Roller Derby and OKVD
Roller derby is a sport played on quad skates, consisting of five skaters per team. One skater on each team is the "jammer," designated by a star on their helmet. The other four skaters are blockers. One blocker per jam is designated as the pivot. Marked by a stripe on their helmet, the pivot can take the star from the jammer and become the jammer at any time.
Still confused? Check out this helpful video from Refinery29!
The object of the sport is to get each jammer around the track as many times as possible. For every opposing blocker they lap, the jammer scores one point. The blocker's job is to help their jammer get around the track while simultaneously stopping the opposing team's jammer.
Hell no! Though the sport has had staged bouts and scripted outcomes in its history, modern roller derby is a full-fledged, authentic athletic endeavor. However, aspects of the sport's trademark showmanship, such as "derby names" and face paint, remain as a nod to tradition.
Oklahoma Victory Dolls Roller Derby (OKVD), is based out of Oklahoma City. The league was established in 2006 as an off-shoot of Oklahoma City Roller Derby. In 2015, OKVD merged with the OKC Outlaws. In 2017, OKVD combined with Oklahoma City Roller Derby to become Oklahoma’s largest and highest-ranked roller derby league. Click on "About Us" in the menu above to learn more.
We have two competitive teams: the All-Stars, who compete internationally for rankings, and Tornado Alley, who compete nationally, as well as home teams.
Arctic Edge Arena in Edmond is our home venue.
We invite teams from around the state, and even the country, to compete on our home turf. Frequent opponents include North Texas Roller Derby, 580 Rollergirls, Dallas Derby Devils, and Natural State Roller Derby though we have hosted teams from around the country.
Our home bouts often find our league going head-to-head, giving our fans the chance to see ALL of our skaters in action.
Check out the season schedule, then head over to pick up advance tickets through Brown Paper Tickets. Kids 12 and under get in free!
Our bouts are usually double-headers, which means you get DOUBLE the derby for the same price! We have raffles, merchandise, half-time games, vendors, food, and at our Arctic Edge venue, BEER!
A bout is two 30-minute halves plus a 15-minute halftime. With clock stoppages, you can expect one bout to last about 1.5 hours.
Joining OKVD
Typically, we have two or three 12-week beginner's courses per year. These classes teach you EVERYTHING you need to know, including step one: learning how to skate! We hold an informational meet-and-greet before the beginning of each course.
Roller derby boasts officials both on and off-skates. Our officials are a huge part of our league, and some of them even travel around the country to officiate at high-level tournaments, representing the best of OKVD. Others simply find the once-a-week officiating commitment here at home exhilarating and fulfilling. No officiating experience required – we will teach you whatever position you are interested in!
If you are interested in officiating on skates, we suggest that you attend the 12-week beginner's course to get more comfortable on your skates. Anyone interested in learning to officiate off-skates can simply attend a Monday night scrimmage to get started!
We welcome new skaters to join our class up to two weeks late. You can always email New Recruits for more information. We also love to see new faces join our league as officials or volunteers!
Not at all! We will teach you. Many of our All-star athletes hadn’t skated in years – or ever!
No problem! Our beginner's course focuses on skating fundamentals. You are not required to play derby with us after you finish the course (but we sure hope you do!)
While non-sporting types might find their progress a little more slow-going that others, you can totally still learn to play roller derby. Attending practice will help whip you into shape!
Playing a team sport is as much about your mentality as it is your physicality, so stay focused, stay determined, and stay positive. We want you to be the best derby player you can be, but ultimately, YOU determine how far you can go!
The new recruit class is a 12-week class designed to teach you the basics of roller derby, including basic skating techniques, taking and receiving hits, and the rules of the game. At the end of the 12 weeks, each recruit undergoes a minimum skills assessment, to ensure that they are safely able to play, before they join us for full contact.
Generally, the new recruit class consists of two skating practices and one non-skating practice a week, where recruits can watch scrimmage and learn non-skating officiating positions to better understand the rules of the game.
We have plenty of loaner gear and skates for recruits who aren’t sure they want to make the commitment yet. Initially, all you’ll need is a mouthguard. Eventually, however, recruits will need their own gear and skates to continue with derby.