Long Island Roller Skating & Roller Derby

The original inventor of roller skates is unknown, but their first recorded use was as part of a stage show in London in 1743. Roller skating was very popular in the USA during the 1970s and 1990s. Long Island is home to a number of great roller skating rinks and skate parks supporting both traditional quad roller skates and modern inline skates (otherwise known as blades). Roller hockey is a great way to play the sport during the summer months when fewer ice skating rinks are in service.

Roller Derby has been coming back into style over the last few years with leagues cropping up all over the country. The Long Island Roller Rebels are the main league in the area, sporting several teams and conducting regular bouts and matches in LI as well as against other leagues in the tri-state area and beyond.

The most popular rules for the game involve two teams with five skaters each facing off on a hard-surfaced flat track. Each team's Jammer tries to score more points than the opposing team's Jammer. Points are scored by skating faster than and passing members of the opposing team. The Pivot calls plays and controls team strategy and skating speed. Blockers use their arms and bodies to slow down the opposing team's Jammer. Blocking can get pretty rough and tumble.