the front of the pack, the rear of the pack, scoring for one team, scoring for the other team, etc.  The refs practice communicating with each other to determine the legality of action on the track.

Yes.  Ever since its invention in the 1930s, roller derby has traditionally been a 'quad' skate game.  Quad roller skates promote control and stability, and their smaller wheel base reduces the chances for skaters to get tripped up on each others' skates.

Very rarely.  The WFTDA rules call for the expulsion of skaters participating in fights, which helps to keep the skaters and referees safe.  Fights did occasionally break out on the track in the Gotham Girls' early seasons, but since then the flat track roller derby game has matured. The skaters now channel their aggression by getting up, dusting themselves off, and legally hitting their foes even harder in the next jam.

Yes — for fifty years roller derby was played primarily on concave ("banked") tracks.  These tracks were big and expensive and required reassembly as the derby skaters of the time barnstormed from town to town.

In 2001 and 2002, skaters in Austin, Texas, lacking (at the time) the budget for a banked track, created the first drafts of a modified ruleset to allow the same basic game to be played on a flat surface.  The popularity of this style of play has been exploding around the world, as the 'play-anywhere' nature of the flat game has allowed skaters to learn the game without investing in a banked track infrastructure.

A handful of leagues in America play primarily on banked tracks (most notably in Los Angeles, Austin, and San Diego), while hundreds of leagues play the "flat track" game.  Many skaters and a small number of leagues train for both styles of play.