Scottwdw
Member
My friend, Mitch, and I were invited by one of the skaters (more on that in a bit) to attend the CNY Roller Derby Bout in nearby Rome, NY, last night. ; I know what you are thinking..roller derby? First, this is not the Roller Derby I remember from the early 70's. ; No WWE type of shenanigans though definitely a sense of show was very apparent.
For instance the referees had nicknames and some where rather interestingly dressed.
The fans were a show in themselves. ; These two guys look like they stepped out of an old Starsky & Hutch TV show.
The bout was held in a seasonal ice hockey arena so I knew my camera would be grossly underpowered. ; I was able to use flash but ended up doing panning with the 50mm f/1.8. ; I was able to be close enough to the action so it worked about as well as I could hope for.
First, the men opened the evening. You will notice the use of the older style roller skates and the track is flat unlike the banked ones from 1970's Roller Derby tracks. ; It's all so very hard concrete.
The jammers, the skaters with the large stars on their helmets, are the ones who can score points by going through the gaggle of teammates and opposing skaters who are blocking each other. ; Rules are much stricter than I remember. ; No elbows and pushing allowed though the whip is still allowed.
I was next to the track in the crash zone. ; Luckily, the crashes never landed in my lap but came close.
More...
For instance the referees had nicknames and some where rather interestingly dressed.
The fans were a show in themselves. ; These two guys look like they stepped out of an old Starsky & Hutch TV show.
The bout was held in a seasonal ice hockey arena so I knew my camera would be grossly underpowered. ; I was able to use flash but ended up doing panning with the 50mm f/1.8. ; I was able to be close enough to the action so it worked about as well as I could hope for.
First, the men opened the evening. You will notice the use of the older style roller skates and the track is flat unlike the banked ones from 1970's Roller Derby tracks. ; It's all so very hard concrete.
The jammers, the skaters with the large stars on their helmets, are the ones who can score points by going through the gaggle of teammates and opposing skaters who are blocking each other. ; Rules are much stricter than I remember. ; No elbows and pushing allowed though the whip is still allowed.
I was next to the track in the crash zone. ; Luckily, the crashes never landed in my lap but came close.
More...
