FAQs
What equipment do I need?
First and foremost, you’ll need skates – quad skates, to be exact. (Coach Marc, aka “hotrinksweeper”, has posted a full list of online resources to the MARFA ROLLER DERBY Yahoo group.) New skates range from about $70 to $1000, but a good beginner skate shouldn’t cost more than $200, so don’t go overboard. Some choose to buy their skates used. EBay and Craigslist are great online resources for this. You may also want to visit a location of Play it Again Sports.
Next you need wrist guards. These are going to be your best friends. Don’t skimp. You’ll need elbow and kneepads, of course. You can find these at Alco in Alpine. For our beginner purposes, you can get away with a minimal investment now. When we start to bout, you’ll want to make sure you have pro-am to professional gear. That’s a way down the road, however, so don’t stress too much.
Finally, you need a helmet. Everyone should be wearing a helmet on the slab. There really is no excuse. That concrete is hard and the last thing you want is to be fed through a tube for the rest of your life. Buy a good helmet. Protect your brain.
Optionally, you may want padded shorts or some sort of other tailbone protection. There are dozens of options out there. Just choose the level of support you think your ass needs.
Do I need to have equipment and skates right away or will I be able to participate in trainings until my gear arrives?
In order to practice with the group, we ask that you have all the necessary safety equipment in addition to your skates. This includes: wrist guards, kneepads, elbow pads and a helmet.
However, as we are just beginning, you can get away with just wrist pads (highly suggested). Please get your safety equipment as soon as possible, as practices will intensify and injury is the last thing you want.
If you do not have skates or equipment, you are still welcome at all practices, meetings and events. The more the merrier and you’ll learn a lot just from being around the sport and talking with the other girls.
MEMBERSHIP DUES
How much are dues and why do we pay them?
Just about every club and organization requires dues – Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce, Boy Scouts, etc. There are back-end expenses incurred in the running of an organization that have to be covered. Simple things like checking account fees, website hosting and supplies (brooms, for example).
MARFA ROLLER DERBY is a bargain in the world of flat track roller derby. While most leagues charge $10/week, we charge just $25/quarter. That’s $400/year less than the average league!
Do we need to pay dues before we can participate?
Our membership dues keep the organization running, but we wholly understand that not everyone can pay on a specific date. As such, your dues are due 3 months from the date you turn in your paperwork, and every 3 months thereafter.
PAPERWORK
What is the required paperwork?
First of all, there is a membership application, which is the document that makes you an official member of the organization and grants you the opportunity to acquire shares in the business. As part of the membership application, you are also asked to sign a Code of Conduct.
Then there are three waivers – one in case you get injured, one granting MARFA ROLLER DERBY ownership of any photographs we have taken of you during a bout, practice or during a scheduled team photo shoot, and a final non-disclosure agreement saying that you’ll keep MARFA ROLLER DERBY trade secrets just that – secret.
Finally, we keep your private medical information on file at all practices and meetings, should you be injured and need emergency care. This sheet is kept separate from your other files and is only used in case of emergency. We insure your absolute privacy and will not reveal or share these documents with anyone.
Do we need to turn in our paperwork before we can participate?
Absolutely, positively YES. Please make sure we have your membership application along with the accompanying waivers before you ever strap on skates with us! We also need your vital information form on file. This is kept in a private file cabinet that is on site at each practice and contains your emergency medical information. Should anything happen requiring medical attention during a practice, meeting or bout, we would use this to call your emergency contact person and we would provide the form to the attending medical professional. Please note that this form is kept private and will not be shared EVER.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Originally, MARFA ROLLER DERBY had chosen to not have an official attendance policy. However, three months into starting the league we saw a continual decrease in participation. At the weekly Wednesday meeting on July 21st, as league we voted to institute an attendance policy as follows:
Three missed practices in one month’s time without advance notice to a member of the executive board will result in the loss of one share of ownership (see section 7) and removal from the roster until 3 consecutive practices have been attended. In order to have that share returned and your name included on the official roster, you must attend those 3 consecutive practices, no excuses.
Of course, we know that we all, for the most part, work and many of us have children. Things happen, kids get sick and cars break down. Please, if you cannot come to a practice, just let someone know in advance and avoid having to work your way back into the roster and losing ownership in the league.
MANAGEMENT
How is the organization run?
MARFA ROLLER DERBY is run by the skaters, for the skaters. All paying members have an equal vote in the organization. Those who are delinquent in paying dues (more than 90 days out) must abstain from voting. Those who have not turned in their paperwork entirely are not eligible to vote.
Who owns MARFA ROLLER DERBY?
The skaters own MRD. It is a skater owned and managed organization. Every time you pay dues, you acquire a single share in the organization.
What does a “share” entitle me to?
Very simply, a share entitles you to ownership in the organization. The more shares you have, the more you own. A paying member who joined in the first quarter (April 1 – July 1, 2010) would have 4 shares ownership at the end of Year One. A paying member who joined in early 2011, would only acquire 2 shares at the end of Year One.
Now say for example that these were the only two members and there was a profit that needed to be split at the end of Year One. The membership would vote on what portion of the profits needed to be reinvested in the organization and what portion should be dispersed to the owners. In our scenario, we’ll say that $12 profit sharing was decided up.
The two owners have accrued between them 6 shares (4 for the first member and 2 for the second member). That means each share is worth $2 and the first member would receive $8, while the second member receives $4.
Let’s be very clear that even a profit sharing scenario of $4 is far off for the organization at this point. As we build merchandise and start to bout in public, we will accrue as much expenses as we do revenue. However, if we all work hard, there is a chance that someday we could also see a profit sharing scenario that at least reimburses our dues. Fingers crossed!
If I leave MARFA ROLLER DERBY, what happens to my shares?
Unfortunately, there are going to be times that a roller girl needs to leave the organization. In the interest of keeping the organization skater-run, your shares will be forfeit in most cases.
There are a couple scenarios in which we would be able to keep your shares in tact, though:
- 1. If you are taking time off for an injury or to have a child, your membership is NEVER forfeit. Just keep your dues up and try to join us for meetings and help out in other ways. Not being able to skate temporarily does not make you a non-skater for life.
- 2. Upon approval of the membership, you can continue to pay your dues and accrue shares even as a non-participant. So, say for example, that you move to Singapore. Assuming the membership agrees, you can continue to pay your $25/quarter dues while you’re away and return a full-fledged and functioning member.
Keep in mind that, even if you decide to not continue paying dues, your shares can never deplete past zero. If you leave and decide to return, barring any unforeseen circumstances, you are always welcome back.
Who runs MARFA ROLLER DERBY?
On our first official meeting, March 25, 2010, the founding membership of 20 roller girls elected the inaugural board. This board consisted of the four women who had worked to bring the organization to fruition and get the necessary balls rolling. They are Mercer Black, President; Yvonne Beltran, Vice President; Chrissie Saenz, Treasurer; and, Cat Cox, Secretary.
The board must be elected annually. These roles reflect no increased decision-making power. All officers have equal voting to the rest of the membership. If at any time an officer position becomes available, the space must be filled at the next practice or meeting, by a nomination and majority vote.
Officers are volunteers who choose to take an active role in the management of the organization. The roles are, loosely:
- 1. President: Oversee all meetings, call meetings, organize events, create committees, and manage public relations.
- 2. Vice President: Back-up to the duties of the president and fill the role of the president whenever she cannot be available.
- 3. Treasurer: Manage the accounting books for the organization, collect dues, invoice dues, manage shareholder information and keep bank account.
- 4. Secretary: Manage all skater information files, bring vital information files to each practice and meeting and take minutes at all meetings.
GROUP COMMUNICATION
How do I get in touch with other players?
We have established several means of communication for MARFA ROLLER DERBY skaters, but the primary venue is the marfarollerderby Yahoo group. One of the first acts you should perform upon deciding to become a Marfa roller girl is to join this group. It does require you to have a Yahoo login. If you do not have one, you can set one up and during that process you can request that marfarollerderby announcements be copied to an email address you are more accustomed to checking.
If you wish to correspond with all the members, you can simply post a topic to the wall and members will receive that message depending on how they have chosen to receive correspondence from the group (choices are individual emails, meaning they receive an email every time something is posted, or daily digest, which is a consolidated email of all the day’s group activity).
If you wish to correspond with a single member, we have set up a database at the group, which contains contact information for all skates/volunteers who have completed this step of their registration. Please note, the information is only available if the skater/volunteer has provided it. If for some reason the person’s information that you need is not available, contact an officer and we’ll try to provide it the best we can.
ABOUT ROLLER DERBY THE SPORT
What are the rules of the game?
Roller Derby bouts are played on a flat track with skaters wearing traditional quad roller-skates. Teams compete head-to-head for two thirty-minute periods in which game play takes place in two-minute intervals known as jams.
Each team consists of one jammer and four blockers. During a jam, points can be accrued only by the designated jammer, who wears a helmet cover featuring a star. Offense and defense occurs simultaneously. Blockers skate in a pack and have dual responsibilities of preventing the opposing jammer from scoring points while helping their own jammer score. Jammers score points for each opposing skater they pass after lapping the pack once.
Referees call penalties on illegal actions made by skaters, and offending skaters are sent to a penalty box. Whichever team earns the most points at the end of the final jam wins the bout.
When will we bout?
Expect a full year of training and practices under your belt before we ever get out in front of the public. We could start having recreational scrimmages in as soon as 6 months, but that all depends on your participation and commitment. It will be well over a year before we are recognized by the WFTDA – Women’s Flat Track Derby Association – and can participate in association-sanctioned bouts and tournaments. However, we can start bouting with other leagues as soon as we have a viable team. Again, this is at least a year away, so we are looking at Spring 2011 before we compete. Lots of work to do!
How can I learn more about roller derby?
The best resource out there is the WFTDA website – www.wftda.org. You can also ask an officer for a print out of the WFTDA handbook.
We also suggest visiting other roller derby league websites, such as Texas Rollergirls, and attending bouts – El Paso has a banked track league! And, the Derby News Network (online) is a great source of information on what is going on during the season.
If you’d like to learn more about the evolution of for the skates/by the skaters management, watch the “Hell on Wheels” documentary. And, finally, hang out with the other derby girls as much as possible. We are all learning together and there are no dumb questions!!!
VOLUNTEER/SUPPORT/STAFF OPPORTUNITIES
Do I have to skate? Do I have to bout?
Absolutely not. There are several opportunities for non-skaters to be a part of MARFA ROLLER DERBY. (See a somewhat complete list below.) If you want to skate at practices but not compete, well that’s okay too. A roster can only consist of 14 skaters, so not everyone will get to travel with the team as a skater. But keep your mind open to the idea that you could be an asset to the team and don’t sell yourself short. We suggest that we let Coach Marc decide who travels and who stays and if you are somehow unable or unwilling, we’ll go from there.
How can I participate as a non-skater?
We need volunteers at all events and fundraisers! Take tickets, help with set-up and decoration, make signs, pass out flyers, etc. During bouts we will need help running concessions and merchandise booths. We need ticket takers and ticket sellers. We need crowd control, rink sweepers, referees, announcers, entertainment, photographers, videographers. There are many ways to contribute and we encourage you to use your special skills to do so in the best way you know possible.