In the world of Roller Derby, a storm is brewing. The whole 'to name or no to name' is the big question. Should skaters make pseudo names (made up) or use their own when skating? Some people argue that using pseudo names adds to Roller Derby being fun and quirky, like no other sport! Others say that some pseudo names ruin it for the rest of the roller derby community because of their vulgar/obscene content which can hinder its chances media coverage.
I for one am stuck on the fence with this one for so many reasons. Ive got a lot of for and against's but ultimately I dont know which to choose....
Let the battle commence ... *ding' ding,ding*
Pusodo names can be empowering! You can be boring old Betty Brown from accounts by day and then Dee Stroy'her the badass blocker by night. (example). And vise versa, your pseudo name adds to your whole roller derby persona.
Round 2) 'The names skaters choose are sometimes rude and disgusting.'
Some names are vulgar, explicit or obscene. Some reference female/male genitalia that I can't share with you here. It's the same for the Merby guys too.
The name registering site twoevils.org doesn't really have rules about what type of name is OK and what isn't. There's only the rule of not copying others.
I mean just a short rule about not being too rude or 'would you say that to your mother?' should work but where and how do you draw the line?
Round 3) 'Cool, imaginative names really are just another awesome aspect of Roller Derby'
Yes, yes they are. Creative play on names, pun and celebrity mash ups are some of the thing that make roller derby AWESOME! Here are some of my favourites:
- Dora the Destroyer
- Katniss EverMean
- Bear Thug and Fu-Man Drew from Wolverhamoton Honour Rollers
- My lil' Pwny from CCR (Friday Voni!)
- Smashlee Simpson and Babe Ruthless from Whip-It
- Battle E. Portman from FoCo Girls Gone Derby
- To infinity and Yvonne from from Denver Roller Dolls (Toy Story)
- Luna-Tic Lovegod from Slaughterhouse Derby Girls (Harry Potter)
- BootyVicious (I wanted this one sooo bad but it's taken :/ !
- Dee Stroy'her
...And the list goes on!
Generate your own Derby name at Mia Psycho's Roller Derby Name Generator.
Let us all see your derby name in the comments below!
Round 4) 'If I was a TV channel or Network, I wouldn't air Roller Derby matches with names including swear words, references to sexual acts of violence, drugs etc. I'd be fired instantly!
Ideally the roller derby community will continue to grow and improve regardless of name choice through word of mouth but the quicker way to expand would be through the media.This can't happen with obsenities and vulgar words. Think about the bigger picture is all im trying to say.
" Think of the roller derby community as a whole not just at your own level. "
As Sonicthetrackhog said
'Don’t be douchebags, derby nation. Lead by example. Take responsibility for your sport, your audience and yourselves. No matter who the sport is for – our current derby family or a bigger, future sporting incarnation, you make the rest of us look bad with your icky names.'
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| Wolverhampton Honour Rollers! Look at the happy bunch! :D |
Links!
Check out the Roller Derby names rooster at twoevils.org. Have a look and see the best and worst names...some are pure genius!
See Ginger Snap's opinion here
Generate your own Derby name at Mia Psycho's Roller Derby Name Generator. Let us all see your derby name in the comments below!
What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them!
11 comments:
I didn't even know this existed until you told me you loved The Roller Derby... D:
Most teams let skaters have the option of being known by their legal name or 'skate' name. There's no fixed rule on that. It's doesn't change the fact that you are who you are, alter ego or not. Some skaters need that name to transition into the athlete they need to be. This is one of the many things that makes roller derby unique.
The Name debate, to me, doesn't seem that much of an issue. Teams like LRG have a mix of legal names and skate names – they've shortened the players names for their uniforms, which looks rather awesome.
As for the 'disgusting' names, I assumed they are monitored by their league? It's personal preference at the end of the day. I know CCR keeps tabs on skater names as it's a family friend sport at the heart of it and excluding people because of offensive names is not the way to go. You need the fans, so why would you want to offend them?
You'll find that most of the really bad names aren't being used anymore anyway.
TwoEvils is not the law, it's a database, You can check for similar names but you don't have to submit your name to be on there.
I'm me, call me what you want, as long as I get to skate and push myself to become an athlete. it really doesn't make any odds to me.
Also -
My two favourite names are 04 Fox Sake and Bonnie D. Stroir (also awesome skaters
04 Fox Sake is hilarious!
I like your point Linds that 'It doesn't change the fact that you are who you are, alter ego or not.' kinda wraps up the whole 'debate', its really not a huge issue now iv'e thought about it more but quite a few skaters on-line are getting their hotpants in a twist!
End of the day,it's your skill that counts, not your name
..btw I'm not gonna go for PinaCollada as my name..I don't want you calling me Penis!
This looks like a lot of content has been taken from Ginger Snap's blog, written last year. There's lots of discussion on there, including my own response. Worth reading.
www.derbylife.com Derby Names: Not ready for prime time. My response is probably 3rd page.
I would read everyone's responses though... I'm still not a fan of anyone calling me out for being offensive and disgusting...most people have a sense of humour.
Hi Fu-Quinn Hell, thanks for your comment. I will amend the article so your name isn't placed with all the blame, that was not my intention in the slightest. This article wasnt to single out skaters but to raise a point. After having a discussion with some of my friends on this matter, we researched further and then jotted down our ideas. The main point we had was that compared to other sports, quirky names set us apart in a great way but then offensive or vulgar names drag us down. The only reason your name was mentioned along with others is because of the use of bad language in a name may not make it suitable for younger audiences. I say this as a teacher in training. It restricts who can watch. In my opinion your name is a very clever name considering its your last name too.i meant no offence to you directly, I just wanted to show the bigger picture based on the rest of the world taking us seriously. I have a sense of humour but I also think of the roller derby community as a whole not just on my own level.
Ideally the roller derby community will continue to grow and improve regardless of name choice through word of mouth but the quicker way to expand would be through the media.this cant happen with obsenities and vulgar words. Think about the bigger picture is all im trying to say.
TuesdayShanice
Oh, this article was not taken from Ginger Snaps article. If you read them you will see they both have similar opinions but that's only because were discussing the same subject and we both disagree with vulgar/obscene names. Follow the link and read hers too. Ill even put her link in my article...
Article amended. Same point but no chance of offending specific skaters.
Keep your comments coming, I'd like to hear your views whether I agree or not. I like to hear other opinions!
Don't sanitize roller derby!!! Everybody has the right to be who they want to be and the raw nature of it is what keeps me coming back. You take the venom out of a snake and what you got? A belt.
Thank god for that Anonymous!
I was really starting to get worried about this boa constrictor slowly wrapping itself around my throat, but since its only a belt, I guess there is nothing to worry about!
/sarcasm
At the end of the day, The BBC will never show a sport when they have to bleep out the names of all its players!
Id worry about about censoring IF it makes it onto the bbc. I'm sure they'd tell you what to put in and leave out if it were to make it onto the Telly or the Olympics etc....
I think you're taking yourselves far too seriously.
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