Whip it, Whip it real good??
Artical about Whip it by Morgue Anna.
Ok so you’ve seen the film and fancy buying the T-shirt, but how does the realm derby scence differ from the film? Allow me to enlighten you.
The Teams
Just like the film leagues often have more than one team for instance Glasgow’ s Iron Bruisers and twisted thistles.
The costumes
Yep fishnets, hotpants, stripey socks are all componeents of real roller girl costumes and teams often theme themselves check out the London Rockin Rollers, or Rainy City Roller Girl’s Manchester Motley Crew.
The Game
This is where the differences come in, the film shows a banked track and most roller derby is played on a flat track. There is banked track derby, but not in the UK so sorry if you want to play on a banked track, book a plane ticket. The rules also differ slightly, in banked track derby the Jammer scores every time she passes an opposition player in flat track derby it’s every time she laps that player. The first Jammer out of the pack is still lead Jammer but she can’t score till the second time she passes any blocker.
The violence
The rules of derby are pretty strict, any player attempting the black widows tactic of a fist to the face would be expelled if she was caught, that’s not to say it doesn’t happen from time to time.
Smashley Simpson
Ah Smashley we love you but try that here and you’re banned. No we’re serious, fighting would get a girl expelled from the areana and likely banned by the WFTDA (our governing body) that’s if the league didn’t boot her out first. It just doesn’t happen
Iron Mavern
We won’t lie to you any gathering of women still capable of having “that time of the month” will lead to occasional outbreak of bitchcraft but a bully like Mavern would find themselves out in cold pretty quick. Leagues can and have expelled members for exactly that sort of behaviour.
Comparing Bruises
Yep we do that, although not in front of impressionable teenage boys as shown in the film.
The Names
Almost all roller girls pick a derby name and the one’s in the film are pretty typical, there’s even a WhipIt playing for London.
The Warehouse
Most british teams practise in sports centres although we have heard reports of one team playing in a scout hut.
The Whip
The standard arm whip is a staple of roller derby, but the toe whip (the one where she sticks her foot out) almost never gets used
The Parties
Hell Yeah! We just wish we had a hot tub!
The face paints
Most teams don’t make face paint part of the uniform but some players choose to paint up as part of they’re personna google Jack Attack and the Incredible Hulse for examples.
