If a Red Pivot skates around a downed White Pivot and goes out of bounds, then returns in front of the White Pivot, should Red Pivot receive a Cutting the Track penalty?

The situation described involves a Red Pivot skirting around a downed White Pivot and then coming back into play in front of the White Pivot. In roller derby rules, a skater is not penalized for going out of bounds if they did so to avoid a collision, especially if they are skirting around a downed skater.

When the Red Pivot returns to the track, they are allowed to re-enter the play as long as they do so without gaining an unfair advantage. In this case, since the Red Pivot did not cut in front of the White Pivot while the latter was still in play and instead returned effectively behind them, this action is permitted, and no penalty for Cutting the Track would be warranted.

Cutting the Track typically occurs when a skater re-enters the track in a way that gains an advantage, such as skipping ahead of the opposing player when they are still actively in the game. Since the Red Pivot was out of bounds due to maneuvering around a downed opponent, they did not engage in a cutting violation and thus should not receive a penalty.