A-Normandale Blog, Hay Caramba!: Brutiful Princess at Roller Derby

Brutal (violence) + beautiful ladies + quad roller skates = Brutiful Princess at Roller Derby

Picture by Miguel Martinez

Who said that beauty, roller skates and rudeness cannot be mixed? Well, there is a real prove of that and it is called Roller Derby Girls. Maybe that title sounds familiar or maybe it is a complete new term for you. But in reality it is a very old full contact sport that was very popular around 1960s and 1970s. In a Roller Derby game, players are encouraged to knock down their opponents by blocking.

Who plays it?

This is a sport entertainment that is played in some kind of oval track by two teams. Both teams circle the oval in packs and make life difficult for the opponent. The packs are composed for a Pivot, who control the pack speed, and three Blockers whose job is to contain the Jammer. The Jammer is the one who score points by passing opposing blockers.

Hollywood Roller Derby

The Roller Derby topic came to be more known by the recent movie called “Whip it," 2010. In such drama, a regular, (I mean, irregular girl with a miserable existence), take her life by the horns and joined a roller derby team.

Her life is in a dilemma when she is between pleasure her parents by being an exemplar and nice girl in a superficial society or follows her dreams of being herself on wheels and beating other girls, also gaining respect for herself.

Another interesting movie is Rollerball on 1975, and the remake of Rollerball on 2002. In which players are on rollerblades and motorcycles, trying to bring a heavy metal ball into a high goal. The little detail is that there are no rules in the game. Nice game around lifeless bodies.

Modern Days

In our days, Roller Derby keep the same essence, but with some changes. Yeah, no motorcycles or metal ball, or dead bodies everywhere. In the world of wheels, modern Roller Girls wear undies in the outside, fish nets, tattoos, dress funny and cool outfits, use uncommon nick names and have more fun, while at the same time burn some calories. This sport does not distinguish social class, political beliefs or personal preferences. Everyone is welcome!

Here at Minnesota we have some nice representative teams of girl on wheels. They compete in local leagues. Two f the most popular are “Minnesota RollerGirls” and “North Star Roller Girls.” Each league has four teams and their respective interleague traveling team. This interleague team is formed by the best players of the league. This elite team goes out of the state and play against other states teams.

Never is too late if you are interested in attend a game.

The Minnesota RollerGirls roll at Roy Wilkins Auditorium and there are just two more games on their Schedule: March 5 and April 2, 2011.

The North Star Roller Derby Girls roll at Minneapolis Convention Center, Hall E, downtown Minneapolis, MN. Their 2010-2011 schedule is the next: February 26, March 26, April 30 - Supernovas, May 14 – Championship.

Well, every league has different ticket prices and it goes from $12 to $17 per game. But you can save some bucks if you buy your tickets in advance. Visit their respective websites for more information. For information related with Roller Derby rules and teams go to Women's Flat track Derby Association: http://wftda.com/

Roller Derby is perfect for everyone, in special for girls who ripped the heads off their dolls and for fans who proclaim “let the Girls roll, this is roller Derby bitc#$!”

Have Fun and cheer up your favorite Roller Girl. Yeah, the Tron Guy and Darth In-Vader are fans too!