About the Socialites

The Circle City Socialites is a new all-female roller derby league in Indianapolis, founded by former members of roller derby leagues in Indiana and Georgia. We operate independently of the seven other roller derby leagues in Indiana.

We welcome skaters of all skill levels, from beginners to veteran derby girls. No attendance requirements – just come when you can and skate as hard as you can.

We’re currently gearing up for our first-ever bout on Sept. 27, to benefit the Humane Society of Indianapolis. We plan to continue holding small-scale public bouts to support charitable causes.


So what the heck is roller derby?

Despite the cheesy ‘70s portrayal of roller derby on TV, it isn’t just fighting on wheels. There are tons of falls and blows, but there are also rules. And the competition is very real.

During a bout, two teams of five skaters each face off on the track (in our case, a flat track). Each team consists of a pivot, three blockers and a jammer.

The pivot sets the pace for her team and leads the group of skaters in the pack. The jammers are the scoring skaters and start from behind the pack.

During each “jam,” the jammers fight their way through the pack. A jammer must break through the pack once, then sprint around and make it through the pack again, as many times as possible, to score points by passing members of the opposite team.

The rest of the team – the pivot and blockers – tries to stop the opposing jammer from passing them and scoring. At the same time, they knock around the opposing team’s blockers to clear the path for their own jammer to skate through and score.

A jam lasts a maximum of two minutes, but the lead jammer (the one who made it through the pack first) can call off the jam by putting her hands on her waist.

Derby is an extremely aggressive sport, and slams and spills are all part of the game. Knocking over an opponent by using your shoulders or hips is legal, but you can’t throw elbows or fists. No obvious stuff like tripping, grabbing, etc.