In the 1930s an endurance race was held in Chicago where skaters would skate over 3,000 miles around a track. Two skaters from each team were required to be skating at all times, or the team would be disqualified. Teams would sleep on cots in the middle of the track during the race, which consisted of eleven and a half hour daily skating sessions. With time, the endurance race turned into a sport that involved a bit more roughness, which we now call roller derby.
Texas Roller Derby a hit in Austin
More than a decade ago some feisty Austin women revamped the sport which has now spread worldwide in popularity. Today roller derby is one of the toughest contact sports I've ever seen women play. Not only are they zooming round and round a track on roller skates, but they are also full-on body bashing each other.
Luckily, for me, I moved to Austin in perfect timing, because the Texas Roller Girls' season was underway. I was first introduced to the sport by watching the movie Whip It. I figured there were two things required to play roller derby, toughness and be a complete bad ass.
After experiencing my first roller derby the girls competing were exactly what I thought, completely awesome. I was able to catch two bouts, or rounds, at the Texas Roller Girls' derby. The Hot Rod Honeys took on the Honky Tonk Heartbreakers, and 2012 champions the Hell Marys battled it out with 2011 champions the Hustlers.
At first I was a little confused about the rules, all I knew was the girl with the star on her helmet scored the points, but after a while I caught on. Basically the game is played with four blockers and a jammer. The blockers try to prevent the other team's jammer from passing them, and they also help their jammer score points by blocking the other team's blockers. Each opposing player the jammer passes is one point.
Sounds simple enough right, well these girls have a ton of guts and endurance to stay on the track. The blockers take huge hits and give them right back. I was most impressed with the jammers who would fling themselves into a chaos of bodies that were sometimes three times the size of their own, and they still manged to get out of the herd on eight wheels.
My favorite part were the derby names the players chose, like SlaughterMelon, Meow Meow Kitty Karnage and Flash Gorgeous. That night I became a fan of BabyFace Assassin, she was a showstopper in my book. She was a jammer that stood 4 feet and 10 inches tall and dominated most of the jams (plays) that night. She was swift and sneaky and most of the time left the other team's blockers eating her dust.
The roller derby experience was right up my alley, because it involved a rowdy environment, an awesome competitive sport, and well, the beer didn't hurt either. There are four more bouts left in the season, and its a very smart idea to catch one before the season is done. It is a unique way to spend an evening with good peeps, and watch talented and ruthless girls duke it out on roller skates.
Texas Rollergirls' Next Bout
5p., Sat, May 11
$12-$25, Kids FREE
Austin Convention Center
500 East Cesar Chavez St
www.texasrollergirls.org
Texas Roller Derby a hit in Austin
More than a decade ago some feisty Austin women revamped the sport which has now spread worldwide in popularity. Today roller derby is one of the toughest contact sports I've ever seen women play. Not only are they zooming round and round a track on roller skates, but they are also full-on body bashing each other.
Luckily, for me, I moved to Austin in perfect timing, because the Texas Roller Girls' season was underway. I was first introduced to the sport by watching the movie Whip It. I figured there were two things required to play roller derby, toughness and be a complete bad ass.After experiencing my first roller derby the girls competing were exactly what I thought, completely awesome. I was able to catch two bouts, or rounds, at the Texas Roller Girls' derby. The Hot Rod Honeys took on the Honky Tonk Heartbreakers, and 2012 champions the Hell Marys battled it out with 2011 champions the Hustlers.
At first I was a little confused about the rules, all I knew was the girl with the star on her helmet scored the points, but after a while I caught on. Basically the game is played with four blockers and a jammer. The blockers try to prevent the other team's jammer from passing them, and they also help their jammer score points by blocking the other team's blockers. Each opposing player the jammer passes is one point.Sounds simple enough right, well these girls have a ton of guts and endurance to stay on the track. The blockers take huge hits and give them right back. I was most impressed with the jammers who would fling themselves into a chaos of bodies that were sometimes three times the size of their own, and they still manged to get out of the herd on eight wheels.
My favorite part were the derby names the players chose, like SlaughterMelon, Meow Meow Kitty Karnage and Flash Gorgeous. That night I became a fan of BabyFace Assassin, she was a showstopper in my book. She was a jammer that stood 4 feet and 10 inches tall and dominated most of the jams (plays) that night. She was swift and sneaky and most of the time left the other team's blockers eating her dust.The roller derby experience was right up my alley, because it involved a rowdy environment, an awesome competitive sport, and well, the beer didn't hurt either. There are four more bouts left in the season, and its a very smart idea to catch one before the season is done. It is a unique way to spend an evening with good peeps, and watch talented and ruthless girls duke it out on roller skates.
Texas Rollergirls' Next Bout
5p., Sat, May 11
$12-$25, Kids FREE
Austin Convention Center
500 East Cesar Chavez St
www.texasrollergirls.org
