Although for many, the art of Roller Derby died around the same time as angry girl music and punk-feminism, for a group of tough girls in Canberra, Derby is still alive and kicking – often kicking you straight in the face.
The Canberra Roller Derby League (CRDL) is one of the few roller derby leagues in Australia, with two teams currently in operation, The Surly Griffins (named lovingly after the huge man-made lake, Lake Burly Griffin), and The Black n Blue Belles. And, contrary to popular belief, this league has been around since well before the premiere of Whip It!. For the girls involved in derby, this is no fad obsession – derby is a way of life.
And if the popularity of their two bouts so far is any indication, it’s a way of life that many are hoping to emulate. The first bout of the CRDL sold out within days, and the second in even less time. I managed to get tickets to the second bout, named ‘Wild West Wheels’, and spent the entire night on the edge of my seat, yelling obscenities and encouragement’s without discrimination. For those who aren’t aware of the rules of derby, the concept is relatively simple. Each ‘jam’ lasts for two minutes and involves five girls from each team : a jammer, a pivot, and three blockers. The blockers and the pivot from each team skate around the track in a pack. The jammer’s job is to skate through the pack, and continue around the track, scoring a point for each member of the opposing team that she passes. In order to keep the opposing jammer from scoring points, the blockers and pivot skate furiously, trying to tangle the jammer up in the pack so that their own jammer can continue to race around the track, scoring points.
What was most impressive about the Wild West Wheels bout was how fast and fearless these girls were. If anyone understand how hard skating is, it would be me. I recently broke my elbow roller-skating, and can attest that it is much, much harder than it looks. The derby girls were graceful, and elegant, even when slamming into each other and trying to elbow each other in the face.
The feminist aspects of derby are also a huge drawing card. The sport screams that girls can be sexy, strong, and not afraid to throw a punch. I certainly wouldn’t want to mess with any of the Surly Griffins, or Black n Blue Belles!
Besides, who doesn’t love a sport where you can drink beer, yell insults, and watch incredibly talented and attractive girls beat each other up on roller skates? I’ll definitely be going back for more.
Image by Ben Loveridge, courtesy of here
Ohhh, I’ve been intrigued by roller derby ever since I saw Whip It and read about the sport’s history in the 1920s and how it flourished during Depression Era America. Fascinating stuff.
Plus I like beer and shouting obscenities, so sounds like I should get myself to a derby.