I went to a women's roller derby match in DC on Saturday--good, clean, campy fun. When my fellow spectators heard I was from Baltimore, they were envious: Baltimore, it turns out, claims one of the more notable roller derby leagues in the country, the Charm City Roller Girls.
Remember roller derby? If not, you were probably born in the '80s or later. The sport was actually invented in the 1920s, but reached its heyday in the late '60s/early '70s, when women's banked track bouts were televised weekend afternoons. I don't know anyone who dreamed of growing up to be a roller derby star, but it was great tough-girl entertainment in pre-cable/Tivo times.
The Charm City Roller Girls are an all-female, amateur, flat-track league with six teams: Female Trouble, Fresh Meat, Junkyard Dolls, Speed Regime, The Mobtown Mods and Night Terrors. Uniforms are a big part of the fun--the more outlandish the better--including everything from tutus to pink tights to burlesque-inspired short-shorts. Players compete under fabulously creative aliases: Doris Day of Reckoning, Whipstick, Federal Kill and Coach Ballbricker, just to name a few Junkyard Dolls. But although the names are fun and the environment entertaining, this is no "show" - these women mean business. Team membership typically means practice three nights/week and national travel. That's not easy for your average working woman, yet alone the woman whose second job includes the title "Mom".
Spectator gazing is part of the fun: anything goes for fans, especially team groupies in matching garish colors with themed accessories and mascots. The 20- and 30-somethings don their finest hipsterwear. Kids parade their blinking sneaks. The handful of well-dressed seniors make me think I could have put a little more effort into my attire, but the majority are come-as-you-are everyday folks. Roller-derby, it seems, actually is entertainment for all ages.
The next Charm City Roller Girls bout happens to be a fundraiser for the league: the Saint Patrick's Day "Whiskey Brawl" featuring bands the Stalking Horses, Folk and Celtic-fueled hard rockers the Charm City Saints. On a traditionally raucous holiday, I can't think of anything more apropos.
2 comments:
Carol, great post! Roller Derby is pretty cool and it's great to see that its made such a comeback.
Another really interesting thing about the Charm City Rollergirls is that a few years back the owner of Putty Hill Skateland (where the gilrs hold most of their bouts) was going to close down the rink and the Charm City girls petitioned and advertised for support and managed to keep the rink open. It speaks to their organization's staying power as well as their fan base.
That was about three years ago when they only had 4 teams. It doesnt surprise me that Baltimore is a known entity in the rollerderby circuit, the teams and fans base are growing steadily.
Going to see a CCRG bout on March 27 for my birthday--I'm so excited because I just recently learned that you can sit on the floor trackside for $10 general admission tix. First come first served. I'm definitely goign to be there early. Have you seen Whip It? Fun little flick, especially for the derby initiated. Great post!
Post a Comment