About Us
Los Alamos Derby Dames is a flat track roller derby league founded in 2011 by a group of girls looking to bring the world of roller derby to their small town of Los Alamos, New Mexico. The girls of LADD are committed to bringing growth to both the league and the fan base for the sport of roller derby. They currently have one team, The M'Atom Bombs. They are looking forward to becoming an official WFTDA team and establishing a name for Los Alamos in the derby community.
Our Mission
Founded in April 2011, the Los Alamos Derby Dames promotes the sport of women's roller derby through the training and development of female athleticism within the local community. LADD strives to promote the empowerment of women of all races, national origins, sexual orientations, ages, religious beliefs and body types by providing positive athletic role models and creating a community based sport for those of any skill level. Training and competing allows for the growth of several values, including but not limited to; appreciation for hard work, a sense of loyalty and good sportsmanship, personal pride, integrity and ethical conduct.
So How Does Roller Derby Work?
Basics of roller derby rules:
- Each bout is 60 minutes, split in two 30 minute periods or three 20 minute periods.
- Each period is broken into 2 mintue play times called jams.
- After each jam, the teams have no more than 30 seconds to line up for the next jam.
- Two teams on the track at once.
- Five skaters per team on the track at one time.
- Each team is made up of one pivot, three blockers, and one jammer.
- The pivot is designated by a striped helmet cover
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The jammer is designated by a helmet cover with
a large star on both sides. - Blockers do not wear helmet covers or wear solid color helmet covers
- One long whistle blast signals the beginning of a jam and for the pack to start skating.
- Two short whistle blasts are blown to signal the jammer start.
- One short whistle blast means someone's in trouble (penalty)
- Four whistle blasts signal the end of the jam
Positions:
- Pivot- Skates in the very front of the pack, controls pack speed and serves as a last line of defense against the opposing jammer. Can become jammer IF the jammer passes the helmet cover to her.
- Blocker- Works together with other blockers and her pivot to help her jammer through the pack while stopping the opposing jammer.
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Jammer- Point scoring player. Starts 20 feet behind the rear of the pack at a dead start. she has to skate
through the entire pack one time before becoming eligible to score points. Every time she laps the pack she receives one point for each skater on the opposite team that she passes legally. Can also pass her helmet cover to her pivot if she gets stuck in the pack. - Lead Jammer- The first jammer to pass all the girls in the pack legally earns lead jammer status. Only one lead jammer during each jam. Lead jammer can strategically call off the jam anytime, rather than waiting to the end of the 2 minutes. Referees will signify lead jammer status with one short whistle blast and by pointing to the jammer.
Legal moves:
- hits using the shoulder
- hits using the hips
- booty blocking
- blocking and hitting to the side or front
Illegal moves to watch for:
- grabbing
- blocking with forearms
- tripping, kicking
- pushing, shoving, punching or holding
- swinging or jabbing elbows
- blocking with the head
- blocking twenty feet ahead or behind the pack
- hitting from behind