Roller Derby

Roller Derby was one of the first roller sports to succeed on the professional level. The sport originated in Chicago in 1935 as an endurance competition between male-female couples. The teams would circle a banked rink for 57,000 laps, a total distance that was said to equal a trip across the United States. 

Roller Derby rules developed over the next few decades. A designated skater for each side would try to pass as many members of the opposite team as possible during a set period of time, while teammates would work to block or slow the opposing team. Audiences responded to the speed, violence, and theatricality of the sport and the spectacle was hugely popular during the 1940s and ’50s with a second resurgence in the early 2000’s.