Talk:Roller derby

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
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Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 08:18, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Lapping?
The article keeps saying the jammer scores points by 'lapping' opposing players.

What is lapping in this context? The article should explain.

I know in a race it means to catch up to someone who is one lap behind you, but that doesn't make sense here. Galagora (talk) 22:27, 31 March 2024 (UTC)
 * That's exactly what it means, the common meaning of the word. Warofdreams talk 22:48, 31 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Oh, so the two teams are rolling in ovals. I thought they were facing each other from opposite ends. Like rugby. Galagora (talk) 00:16, 2 April 2024 (UTC)
 * This is not explained until the second paragraph of Basics of play: "During each jam, players skate counterclockwise on a circuit track."  Spike-from-NH (talk) 09:01, 2 April 2024 (UTC)
 * I've added that to the intro, it's pretty basic to how the sport works, and now the sentence "The jammer scores a point for each opposing blocker they lap." makes much more sense for people without a model of how the game flows. Galagora (talk) 20:46, 3 April 2024 (UTC)
 * It's worth remembering -- though probably not worth trying to explain -- that not all passes are scoring passes, and a pass might not be "earned" even if the jammer otherwise passed an opposing player twice. This is one of many instances that get deep in the weeds of the nuances of the rules. As with many penalties, few players or fans really know every detail, and they have to go with whatever the refs say. It also varies by league. The WFTDA rules might not be exactly the same as other leagues.I don't think it's within Wikipedia's scope to fully explain, but there should be some mention that we're only giving an outline or general description of how scoring works, and there can be more to it than a just a jammer lapping. --Dennis Bratland (talk) 21:36, 3 April 2024 (UTC)
 * We explain "earned" passes in Basics of play. Galagora's copied sentence does add clarity, but is not strictly true.  We need not include the entire rules, but ought not state falsehoods.  Maybe a weasel word ("usually"?) is warranted.  Spike-from-NH (talk) 00:00, 4 April 2024 (UTC)
 * How about something like "The jammer may score a point for lapping each opposing blocker, provided certain conditions are met", or "with some exceptions". But it shouldn't be too difficult to include "while upright and in bounds" for starters. Echoedmyron (talk) 01:24, 4 April 2024 (UTC)
 * I don't think the Intro ought to go into any detail about what the exceptions are, as we do so in the body of the article. "The jammer usually scores a point"... works for me.  Spike-from-NH (talk) 08:48, 4 April 2024 (UTC)