roller derby is a full-contact
it's exhilarating Zen where you can see
everything that's going on for that
split second when you hit someone
perfectly and they fly off it is the
best year ever
typically growing up here in Asia the
general attitude towards women and how
they should act is that you're not
supposed to swear it
you're supposed to be soft-spoken roller
derby is the exact opposite of the
female of fashion
[Music]
started in 1930 Chicago the Russian
spectacle that is roller derby
allowed men and women to compete on
equal grounds we don't bother much with
the men but the ladies race in Chicago
Illinois can be just as exciting and
today that egalitarian message still
holds all around the world
my civilian name is Snooky and my derby
name is called una I wake up thinking
about roller skating I go to bed
thinking about always skating it's
either thinking about skating or
actually skating Snoopy's obsession with
the skating life began in 2010 when she
saw the filming with them when wicked
came out the film about roller derby and
made it super cool that was the most
influential a circle I think in my life
the first thing I did after that was
Google like where's the roller derby
team in Hong Kong how can I get in touch
with them when do they practice after a
few days of searching Snooky found a
small team of people playing the sport
in Hong Kong and began turning up to
practice memories of time spent figure
skating as a kid came flooding back I
remember waiting at MTR like super
excited and nervous cuz I was like are
these people gonna like me and also if I
hadn't seen it for so long
by Crom speeds and it was like being 9
again and then you're like ah this is
amazing I remember this like I can do
this and I already have the basics down
packed so I can start learning about
Derby skills and how to hit people how
to take hit but that like took a while
because we were very small league there
was like three to five of us we would
skate in a circle at North Point or
Cheung sha Wan and that was it and so it
felt a little bit like we weren't really
getting anywhere because it was hard to
get a scrimmage or opportunity or
baoding opportunity we didn't have that
and the first time we got about was 3
years ago and that changed everything
[Applause]
since 2015 the level of participation
has increased to numbers that now allow
for some serious practice to go down
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it has taken over every part of me it's
clear because you are into the soul of
what you're doing to some extent and
also when you hit someone perfectly and
it's fly off it is the best deal ever
it's the first time spectator the crash
& bash of roller derby can look a little
chaotic and confusing so how does it
work
roller derby is a full-contact sport on
an oval track full-contact you've not
been punching tripping or pushing five
skaters from each side take to the track
at any one time the jammer marked with a
star in their helmet is the team's point
scorer the other skaters Clark in the
Nuba of their jammer overtake the
opposing team stages a point is given
every time your jammer passes on
opposing escape
[Applause]
[Music]
well I play University that's a lot of
hobby part and could be a little bit
aggressive like it's fun to watch
journalists really tight it suits the
sports inception in the States
the game has waxed and waned in
popularity over the years whipped up by
sports promote early results are in the
1930s roller derby was conceived is
something new and exciting to entertain
depression-era crowds
at its peak games were broadcast three
times a week to millions of viewers at
work and by the 1970s the sports
popularity declined many fans were
turned off by the leads increase the
attrex and allegations of wreaked
results roller-derby remained dormant
until 2001 when a group of women in
Austin Texas rebooted this for combining
the traditional structure with excitedly
feminist back the tongue-in-cheek
rock and roll spirit of Derby was back
players took on goofy pun Laden names
inspired by the city's drag scene but in
China and the rest of Asia
roller derby has been slow guild
roller derby isn't very popular here in
Asia just yet we're working on it
the reason I think it's because it
involves full-contact and most people
aren't comfortable with strangers
touching them the views they are very
complicated and it's only been recently
that we've translated the rules into
simplified Chinese and also because of
the lack of space in Hong Kong
especially there's not a lot of outdoor
rinks but yeah it's it's a growing sport
in the face of these challenges and
unique scene is building earlier this
year a tournament was held in Hong Kong
the pitted the local team against a
pan-asian combined squad Allah made the
trip from Beijing to Hong Kong to take
part
welcome miss you when you're gone well
it's young barber lines your every March
till I tell you no no okay yeah yes or
no Strategos amazing he makes you feel a
little tension tone go wow quadrature
Dada so you have now that you're here
Snooky and a few others have been
instrumental in attracting international
talent
coaches of Lewin from Scotland to take
part in the tournament and share their
expertise
Oh
oh yeah yeah here they're happier much
happier everyone's just happy to even
get the chance to play which is really
refreshing because you can see at homes
that a lot people take it for granted
this for some people they've been maybe
training for a year and this is the
first time they've actually had a team
to play which is it's like super
axillary the culture they have to just
constantly or let's travel to Bangkok or
let's travel to Shanghai and just that
as a star is perfect it just needs to be
more time and no people and it will go
big time for many the game is more than
just a sport Derby prides itself on
inclusivity and diversity a space to
exercise have fun and be part of a
community among
historically marginalized in society it
doesn't matter whether you're male
female transgender cisgender whatever
sexuality because it's just about always
getting on the track for referees and
officials they're not allowed to call
people by genders they can't say ladies
or guys they say people I get it there's
some people you think are abused on two
pcs on too far we can say whatever we
want but at the same time I think roller
derby culture is to be sensitive towards
individuals and what they might think
and to address that as a group and be
open and I think that's what makes it
beautiful for me that's why I really
fallen in love with it
[Applause]
[Music]
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