LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It's aggressive, like a wrestling match on skates. The Derby City Roller Girls are the first and only Women's Flat Track Roller Derby League and they're headed into their season opener Saturday.
"We come together for the love of the sport," Cassandra "SlingHer Kyle" Waddell, a DCRG member said.
The team is a mix of veterans and newbies with names like Oblivion, Kamikaze, and Rollin' Thunder.
"You get to create your own person, whether it's who you want to be or who you wish you could be. It's just a safe space to fulfill your dreams and hit people, which is always fun," Bailey "Harlot O'Hara" Mack, a jammer with the DCRG, said. "I tell people I play roller derby and they say, oh, that makes a lot of sense."
They have everything needed to slay the competition.
"It is a full-contact sport, so we have safety gear, we have helmets, wrist guards, knee pads, elbow pads," SlingHer Kyle said.
"People love to wear the fishnets, the sequins, the makeup and that's a really important part of it. But even people who come with the 'hit her with the skate' can still appreciate the athleticism that's displayed in this sport now," Harlot O'Hara said.
It's a sport open to anyone, for all body types and professions, but you must go through a 12-week training camp before joining the team.
"A lot of people come to us and don't have any skating background at all," SlingHer Kyle said. "We teach everyone how to skate, how to fall safely and work them up through the levels until they try out for the team.
The sport is physically demanding.
"We practice at least 3 times a week for at least 2 hours," SlingHer Kyle said.
Roller Derby consists of two teams on the track. There are four blockers and a jammer from each team.
"It's really the job of the blockers to play offense and defense at the same time. They're trying to stop the opposing jammer from getting through the pack," SlingHer Kyle said.
Roller derby has been around for almost a century, at which time, "there were a lot of rivalries that involved hitting, punching," SlingHer said. But when it was revitalized in the early 2000s, "it came back as a legitimate sport."
"It's just a safe space to fulfill your dreams and hit people, which is always fun," Harlot O'Hara laughed. "You know, you'll hit someone with full force, lift them off their skates and they'll just look up from the floor and be like, that was a good hit!"
The reaction may not be quite the same for the parents watching from the sidelines.
"I did take a pretty bad fall in front of him once and my first thought was, 'oh my gosh, I hope I my dad didn't see that.' Because I knew I'd get a talking to after the game," SlingHer said.
She said she wouldn't have it any other way.
"I have bipolar disorder along with a couple other mental illnesses, so playing roller derby and being active, and building a tribe has really helped grow me as a person and made me feel safe and supported. It's helped me be the best version of myself," SlingHer said.
The DCRG season kicks off this weekend with the Derby City Bourbon Brawlers against the Vette City's Hot Broads of Bowling Green. It's Saturday, March 7 at the Kentucky International Convention Center. Doors open at 5 p.m. Come watch the Juniors Bout at 6 p.m. The DCRG Bout begins at 8 p.m. You can find the schedule here.
Contact reporter Brooke Hasch at bhasch@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Hasch) and Facebook.
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