The endurance sport of Roller Derby was introduced in 1935 and featured teams of roller skaters who skated laps on an oval track. A fast-paced contact sport, spectators reveled in the sometimes violent action as skaters tried to block opponent racers, called "jammers", from passing them on the track.
Matches of traveling professional and local amateur teams were arranged in cities across the United States. Minneapolis hosted local teams at a rink at the Minneapolis Auditorium, shown in the first photograph here. The second photograph shows two members of the "KTSP" and "Happy Hour" teams battling it out for roller derby supremacy.
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society
Date: 1940
Identifer: location GV3.83 p17; GV3.83 p18
