Godwin sophomore hits the roller derby rink

Written by: Anna Goodman

High speed, fast paced, and a major contact sport, roller derby requires focus, stamina, and coordination. 

While roller derby is one of the most physically demanding sports, it is unrecognized by the VHSL and unfortunately overlooked by the general public. 

Although Godwin is home to a multitude of athletes with programs spanning across all sports, it lacks an official roller derby team. 

 Godwin sophomore Maddy Osterfeld participates in this underappreciated sport, playing for the Maryland Area Roller Sports (MARS). 

 Roller derby is a contact sport played on an oval track with five players from each team on at a time. 

“Generally when we have a game, it’s part of a tournament. The tournament is generally two to three days. We have one game in the morning and one game in the afternoon and same the other days,” said Osterfeld.

The goal of roller derby is to score more points than the opposing team. In order to score a point, each team fields a skater called the “jammer.” 

The jammer’s role is to lap as many opposing skaters as possible. The remainder of the team works to block the path of the other team’s jammer while simultaneously clearing a path for their own. 

With its unique nature, roller derby features many different techniques and maneuvers, typically coined with outlandish names ranging from “Eating The Baby” to “Grabbing The Goat.”

When the roller derby team “eats the baby,” they are overtaking the opposing team’s jammer that has already escaped the pack or passed all of the blockers. One of the team’s defensive players overtakes the jammer, allowing the rest of the team to come up from behind and swallow the jammer back into the pack. 

This typically has a negative effect on the jammer as all the progress they had made has been reversed. 

“Grabbing the goat” refers to an offensive move that occurs when there is a power jam, which is when the opposing team’s jammer is in the penalty box. 

This is Osterfeld’s favorite maneuver to complete. 

“It’s an offensive move we do when we have a power jam, the other jammer is in the penalty box, and we start behind the pack with two blockers on each side of the track and as soon as our jammer is close enough we start skating really fast and pick one person to block and pick out, so the jammer can get through the pack as fast as possible and lap points until the other jammer comes back in,” said Osterfeld. 

Osterfeld enjoys this fast paced exhilarating sport and is certain she will continue playing throughout highschool and into college. Although no colleges within the US have an official derby team, she plans on playing for a club. 

“I definitely plan on continuing through highschool because I want to work to make team USA, but there is no college or professional derby so if I could find an adult team near me in college I would definitely want to play for them,” said Osterfeld. 

Osterfeld advocates for pursuing less popular activities, as they may unexpectedly lead to new friendships and open the door for future opportunities.

“I have the opportunity to try out for Team USA, and I had the privilege of playing one of the best teams in the nation, Philly,” said Osterfeld. 

Although roller derby is a less recognized sport, many find joy, fulfillment, and success from playing. 

Don’t conform to the social expectations of what sport you should play or hobby you should have. Get out there and eat that baby or grab that goat, whatever floats your boat.