When people hear the term “roller derby” they tend to
envision large, beefy girls on skates knocking each other down and like boxing,
is all for show. While this may have been true twenty years ago, today roller
derby is becoming a popular sport that has created a sort of “underground”
culture even in Fort Collins. I am not going to brush you up on the rules and
guidelines of the sport but rather give my perspective of the growing
phenomena, so if you are interested in learning how it is played, I have
included a clip from Drew Barrymore’s movie, Whip It, 2009, that goes over the basics. In Fort Collins there are
two teams: FoCO Girls Gone Derby who practice at Rollerland and Choice City
Rebels who practice at the Qdoba Event Center. I have seen both teams play several
times and although FoCO shows a higher skill set, I am partial to the Rebels
because of their home rink and practice facilities, friendly players, and that
I myself am a Choice City Rebel (so my opinion is rather biased). There is no
elbowing girls in the face or any of the other moves that staged roller derby
of the past has presented but rather seriously skilled skaters and maneuvers
that are obviously not set up. The skaters themselves are from every walk of
life. For example, one of my team mates is a 30 something divorcee with several
kids and another is barely out of high school. Age is not handicap in this
sport. One of the most prominent aspects of roller derby is the selection of
names and matching numbers. A skaters name has to represent their skill level
as well as include a pun usually referring to sexuality or toughness. Some
examples include: my coach, Ex Wife Beater, and my own name, Blonde Bullet.
To
match the intimidating names, skaters tend to parade around in risqué outfits
which, along with the names, may make roller derby inappropriate for the kiddos
in your bunch (as an audience you will generally see an eyeful of bosom and
bottom on skaters with names like “Hello Klitty”). The audience that gathers to
witness these bouts are also an eclectic group. There is usually heavy drinking
and tons of shouting at players and the refs which is expected with any sport.
I have done my absolute best to set the scene for this part of Fort Collins
culture but it is difficult unless you see it in action. If you need a fun and
entertaining activity for the weekend, definitely head over to Qdoba Event
Center to see one of these bouts but leave the kids at home! You won’t follow
the fast paced game at first but by the end of the night you will be shouting
right along the side the veterans.
Notes: The price to
get in runs about $15 at the most and the beer is cheap. It’s a little hard to
find too so definitely plug it into your GPS.
-Paige
Also, I will update
this post when I find out when the next bout is.
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