The Humboldt Roller Derby league kicked off their first practice of the season on Sunday at the curling rink and though members were few, emotions were still optimistic.
“I love the workout, I love the people, they’re great, and I love the freedom,” said Racheal Marsh, one of the members returning for her second year in the league. “I love the feeling of the wind through my helmet. I can’t explain it until you strap on a pair of skates.”
The league has only been in Humboldt since 2012, but it began with a full 14-member team for the first two years. This year, however, seems to have only five to six members, including the two that showed up to the first practice on Sunday.
“Last year was our roughest year. We had most of our players move away for school and jobs, so this year is kind of a rebuilding year for us,” said Barb Spuzak, the leader and member of the Humboldt league.
Aside from people not knowing too much about the league, much of what they do know might be filled with myths from movies like Whip It. According to Spuzak, a lot of people are afraid of getting hurt, but she says it’s not like in the movie; it’s mostly about strategy.
“For the most part, it’s not that dangerous. That’s the main part of all our practice,” she said. “It’s learning how to fall properly and learning how to take hits while you’re in the game. It’s all shoulder hits or hits with your hips, so no elbows or flying fists.”
The goal of the sport is to get your “jammer” past the other team’s “blockers” without letting their jammer get through yours. For every opposing blocker the jammer passes, that team gets a point. Each “jam” is two minutes long, so whichever team has the most points by the end of the game wins.
“The hardest part is probably being the jammer because you’re skating at full speed pretty much most of the time and trying to get through the pack,” said Spuzak. “So you’re weaving in and out between people and people are trying to stop you, so it takes a lot of endurance.”
Currently, the league is accepting of anyone over the age of 16. Spuzak said that they used to have members around the age of 40. Members can pay a monthly fee, an annual fee, or purchase a punch card with 10 practices if a person isn’t sure if they want to commit to the team yet. The gear is provided by
Spuzak and she says they do fundraising throughout the year to help keep costs low.
