” Arizona Derby Dames is state’s newest and fastest growing all-girl Roller Derby League.”

I’ve been to a couple of games, and I will admit I was confused on the rules, or the point of the game. I thought it was just who could beat the hell out of each other the worst. Well it turns out their is actually a point to the game, and it’s not just pounding other derby girls to the ground (which is the reason I go). Here’s a brief description of the general idea of the game, provided by the WFTDA official rules.

Each team is allowed to have 5 players on the track at one time. Three “blockers”, one “pivot skater”, and one “jammer”.

Blockers:They play a key role in determining the position of the pack and keeping the pack formed. Blockers play a defensive role for their teams.They assist their jammer through the pack of other skaters, while blocking the opponents jammer

Pivot Skaters: Pivots play a key role in determining the pace of the pack. They act as blockers and assist their jammer out of the pack while attempting to prevent the opposing jammer from leaving the pack.

Jammer: A jammer’s role is to make her way through the pack, lap the pack, and pass through the pack as many times as she chooses in a jam to score points for her team.

~HB~

Photography: Andy Hartmark

First, I will confess… I’m addicted to Big Love. I watch very little television and yet I find myself planning my whole monday around how much I can accomplish before I go on Hiatus to watch my weekly indulgence. At first I loved the show just because it was so different than all the other “family dramas” out there. Now that I’m a few seasons in, I really think it’s more like normal life (minus the multiple wives) than most would give it credit for. At the end of the day it’s just about the in’s and out’s of a very large family. You have your matriarch (Barb), your head of the household (Bill), your black sheep (Bill’s dad) and everything else… fueding siblings, family rivalry, support in times of need or confusion… it’s all there.

And in the middle of it all… is Margie. I couldn’t picture a sweeter, more down to earth, and personally relatable character than her. I see so much of what I was like years ago. And it has been interesting to watch her really blossom and display her position with the other wives this season. She may actually be becoming an adult right before our very eyes. Anyhow, I stumbled across the Margie Blog on HBO’s website, and although I think it’s a bit hokey to have character blogs, I enjoyed the opportunity to get more depth on who Margie is supposed to be. Enjoy.

~WC~