- Roller Game
Roller Game is a variation of the sport of
roller derby that is played in Japan by the Roller Game League, established in 1990. Roller Game is played on either a flat or banked track, and on either traditional (quad)roller skate s orinline skate s. Although its name is similar to that of the relatively theatricalRoller Games , Roller Game is inspired more by the original Roller Derby—it is a full-contact athletic competition with strictly enforced rules and no staged fighting.The game
Among the unique features of Roller Game, which is played on a 100-m oval track:
* Only one team plays offense at a time – in Roller Derby, both teams have jammers on the track at the same time.
* Only one jammer on the track at a time – in Roller Derby, sometimes teams have two jammers instead of one.
* The jam starts with the 4-member defensive team entering the track and skating in a line. At the half-lap point they are joined by 4 of the 5 members of the offensive team, who skate in a line beside them. The offensive team's jammer then enters after the two teams complete a lap together.
* Once the jammer enters, the pack can spread out around the track, and skaters can engage each other anywhere at any time.
* Jams last 60 seconds.
* Sets are used instead of periods, with team winning the best 3 out of 5 sets winning the game – in Roller Derby, the winning team is normally determined by cumulative points scored in all periods.Roller Game League
Roller Game League is owned by R.G. Produce Japan, Ltd., a
Tokyo -based company headed by nihongo|Hiroshi Koizumi|小泉博|, who, in 1973 at age 15 was a star skater for the original Tokyo Bombers of Roller Games. Koizumi's company manages skate parks and rinks, and since the mid-1980s has produced roller skating related events fortelevision ,theme parks , andmusical theatre .Roller Game events have been organized by the company since 1990, when Koizumi organized the league's first two teams: the Murasaki Sports Cosmos and the Tokyo Bombers, the latter named in homage to the team with which he skated in the 1970s. Early star skaters included Mamoru Murakami of the Cosmos, Eiji Morita of the Lightning Jets, Takamasa Kazueda of the Delta Force, and Wataru Ueki of the Tokyo Bombers.
Initially open to men only, Roller Game League now includes women as well. [ [http://www.baycitybombers.com/japan_news1.htm Roller Derby news from Japan - Bombers ] ]
In 1993, Roller Game League hosted a male-only "World Cup" invitational in which an all-star team culled from various
United States leagues competed against RGL all-stars. [http://www.baycitybombers.com/japan_news1.htm mentions 3 separate invitations were made, but apparently only one trip was made.]eason results
1992 season results
*1992-07-03 – Cosmos 3, Jets 2
*1992-07-13 – Bombers 3, Delta Force 2
*1992-07-29 – Cosmos 3, Bombers 1
*1992-08-07 – Delta Force 3, Jets 2
*1992-08-19 – Bombers 3, Jets 1
*1992-08-28 – Cosmos 3, Delta Force 0
*1992-09-09 – Bombers 3, Delta Force 0
*1992-09-18 – Cosmos 3, Jets 1
*1992-09-30 – Bombers 3, Cosmos 2
*1992-10-09 – Lightning Jets 3, Delta Force 0
*1992-10-16 – Bombers 3, Lightning Jets 1
*1992-10-21 – Cosmos 3, Delta Force 1
*1992-10-30 – Cosmos 3, Bombers 2
*1992-11-11 – Lightning Jets 3, Delta Force 2
*1992-11-20 – Cosmos 3, Delta Force 2
*1992-11-27 – Bombers 3, Lightning Jets 2
*1992-12-09 – Bombers 3, Delta Force 1
*1992-12-18 – Jets 3, Cosmos 21993 Roller Game World Cup
* Held at Korakuen Rink in what is now known as
Tokyo Dome City from May 1 to May 9 [http://www.rollerderbypreservationassociation.com/autohtml.php?filename=Banked_Track_News_Archives/issue02.htm]
* All Japan vs. USA
* Banked track
* Quad skates2001 Tokyo Dome Cup
* Murasaki Sports Cosmos won vs Remix Yamato, 3 sets to 1
** Set 1: Cosmos 19, Remix Yamato 18
** Set 2: Remix Yamato 14, Cosmos 9
** Set 3: Cosmos 19, Remix Yamato 17
** Set 4: Cosmos 22, Remix Yamato 18References
Most of the references for this article are the videos and R.G. Produce Japan web site mentioned in the external links section, below. Additional references include the following:External links
* [http://showmans.tv/rg.html Roller Game videos]
* [http://www.rg-produce-j.com/ R.G. Produce Japan, Ltd. web site]*"Roller Derby Classics...and more!" by Jim Fitzpatrick (included are photos and mention of Roller Game League and 1993 World Cup in Tokyo, Japan)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
