About VCDD

The Ventura County Derby Darlins are a dedicated, passionate group of women who are committed to the support and growth of all female, flat track roller derby.

VCDD formed in early 2007 and had its inaugural bout in March of that year.  VCDD has vastly grown and improved as an organization since. 

The Derby Darlins are a not-for-profit organization, and much of the money they make goes to local community charities. In fact, each skater must pay league dues in order to train and skate with VCDD.

Every hit, every injury, and every lap is real. We invite you to come out to our next event and take a seat in the front row to see the damage up close and personal. (Don’t mind the DANGER disclaimer court side!)

If you like what you see and can’t get enough VCDD, we are always looking for new players, referees, volunteers and guest coaches. Roller Derby is an awesome way to get fit, get out some of your aggressions and meet some truly amazing people. Check out our recruitment section or talk to a Darlin’ today!

If you’re just in the mood to watch some amped up, jaw dropping action, the Darlins can never have too many awesome dedicated FANS!

About the Game

So what the heck is going on out there?  Here's a quick rundown...

There are three positions:

PIVOT Sets the pace for the pack and is the last line of defense against opposition scoring. She is recognizable by her striped helmet and devil-may-care demeanor.

BLOCKERS They attempt to block opposing team blockers, stop the other team’s jammer from scoring points and help get their jammer through the pack by pushing her, pulling her, and “removing” the other team’s players from her skate path. Recognizable by bruises, scowls and pushy attitudes.

JAMMER Look for the star on her helmet as she speed skates through the pack, scoring points by passing opposing team blockers and pivot. The first jammer through the pack in-bounds is called “the lead jammer.”

The pack starts with a pivot from each team in front, three blockers from each team in the middle and a jammer from each team in the back. When the first whistle blows, the pack takes off, and on the second whistle, the jammers start fighting their way through the pack in an attempt to be named lead jammer.

The jammers lap the pack and when they re-enter the pack, they receive one point for each member of the opposing team that they pass. A jam lasts a maximum of two minutes, but the lead jammer has the right to call off the jam at her discretion by placing her hands on her hips.

Tripping, pushing from behind, intentionally falling in front of a skater and elbowing are all illegal. However, if the refs don’t see it, it didn’t happen.

VCDD follows WFTDA rules (yes, there are actual rules).  For more information, visit their web site.  www.wftda.com.

Derby History

*Text and pictures taken from www.aetv.com/rollergirls.

During the worst of the Great Depression, a Chicago promoter named Leo Seltzer came up with the idea of a skating spectacle to compete with the dance marathon craze then sweeping the country.

Far from the raucous sport you see today, the debut Roller Derby on August 13, 1935 in the Chicago Coliseum was an endurance test. Billed as The Transcontinental Roller Derby, it featured teams of one man and one woman who took turns skating 57,000 laps, or the equivalent of a 4,000-mile cross-country race. Roller Derby was an instant success, drawing 20,000 spectators in the first week alone. Seltzer soon took his show on the road.

Legend has it that "true" Roller Derby surfaced in Miami in 1938, when famed New York sportswriter Damon Runyan saw a few contestants tangle during a "speed jam." Runyan suggested to Seltzer that body contact and keeping score might boost attendance. Presto! The following night, Derby returned to the track, ready to rumble.

In the 1950s, the new medium called television catapulted Roller Derby into a national phenomenon, drawing thousands of fans and making legends out of women challengers like Midge "Toughie" Brasuhn and Gerry Murray. There were the Pioneers in Chicago; the Jolters in Cincinnati; the Chiefs in New York; and the champion Bay Bombers in Northern California.

In 1958, Jerry Seltzer, Leo's son, moved the operation to the San Francisco area, and Derby continued popular through the '60s. But by the '70s, the wheels started coming off, despite the 1972 kitsch classic "Kansas City Bombers," starring Raquel Welch as a troubled Derby skater. Overhead costs and the gas crisis forced the younger Seltzer to shut down his dad's show in 1973.

Over the next decades, several promoters tried various routes to resurrect Derby but none of these went the distance. It took the new century, and women's interest, to revive the old sport.

The game started rolling again about four years ago, fueled by fierce all-girl leagues launching around the country. Today's young women athletes are independent amateurs who pay to play. Holding jobs outside the rink, they buy their own gear (and health insurance) and compete with total determination and passion. Dressed in revealing outfits, flaunting kick-ass attitudes, these tough girl leagues are attracting increasingly bigger and hipper crowds.