The Buzz: Derby girls on a roll

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

By Jake Nichols

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Don’t look now but roller derby is making a comeback. Once wildly popular in the 1940s, the sport morphed into the theatrical farce when it hit television during the 1960-70s. A new movement is underway, partly fueled by the 2009 movie “Whip It,” that has done away with the scripted antics, seeking to get back to the competitive spirit of a sport that can only be defined as hell-on-wheels.
Somehow, Mersadee Lulay caught derby fever. Like most of the local women she has signed up to play in the new Jackson league, she doesn’t skate all that well.

“You need to skate with me and you’ll feel so much better about yourself,” Lulay
told one prospective tryout at their Cutty’s signup meeting last week. “Most of the girls we are getting are not already great athletes or skaters. For instance, no one who plays women’s hockey has signed up. They are mostly people who skated as kids but not lately.”

New members will have to pass a skills test before being cleared for contact. Skaters must be able to fall on both knees and get back up in two seconds. They have three seconds to right themselves after a four-point fall. Skaters must also be able to finish 25 laps in five minutes. Finally, a member is required to skate an entire circuit around a 118’ by 25’ track on one leg.

Women’s roller derby boasts leagues in every continent. The governing body is the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Lulay said she intends to be recognized by the WFTDA by the end of the summer season in October. For now, all Jackson derby girls will be covered under a million-dollar insurance policy through USARS (USA Roller Sports).

The show must go on
The contemporary comeback of roller derby retains the slam and glam of a bygone era. Outrageous attire (think Joan Jett-meets-Cyndi Lauper) still dominates most derbies. Protective equipment—wrist guards, knee and elbow pads, and helmets—is standard issue, but each girl retains her own style that usually reflects her sardonic pseudonym.

Maybe an alias allows a woman to wholly tap her inner beast, but the use of derby names is one of the showmanship rituals that Lulay said will likely continue in Jackson. Names like Anna Mosity, Olive Mayhem, Miss Carriage, Bitchslap Barbie, minimum Rage, Whacks Poetic, and Florence Fightingale fill up rosters of teams called Babe City Rollers and Undead Bettys. For a massive list of registered skaters’ names check out: www.twoevils.org/rollergirls/.

And Lulay’s name? She said she is going with Rowdy Rhonda Piper. Co-organizer Sarah Michel is choosing Eva Lynn Tent.

Under all the fishnet and tutus is real bruises, real road rash. The ‘estrofest’ gatherings can quickly become ultra-competitive and unladylike. The riot grrrl, pink rink movement melds exhibitionism with athleticism and a hint of fury as 10 skaters battle for position in a wheeled manifestation of third-wave feminism. A common slogan found on derbywear reads: “It’s better to get knocked down than knocked up.”

Lulay believes she has enough locals signed up to form at least two teams; she was shooting for four. Eventually Lulay hopes to take the best of all the Jackson derby girls and schedule bouts with teams throughout Wyoming and surrounding states. That team will be called the Jackson Hole Juggernauts.

Practices will be held four nights a week. They will be held at the Kelly School gym until May. Beginning in May, the derby girls will start skating on their home rink in the Jackson Hole Recreation and Event Center (formerly Snow King Center). The track will be a flat track, laid out on the cement surface underneath the ice.

Interested participants can still get involved. BruisedBoutique.com, a New Hampshire-based online skate shop, is bookmarked by most derby girls. All skaters are required to skate on four-wheeled skates known as quads. No rollerblades. Lulay said she is trying to convince the Boardroom to carry replacement parts like wheels and trucks.

Look for Juggernaut merchandise. It should be available soon. Follow the local roller derby scene on Facebook (Jackson Hole Juggernauts).

Roller rules
Each team consists of five skaters – a jammer, a pivot, and three blockers. The jammer is the one to watch. She has the star on her helmet and is only one allowed to score points by lapping opposing skaters. Blockers, of course, try to prevent the jammer from passing them by knocking her into the middle of next week. A pivot, designated by a stripe on her helmet, is a blocker that can become a jammer during play.

Matches are called ‘bouts.’ Each bout is divided into two, 30-minute periods. Periods consist of short sessions called ‘jams.’ They are sort of like a restart in NASCAR with about the same amount of crashing. They last two minutes or can be halted anytime when a jammer signals the referee by placing her hands on her hips. A team gets a point for every skater the jammer is able to pass.

Up to seven referees and additional non-skating officials oversee a bout. Referees skate inside the oval track. Their job is to keep the peace, break up fights and call the occasional penalty.

Several strategies play into roller derby bouts. Casual fans are probably most familiar with the flashiest of tactics: the whip. Jammers are sometimes propelled to high speeds by a teammate using a sling-shot method of artificial assistance.

photo by JAKE NICHOLS
Scene from Cutty's signup gathering for the JH Juggernauts. Sara Michel and Mersadee Lulay to the right in matching blue flannel.

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