Roller Moms

Portrait of Lady Vengeance by Kat Deem

And finally, I bid adieu to my unseen classmates, my faceless professor and my semester of blogs and roller derby. I have enjoyed the adventure. No, I won’t be lacing up my skates, but I have gained both knowledge and appreciation for a provocative and unusual sport.

This week Sarah sent me a New York Times article about moms in roller derby. In addition to the Fitness, Social Interaction, Non-conformance and Alter Persona motivations I mentioned in earlier posts, the featured roller moms added another perspective. Moms always do.

Parenting can be all-consuming. This rough-and-tumble sport helps a mom to ---

• release the stress of raising children
• have time for self-reflection
• raise her self-esteem
• feel sexy

At the bout, the music is loud, lights flood the rink, the jammer breaks away from the pack and the crowd cheers her on. As Olivia Shootin’ John from the Texas Rollergirls put it ---

"I’m a mom, and I teach high school, but when I’m out there,
I’m a rock star!"

*****

Kathryn, thanks for the remarkable photos.

Sweet Charity

Roller Derby is a business. Each regular league meeting is chaired by the president, and within its organization are many committees. These volunteer staffers manage:

• Budget


• PR & Sponsorship


• Recruitment & Membership


• Web Design


• Skater Development …

But one of the more interesting and universal aspects of the roller derby business is its charitable giving. Real dollars are needed to rent rink time, purchase uniforms and manage events. Rink rates can exceed $100 per hour in some areas. To raise money, increase public awareness and attract potential recruits and sponsors, fundraising efforts are often tied to charity events.

During the month of April, here are just a few of derby’s benefit/fundraising events around the country:

• 3rd Annual DERBYTAUNT Ball 2007
  Just like a debutante coming-out party (well, sort of) the fresh meat, wearing the traditional white, will receive their team assignments. A $7 cover charge will buy food, drinks, music & dancing. And a portion of the proceeds goes to the New York City Alliance Against Rape.

• Bartending for Charity
  Not only are patrons served a drink by their favorite Rollergirls, but all of the tips plus 5% of the sales from this event are donated to Springboard for the Arts. Who’da thunk?

• Charity Bout in April
  In addition to their ticket purchase, spectators are asked to donate an item to support Coalition on Temporary Shelter. This month the suggested donations are children’s items: coloring book, children’s book, K-12 school supplies …

In fact, the list of all of the charities supported by just one league (Minnesota Rollergirls) is significant as well as heartwarming.

Carry on, my Derby Angels.

*****

Photo by the magnificent Kat Deem

Dissin' Derby

I’ll admit that I had never read or heard of local columnist Mike Seate of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, but I gotta hand it to him. The guy knows how to stir things up!

Recently, the Trib published Mr. Seate’s condescending editorial about roller derby. A few excerpts describe the sport as ---

“… so lowbrow a caveman would find it in bad taste” (imitating the Geico commercials)
“… dumb entertainment for people too dumb to even know they [are] being insulted”
“… aimed at an audience with three active brain cells”

The writer mockingly refers to derby as a “sport” [Seate’s quotation marks] and he asserts that “there is nothing vaguely athletic about [it].” There’s that protectionism again! Maybe Mr. Seate is a former jock, stuck in his old glory days. His Mr. T – like picture suggests that Mr. Seate could himself be a load on wheels, gasping for air after the first turn of the track.

And yet … indeed I do see booty blocking potential in him!

Mr. Seate references the days when roller derby embodied girls who “beat each other senseless” or “women who beat the snot out of other women,” but he never claims to have watched a recent bout.

Of course, he got what I suspect he was after --- reader reaction! This month Mike Seate published a follow-up column, detailing the response and having some fun with it too.

He claims his objections are less about violence than about sexual exploitation. He describes a horny male audience leering at “exposed female flesh” and likens derby to “Foxxy Boxxing” and “Nude Cole-Slaw Wrasslin.”

Never having seen either, I can’t say. I can only once again, go to the skaters themselves.

“If men really want to see me skate around in a short skirt and block other women, I’m happy to take their 15 bucks and move along, spending my time and energy putting on a good bout for those who can really appreciate the athletics of the event. I think, though, that these dudes are going to walk away from a bout genuinely surprised at how athletic and tough I am. And I also think that women who come to the bout are going to leave with a pretty renewed understanding of just how tough women can be, and just how much women can accomplish in community.”

- Tammy Oler (Diamond Lil), Bitch magazine 2005

*****

Photo courtesy of Kat Deem. View her gallery for additional derby photos.

Day Jobs & Motivations of the Derby Queens

Who are you when you are not on the rink?

And what motivated you to join a roller derby league?

(Is this your banker?)

I posed these two questions to several skaters at the East Coast Derby Extravaganza a few weeks ago and to a few skaters online. Their answers convinced me that it’s impossible to pigeonhole them.

In any given bout, the pack of skaters may include ---

• Production Studio Coordinator


• Investment Broker


• Medical Office Manager


• University Student Advisor


• Business Administrator


• Kid’s Playroom Director


• Art, Music, Elementary or High School Teacher


• Videographer (allegedly porn, but unsubstantiated)


• ER Nurse


• Lots of students (both undergrad and grad)

Sometimes the skater’s name reflected her occupation. For example, the nurse was Shenita Stretcher … and there was of course Teacher A. Lesson.

*****

And what brought them in to the sport? These answers varied too, but some common themes emerged --- Social interaction, exercise, non-conformance.

Belle N. Somebashin saw an outlet:

"I originally joined derby because I was looking for some type of female intermural sport to get involved in. I grew up roller skating, have a martial arts background, am now a 'retired' hardcore kid from the 90's, and love tattoos, so derby seemed like the perfect option. Plus I love the duality of my life - SOOOO far removed from the high-net worth individuals I deal with at work all day."

Diamond Lil of the Denver Roller Girls spoke of female energy:

"There aren't many aggressive/extreme sports out there for women, so a lot of women gravitate towards [derby] because it's finally a chance to realize a lot of energy."

Jenna Jamitin of the Ironbound Maidens said:

"I live alone and work in the city, so I was looking for a way to meet new people. I wanted some social interaction."

Well, okay ... but why not a book club?

"Growing up near the ocean, I did in-line skating as a kid, and have surfed all my life. I miss those things. Roller derby seemed like the perfect answer."

The competitive Lady Vengeance identified with the feminist image of a strong woman. In college, the former cheerleader used to talk about forming a stunt squad.

"Practicing at least three times a week keeps me in shape. I've made new friends, and I embrace the competition."

All that skating is certainly good exercise. As Philadelphia’s Erin Go Braless put it:

"This workout's a lot more exciting than the gym!"

*****

Photo by the talented Kat Deem

Sport? Entertainment? Activity?

Is Roller Derby a Sport? Is it Entertainment? Is it an Activity? The answer is yes.

Sport
Many years ago, when both of my daughters were high school cheerleaders, the school board, the athletic department and the school administration each took time to consider how to classify cheerleading. Some area schools categorized cheerleading as a sport, and others as an activity.

And this mattered because…?

Apparently, funding for high school sports came from a different pocket, qualified for different allowances and fell under different policy restrictions than the funding for high school activities.

In addition, there was the prestige factor. In the high school pecking order, jocks, both male and female, were often regarded as a cut above those students involved in clubs and activities. The football team – athletes dedicated to practice, teamwork and discipline – brought in the paying fans, whereas the cheerleaders – dedicated to similar ideals – were the added fluff.

Many years later, I hear the same argument about roller derby. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines sport as a “specific diversion, usually involving physical exercise and having a set form and body of rules; a game.” Is NASCAR a sport?

Activity
An activity is a “specified form of supervised action or field of action, especially one in the area of recreation.” Then what about (non-competitive) swimming? Activity is as broad-ranging as hopscotch, parajumping and historical re-enactment. Roller Derby is action-packed, and according to the skaters, it is also therapeutic and recreational.

Entertainment
Entertainment is subjective, defined as such by the spectator. To entertain is to “hold the attention of; to amuse.” To the right audience, even a good sneeze might qualify as entertainment!

At the derby rink, I never saw so many individuals under one roof who could each singlehandedly capture your attention. Put them in fishnets, then put them in motion, and voila! Entertainment enough to charge admission and keep the crowd coming back for more.

***

Tough young women involved in Sport/Activity/Entertainment and wearing miniskirts --- Roll them all together and you get phenomenon.

Trivia - Ready for Jeopardy?

Somewhere in my research, I read that Basketball is one of only two genuine American sports (i.e. created in the U.S. – and not adapted from another culture).

The other is Roller Derby.

Philly Weekend in Pictures

1. The Family Vengeance --- Mama V and Papa V with Lady Vengeance before the bout.
















2. Rising temps caused large sheets of ice and snow to slide off the roof!


Consequently, everyone was forced to use a small side entrance and to move their parked cars away from the front of the building.

3. Lady V's first warm-up helped minimize her butterflies.












4. Sawbonz and Jenna von Fury flex and pose before the bout.

















5. Comaraderie --- The Garden State Roller Girls travel team enjoy a laugh together.












6. Round 'n' round 'n' round ...













7. The ref signals a "lead jammer."













8. Jeerleaders' silly antics: A monkey chases a banana, presumably for the younger spectators in the crowd! With such an edgy rep, the sport surprisingly strives to be family-friendly.















9. Get your derby merchandise!

The usual --- tee shirts, mugs, boxers

The unusual --- crocheted ovaries & vagina (not shown)

10. Proof of I.D. required for the beer tent --- I am indeed over 21.












11. High tech meets low tech. Fans cheer their support, while displaying both handmade and custom-designed, computer-generated signs!
















12. After the bout, Lady Vengeance is rosy-cheeked, a little sweaty and disappointed that her team lost .... but she's still smilin'!