America Wins Its Third Roller Derby World Cup In A Row

The U.S. team rolled over the competition.
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The Super Bowl gets more publicity, but competition at the 2018 Roller Derby World Cup was just as heated.

From Feb. 1-4, 38 teams from all over the world rolled into Manchester, England, to show they weren’t just spinning their wheels.

For those not in the know, here’s a quick primer on the rules of the roll, courtesy of the BBC:

  • Two teams of five ― four “blockers” and one “jammer” ― skate counter-clockwise around an oval-shaped track.

  • The blockers keep the other team’s jammer from completing laps around the track, while helping their own jammer get past the other team.

  • Blockers are allowed to use shoulder, hip and full body contact to prevent the jammer from passing.

The competition, heated as it was, came down to two teams: The U.S. and Australia, who competed on Sunday for the title.

Ultimately, the U.S. beat the Aussies handily by a score of 187-146. It marks the third straight World Cup victory for the American team since the competition started in 2011.

Some of the photographic highlights of the tournament appear below:

Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
Mexico and Switzerland compete in the Roller Derby World Cup on Feb. 4 in Manchester, England.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
USA and Australian teams competed in the finals, which the U.S. won 187-146.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
Scotland and Germany compete in the Roller Derby World Cup.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
Roller derby fans enjoy the Roller Derby World Cup.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
A member of the Costa Rica team prepares to compete in the Roller Derby World Cup.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
Switzerland gets ready for a match.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
A skater for Costa Rica on the track.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
England's team goes up against Canada's.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
USA gets physical with Spain.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
Members of the Spanish team compete in the Roller Derby World Cup.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
The USA gets rolling against Spain.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
The USA team celebrates its victory in the Roller Derby World Cup.
Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
Members of the USA team hoist their trophy after winning the third tournament in a row.

CORRECTION: A wire photo caption in a previous version of this story indicated the U.S. team had won the tournament for the third year in a row. It was the third tournament in a row, but the tournament is not annual.

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