The Manassas, Va., Skate-N-Fun Zone may play Lil' Jon and Mariah Carey during Wednesday night open skating, but the members of the burgeoning D.C. Rollergirls league who meet there for practice say they prefer a mix of punk, '80s, synth-pop, hair metal and new wave.
About 30 women currently call themselves D.C. Rollergirls, and are athletes in a sport officially called Women's Flat Track Derby, commonly known as Roller Derby. Their chosen sport and their gender might be the only things all 30 women have in common. They range in age from 22 to 40-something, five of them are mothers and only two have readily visible tattoos. Professionally, they are chemists, business professionals and stay-at-home mothers.
Ginger, a founding D.C. rollergirl and executive board member known on the rink as Ginger Jailbait, currently works on Capitol Hill for a member of the House of Representatives. Ginger says that if she and fellow founding and executive board member Shannon, known as Miss Priss, had met under different circumstances, things may not have been pretty. "I was all punked out and she was a cheerleader," Ginger said.
"I was making fun of girls like her in high school," Shannon said.
"I was beating up your boyfriend and then sleeping with him," said Ginger with a tilted look and mischievous smile that made it seem like she might not be joking.
Shannon is a now military mom with three children, whom sometimes accompany her to the rink. Katie, the third founding and executive board member of D.C. Rollergirls, said that Shannon, as a military mother, "has the hardest job of all." Katie, known on skates as Slam Bam Thank You Ma'am, does drafting for a kitchen design firm and is currently the youngest D.C. Rollergirl.
In the end, "it's a team of women actually getting along together," Ginger said. In fact, all leagues, and the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) itself, are primarily owned, managed and operated by women, according to the WFTDA.
Tione, one of the two observably tattooed women on the team, said she liked Roller Derby because it was "legalized violence." Shannon agreed. "You get to beat girls up and it's legal," she said.
It does get rough sometimes, and not only in games. Katie recently fractured her sternum during a practice, but in self-described D.C. Rollergirls style, showed up again the very next week to skate. The inherent physicality in the sport helped the Rollergirls, whose current league colors are appropriately black and blue, set the requirements to join the team - athletes must be 21 years old and have valid health insurance. Other than that, the qualities of a rollergirl, according to Ginger, are that they are outgoing, dedicated and excited. Fitness, age and skill aren't important - some women on the team have never skated before. What's important is that they keep coming back week after week and are dedicated to the Derby.
The D.C. Rollergirl's promotional flyers outline that "Pansy's Need Not Apply," but what constitutes a "pansy" isn't necessarily someone who can't deal with bruises and broken nails. Pansies are people "that are too scared to come out of their comfort zones," Ginger said.
"And no crying!" said 28-year-old mortgage adjuster and self-identified dweeb Allyson, who skates under the name Inaugural Brawl.
Ginger laughed as she said, "Well, minimal crying while you get back on your feet."
To inquire about joining D.C. Rollergirls, email ladies@dcrollergirls.com
Roller derby Rules
According to the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Web site, available at www.wftda.com, two teams comprised of five women each compete for three 20-minute periods. Periods are made up of jams, similar to plays, and last up to two minutes each. There are three positions: blocker, pivot and jammer. Three blockers represent each team and play a defensive role, skating behind the pivots and in front of the jammers. Their goal is to prevent the other team's jammer from scoring points by passing them and their teammates on the rink. Each team has one pivot on the rink at a time, and they act as the pacesetters and last line of defense for their team. They lead the pack and try to prevent the other team's jammer from passing team members, while trying to assist their jammer in passing the other team's members.
One jammer represents each team. The jammers, starting from the back of the pack of skaters, must lap the group once before passing players for points. As the jammers pass members of the opposing team after the initial lap, they earn points for each person passed. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. The rules prohibit "Gross unsports-lady-like conduct," and require all skaters to wear protective gear at all times.
