Two roller skaters were crouched(蹲伏) low, knees bent and bodies pressed together, fighting to stay glued to prevent a third skater slip through and break their wall. This was a roller derby(轮滑阻拦赛) practice for the Tiny Terrors, a team of skaters aged 8-11 in the Gotham Girls Junior League of New York City. “They want to fight and get really fast, and they find so much confidence,” said Kristen Campbell, director of the junior derby program.

Roller derby is played with two teams of five skaters on a track. One player on each team serves as the jammer whose job is to race around the track and score points without getting blocked by the other team. The match is made up of two 30-minute periods that each consists of shorter plays or jams. Each jam lasts two minutes or until the lead jammer calls it off, usually a move made to stop the other jammer from catching up and scoring points.

You have probably heard of adults playing roller derby, but a growing number of young people are attracted by the fast-paced sport. Campbell owes the increase in interest partly to a popular novel called “Roller Girl.”

Campbell described the junior league as a shelter for girls who aren’t sure where they fit in at school. “I’ve had so many parents tell me their child was having trouble with anxiety or bullying(欺负) or that they didn’t fit into any sport or art club or whatever it is,” she said. “And then they find roller derby and everything is solved.”

Many of the girls said they got much more out of the sport than just exercise. As Campbell tells it, those extra lessons are really the point. Strength, confidence and body positivity have long been values of roller derby, even if it’s subliminal rather than open and direct.

Of course, like any contact sport, injuries are unavoidable.

“They don’t go for big hits,” Campbell said. “Now we focus more on hip blocking and using lateral(横向的) movement to block—leaning each other out with light contact.” Besides, the girls don’t mind the occasional bump. “It’s sort of like a medal,” Campbell said, smiling.

For many people, bicycling is not just a convenient way of getting around town but also an exciting sport. Serious cyclists often arrange to take part in races.

【小题1】. Each racer leaves the starting line at a different time and heads hard for the finish line. The cyclist who covers the distance in the shortest amount of time wins the race. 【小题2】, because the bicycles are spread out and are not likely to run into each other.

Another kind of race is more difficult. A few city blocks are closed for competition. Then all the racers line up in a tight pack and begin racing at the same time. They cover many laps, going around and around the city blocks.【小题3】. It also requires skillful handling of the bicycle as it runs at full speed around other bicycles. The racer who completes all the laps first is the winner.

Road races are usually the longest cycling contests.【小题4】. The race course may be a straight stretch of road or a long series of roads across the country. The prize goes to the first person who crosses the finish line.

Between races cyclists stay in condition by doing exercise that builds their strength so that they can keep riding for long periods of time. 【小题5】, they often join bicycling groups and become licensed racers. So they can enter professional races. Just keep practicing. Any cyclist could become a star.