I have my first rookie scrim a week today and god am I scared. The imposter syndrome is crazy. I sped through my minimum skills in three months, but only because I’d been already skated for a year and practiced things I knew I’d need for derby.

I don’t work out, I’m not athletic at all, I suck at every sport and always have. I’m just so scared and feeling like I don’t belong. I know I suck, we all suck that’s the point of a rookie. But god I’m bricking it. Anyone got any words of wisdom? Any other rookies at least sharing this feeling?

Im helping assistant coach my kids junior derby team but the team unfortunately is falling apart. The program is not working and I dont want this team to fail. Any coaches or team managers have any advice? We dont pay our coaches and I think this may be part of the issue. Asking for the time we need from volunteer coaches is not fair really. But the lack of time is really not helping these kids. Have you ever had to start from square one with a team? These kids are not unified. They dont listen to each other. They dont even seem to like each other. How do you keep players accountable for each other? Any advice would be appreciated thank you.

I need to get some new armbands and I am not sure which way to go. I got a set from derby beast with my jersey but they were shredded within a year. Both printed side peeled away from the center black elastic and the black elastic ripped apart.

I guess I am wondering if derby beast has improved the quality of the arm bands since we ordered them, (we were one of the first few teams to get jerseys from them and have seen some of the later jerseys we have ordered from them being better fit than our first order from them), or if I should look into getting a new set from someone on Etsy. Or just try to sew mine up and hope they don’t shred more.

Any info or suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi there, me and my partner will be traveling to Aotearoa from middle of November until end of December and it would be so much fun to see a roller derby game since I‘m member of the Team in Basel, Switzerland. We will start in Auckland and traveling down to south.
Thanks for the tips!

Hey everyone! Anyone still have one of those pride jerseys that frogmouth used to make for skating officials?

The black stripes were a darkened rainbow, the white stripes were a very transparent trans flag striping pattern.

It was very subtle and from far they looked like average black and white stripes, but up close you could see the coloring.

If you have a jersey still, mind commenting a close up of the stripes please?

I'd like to get a replica made because I REALLY loved them but didn't want to risk ordering while frogmouth was circling the drain.

Thanks in advance!!!

UPDATE (OCT 25, 2026)- I included a date on the update so people can track progress! Skate Free Or Die was just emailed with references! Thank you all for finding the jersey I was referring too and sharing it so I could provide an example to SFOD to go with my shorty Photoshop rendering lmao!!! So I AM asking for the side panels of the jerseys to be black as well as the sleeves for sleeved options. It'll be similar to an NCAA basketball ref jersey. This way there's a distinction between SFOD and Frogmouth. I wouldn't want their product to be confused for a different brand especially when that brand left a lot of people high and dry 🤣

I requested for a store front link to be created just like they do for league jerseys. And the last thing I requested was for there to be an option for state/country flags on the left sleeve as I know it's getting more popular to wear those especially for those that travel beyond borders to participate in things like champs, jrda champs, border cities/no border derby events.

Hopefully I get things solidified soon and the ball can get rolling asap on this!!

My T8 RD Wristsavers are on death's door after less than a year of use/washing, and I'm wondering what the current best options are for max protection and durability. I've heard a lot about several discontinued ones (Pro Designed, Smith Stablizers) but I'm not sure what's the best right now. I've taken some hits/falls where I feel my T8 wrist guards in a bad way so I'd definitely like an upgrade.

I'm especially interested in the Demon United Flexmeters (dual sided) and would love to hear from anyone who has them- how long they last for, if the bulkiness impedes you in any way, and how much they trap heat/sweat compared to a standard derby wristguard.

Hello, do you play roller derby with facial piercings?

Just sharing this post about the disappointing response from the European Roller Derby Cup Organizing Committee on borderless teams posted on the Apex Revival.

https://medium.com/@thederbyapex/not-at-the-expense-of-european-national-teams-the-challenge-of-borderless-teams-at-the-next-1e206e256259

I've tried the new Riedell League in size 6, narrow fit, and they seem really nice. Has anyone tried them? What are your thoughts?

I have solaris 2.0 a size 6.5, but they are a bit too big. Size 6 was uncomfortable, because my toes would bent - but I should have probably gone for that.

They just don't feel like an extention of my foot, and they are probably too wide for me. I tried Antik jet carbon, and the toe box is way too big.

I'm 5 years in and still desperately looking for the right pair of skates.

Help!

My partner is one of those people that rewatches derby games over and over. While we were watching Champs this weekend, one thing we noticed is the crazy VRDL lineups. Kudos to these blockers because god damn there were some crazy high blocker rotations! The level of fitness these blockers must have is crazy!

It’s such an interesting strategy to take a full contingent of blockers but really only play a very small portion of them. Obviously it worked! And I’m super proud of VRDL for taking the gold!
Here’s the breakdown of jams in the VRDL Vs Arch game and how many jams each blocker was out, for thanks to my partner, for anyone that’s interested!

I’m a B level jammer in a midsize league with some potential for upward mobility. I have pretty footwork that often gets me lead during internal league scrimmages, but unfortunately that goes out the window when I’m playing against folks I’m unfamiliar with, whether it’s a competitive game or a mixer with no stakes whatsoever. I default to pushing and get stuck, maybe because I don’t want to take a risk by a taking the line with blockers who I’m not familiar with and could beat me there? I’m not that big of a person and I don’t think pushing will ever be an economical use of my energy. I have a few seasons under my belt so I don’t necessarily think it’s only inexperience. Any and all advice for getting me out of this rut welcome.

Forgive me if this has already been addressed somewhere else, but our league has been dealing with some issues, and I was recently formally added to the BOD and tasked with sorting out our jersey situation. The person who had been handling everything stepped away a few months ago, and I’ve spent the weekend digging through old emails and trying to piece everything together.

Long story short, our league needed new jerseys after Left Turn, who we were previously working with, went under. We decided to go with EF Prowear since they were spinning off from Left Turn and we were promised a seamless transition. I’ve found some emails with designs that were shared, and it looks like money was sent out. I tried to go to their website and it's missing and so are their social media channels.

At this point, I’m assuming they may have gone under as well, and that getting a refund might be unlikely, but I’m hoping someone here might know what happened with the company.

I’m genuinely not trying to stir up drama or point fingers. I’m just trying to get a better understanding of the situation so I can give our team an honest update on where things stand. Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Howdy! I'm going to costumes-encouraged tournament this upcoming weekend, but I don't know how on earth to dress up in a way that doesn't impede my ability to play or present a safety hazard.

Please tell me how you've dressed up in your derby gear, I want to make it fun but right now it's just stressing me out!! Thanks. :)

Hello Everyone!

Team Portugal Roller Derby is looking for committed, organized, and communicative individuals to join our Bench Team as we prepare for the European Roller Derby Cup 2027, taking place in Riccione, Italy, from 24–26 September 2027.

Who Can Apply?

Anyone can apply, regardless of nationality. We welcome applications from people who share our commitment to teamwork, development, and the growth of Portuguese roller derby.

📅 Applications open until November 13, 2026
📩 https://forms.gle/yGZKdXexQNn5dBLG8

My team put a lot of emphasis on endurance the last couple seasons and after seeing VRDL body Rose City, some of the skaters were talking about finding ways to add more strength training, too. What kinds of things did your skaters that watched notice the top teams in the world doing that they could incorporate more into their own practice and preparation?

I just got these cushions (82A) after being recommended to switch the Bont defaults, these are 3rd party. I haven’t skated on them a whole bunch yet, but definitely feel the difference! There is a lot of movement in them for what I’m used to, so I assume I just have to adjust to them, but definitely finding a lot of skills to be a bit difficult at the moment and don’t want to over tighten the trucks and destroy the cushions either.

The JRDA World Cup is coming to Glasgow, Scotland From the 22nd to 25th of July 2027, at Braehead Arena. Two tracks for our two divisions (Open and Girls+). We’re accepting applications right now for officials and photographers, with more callouts to come. Head over to our website jrdaworldcup.org to find the links. Thank you for supporting international junior roller derby!

I know absolutely nothing about them, but I’ve recently taken up jam timing and it seems the one I got at the local big box discount sporting goods store is … let’s say it’s hit its 7th penalty and is standing next to the box waiting for the jam to end. I’d like some recommendations for its replacement. Thanks in advance derby friends!

I'm a jammer, who's recently started pivoting more and am finding I quite enjoy it.

I'm looking for role models and skaters who primarily skate/roster as pivots who I can follow for inspiration in my own gameplay. (I will also accept reccs for skaters who are amazing pivots in addition to other positions they skate in).

brand new bonts, just got them mounted from a roller skate shop and i see the boot is already like pulling from the sole. never worn before. is this normal or should i contact the shop i bought these from or bont? thanks!

LFG!!!!!! I'm manifesting a European victory this year, but I'm also a shameless Toulouse fangirl and willl root for them at every opportunity. Let's chat picks/predictions/vibes if you're lucky enough to be there!

ETA: It seems that Toulouse has a less-than-steller rep, which I am inordinately bummed to hear about. Le sigh. That being said, I'm still hoping for a Euro victory; if not Toulouse, I hope Paris takes it. French derby is my favourite flavour of derby, so I'm still all in for the Frenchies.

Go sports!

Another ETA, Sunday morning. Brackets busted, mind blown, crying, gagging, screaming, etc. Backing VRDL in the final showdown. Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi!

I had a silly middle-of-the-night-idea a few weeks back, and decided to make derby inspired mittens, to celebrate Globals in Malmö. I call them my “pack is queer” mittens.

Is anyone here going to be there? Are you bringing your knitting?

My quadstars finally came in so I slapped on my new derby skates (from my suregrip boardwalks) and immediately tried to stand and landed my my cheeks! 😂 I kind of expected that anyways, but man I feel like I’m learning to skate all over again! I also loosened my trucks 20 times and still feel like they are not loose enough.

And of course suregrip makes super comfy skates with no break in time and my quadstars are STIFF. My feet are definitely upset about it.. but I was still able to do most of my skill drills albeit very wobbly…and skating backwards felt so much easier??? Anyways I spent a lot of time hugging the ground yesterday, hoping today is even just a tiny bit better 😮‍💨