Queen City Roller Girls Skate through Boot Camp

http://buffalo.yourhub.com/NiagaraFalls/Stories/Sports/Recreational/Story~506506.aspx

Contributed by: Buffalo.com/YourHub Kelsey Swanekamp on 8/11/2008

Kelly Keyes, 34, waits for her turn to practice stopping drills ith the other derby girls.
Provided by: Kelsey Swanekamp

Contributed by: Buffalo.com/YourHub Kelsey Swanekamp on 8/11/2008


Mia Mauler gathered the 67 novice derby girls in the center of the roller rink. Punk 'N' Pie stands next to her, shouting out directions after Mia turns over the ring. "Diamond Crusher" waited near the door, collecting checks and cash from the skaters. "Violet Intentions" and "Brutali-tease" idly skated around the edge of the rink.

Roller derby matches, called bouts, involve two teams each with five players on the rink. One player is designated as a jammer, who scores points for her team by passing the pack of players.

With a whistle and a yell, the mob of stationery skaters morphed into a crowd of nearly 80 women circling the Rainbow Rink. The event, held Sunday, August 10 in North Tonawanda, was the second annual boot camp held by the Queen City Roller Girls as a strategy to recruit and draft more derby girls to their team.

Kristin Grove, a 29-year old graphic designer, tried roller derby for the first time on Sunday. "I came to one of the bouts at the end of the season, and I thought that it would be a new challenge."

After 10 minutes of warm-up, the coaches, current members of the Queen City Roller Girls, directed the newcomers to attempt their first pace line. The drill requires skaters to skate around the rink in a tightly packed line within arm's distance of the skater in front.

"Stormie Weather," a tall blond who always seemed to be grimacing, led the line, but she struggled to keep an unruly skater from taking off without the rest of the team.

After the line, the novice skaters divided into four groups to develop different skills, from stops and falls to roller derby techniques. Supernova, black-haired with a booming voice, counseled the skaters in backwards skating drills. "Don't be afraid to fall," she said. "We're not going to laugh at you."

The advice hit home for Terra Loncher, 21. "I've only skated once before in my life," she said, "and I fell flat on my face." Still, she came to the boot camp for a new experience. "There's a lot of female power and camaraderie."

For Kelly Keyes, a 34-year old member of the Rochester Roller Girls, the most difficult part of roller derby is adapting to skating with women with far more experience. "It's hard to get over the fear of being with people of different skill levels, but everyone is very accepting and welcoming. I love the team aspect."

Lisa Waske, also a member of the Rochester Roller Girls, began roller derby about three months ago. She found that skating in a formation and recovering from falls have been her greatest challenges.

Mia Mauler explained that for many girls, their first physical hit or fall during the game is the end of their interest. Beyond that, roller derby is a time commitment. "It sucks up a lot of time. You have to love it to stay with it," she said.

The derby name is an essential part of roller derby culture, Mia Mauler said. "I'm probably the only one who knows everyone's real name and derby name," she said. "Once you get into roller derby, your real name ceases to exist."