Get Involved with the Cleveland Guardians!
There are many ways to join the community and get involved:
Skater
Have you thought about playing roller derby? Want to play both locally and nationally? The Cleveland Guardians are always recruiting and training new skaters!
We welcome skaters of:
- All Genders
- Ages 18 and up
- Any experience level
A lot of athletic experiences and skills are transferable to Roller Derby. Skaters from hockey, speed skating, inline skating, and also from non-skating athletics like gymnastics, martial arts, soccer, football, etc. are quick to pick up the sport.
If you want to learn more about the sport, check out what we do, and see if playing would be right for you, stop by a practice. We typically are practicing every Wednesday night at 8:30 in Brunswick at Brunswick Skate Station. Rental skates are available and if you let us know you’re coming, we can line up protective gear for you to borrow.
Send us a message at our Facebook Page at Cleveland Guardians Roller Derby, or send us an email at recruiting@clevelandguardians.com if you’d like more info on trying out this awesome, fast-growing sport.
What is this sport?
Roller derby is a contact sport framed by an extensive set of rules to keep participants safe. The roller derby we enjoy is a much safer format of Roller Derby than the entertainment version that was performed in the 70s. There are no cages or banked tracks in this version, but the game is fast and action-packed nonetheless. There are no clotheslines, slams, or violent actions allowed outside of the normal conduct of play and contact to the head is not allowed.
There are two player roles in derby for each team, a Jammer and a Blocker.
Jammers wear a star helmet cover and score points for their team every time they pass a blocker. Jammers are akin to a running back in football, except instead of passing the defensive line once, they must pass as many times as they can in 2 minutes, or until the lead jammer calls off a Jam.
Blockers try to prevent the other team from scoring points. It is a very fast paced action of switching between offensive attack and defensive formation.
Jams last 2 minutes, or until the lead jammer calls off the jam.
Are you Competitive or Recreational?
We are a competitive league that provides many opportunities for recreational skating, scrimmaging, and group events. We compete against other MRDA sanctioned leagues (There about 80 of them), most located within the USA.
This sounds nuts. Why do people do this?
For a variety of reasons! Each person tends to have some calling to do this and are quickly hooked once seeing and experiencing it. Here are just a couple of reasons.
- Fitness
- Community
- Mental Health
- Personal growth