No doubt this is a common fantasy: dozens of women dressed in short-shorts and stockings, a physically active group, ready to release some pent-up aggression. It could all be yours for 8,000 square feet. The Charlotte Roller Girls have arrived, adding a unique athletic event to Charlotte’s big-league sports offerings. Thousands of people turned out for their last bout at Cricket Arena, which was complete with music, announcers, half-time shows (in the case of roller derby I guess that’d be between period shows), and crowd giveaways. Cress Barnes, a.k.a. Lucy Kwipment, is one of the league’s founders. Barnes explains that roller derby offers fans the right balance between sport and show. The only thing they don’t have is a practice home right here in Charlotte. The team is grateful for their relationship with Kate’s Skating Rink in Gastonia, but aren’t crazy about the drive or the seclusion. They like to be accessible to their fans. The perks of becoming a ‘derbyite’ include watching the bouts right from the playing floor, talking to the athletes after the games, and even attending the same after-parties (where the stars aren’t locked away in a V.I.P. booth). Charlotteans are responding. The Charlotte Roller girls have larger turnouts than the more established Raleigh team and the number of fans (and league participants) is growing with every bout. Some local fans even traveled to their last match-up to watch the Charlotte girls take Savannah into overtime and come out on top, 88-86.
So what is roller derby all about? For starters, it ain’t your grandmama’s roller derby! Barnes explains that old-school derby was more about show—portions of a match were often choreographed—and less about sport. “Roller Derby is a current, contemporary sport,” says Rosie Cheeks (Rosemary Gardner outside of the rink). Charlotte’s star jammer, Gardner believes that the fast pace, complexity, and authenticity of roller derby fits today’s crowd. “You can’t fool a 21st century audience with fake stuff.” Barnes agrees and puts it like this:
“Imagine you are trying to drive through a mine field while putting on lipstick and reaching back to calm the kids in their car seats.”
One major difference between roller derby and other sports is that the two opposing teams don’t line up across from each other, don’t come at each other, don’t try to cross any predetermined line while pushing the other team back. Each team has five players on the track at one time, and all players move around a track in the same direction. A team consists of one pivot, three blockers and a jammer. A “bout” consists of three periods (20 minutes each) and these periods are played in a series of “jams” that begins with all the players lined up, waiting for the whistle. Both teams’ jammers start behind the pack on a delayed whistle. The jammer is a sprint skater; her role is to get through the pack and score points. Only jammers are allowed to be away from the pack; the blockers and pivot (the pace-setter) are mandated to stay within 20 feet of each other. Blockers set up plays to help their team’s jammer get through, or set up blocks for the opposing jammer. Around and around they go, bumping, nudging, body-positioning, trying to rack up as many points as possible in the jam, which can last up to two minutes before the squad is rotated out and another jam begins.
Cress and Gardner, seated at a table at the Common Market, are re-creating the game for me, gesturing with their arms and elbows. Gardner is almost out of her seat, saying, “You really do start to see the strategy involved.” I ask them what made them join the sport to begin with. They are ready for this one and speak at once: exercise, a good workout, a chance to vent and be competitive, an expression of self that is different from the everyday role, being tough and sexy at the same time. Another aspect of being a Charlotte Roller Girl is camaraderie with a diverse group of peers. “It’s an amazing group of women from all different walks of life,” Gardner comments. “Being a roller girl has given me a chance to know people I wouldn’t have met otherwise, to expand myself by being around all the different and interesting viewpoints the group puts up.”
Being a Roller Girl also helps members fulfill their philanthropic aspirations. They’ve partnered with Friendship Trays, Charlotte’s meals on wheels program, which delivers meals to elderly, handicapped, and convalescing people. “The more we grow, the more doors are opening for getting involved in the community,” Cress is happy to report. Gardner points out that a being Roller Girl gives her an opportunity to combine her goals of exercise, volunteer service, friendship and creativity all in one activity.
The Charlotte Roller Girls is not just a club. It is a skater-owned, non-profit organization that is seeking national membership in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Charlotte’s team currently operates under all WFTDA rules and guidelines but, as a new team, has to meet certain criteria over time before being admitted. All the skaters pay dues, have positions, and take part in committees. Their mission is to empower women, train skaters in an athletic sport, promote the sport of roller derby, have fun, and invest in the community. Twice a week they have “granny” practice for veteran players, “newbie” practice on Sundays and an additional skill practice each week for everyone. They have a lot of fun, but require hard work and dedication from each team member. Team members are required to attend a certain percentage of practices each week or are not permitted to play in the bout. All the women have insurance through USA Roller Sports (USARS), the national governing body for competitive roller sports. There are roller derby teams all over the country, and Charlotte continues to expand its playing field by holding matches against teams as far away as Savannah. There is even a national registry of roller derby player names. You have to come up with your tough skater name and then get it approved by the database, which provides a lot of fun for the team, brainstorming and peer-pressuring the newbies to take on a particular nickname.
You can see there is a growing interest in roller derby around the country and it’s being taken seriously. In Charlotte’s case, Gardner feels that roller derby is good for the city because it’s not a huge, corporate packaged sport. “Charlotte tends to be business oriented, and we have to have that, but though Charlotte’s creative world is thriving, it’s small and anything that can expand the alternative scene is important.”
Cress sees fans responding to the sport because “it is a sporting event, a competition, but you also get to watch these personalities and be involved. And roller derby is for everyone: it’s cheap, family-friendly and has broad appeal. Grown folks, kids, business people and artists—everyone comes out and cheers together.”
By now, you just have to know, how do you get involved? Well, the obvious choice is to go to the next bout, May 18 at Cricket Arena. The Charlotte Roller Girls take on the Star City Rollers from Roanoke, VA. If you can’t make that one, take a trip up to Asheville on July 12 watch them play. The next option is to join as a skater. Cress assures that any skill level whatsoever is welcome and the team will provide all necessary training, you just need skates and pads. Anyone wanting to get more information can attend one of the Roller Girls meet-and-greet events. The team also has lots of opportunities for non-skaters. They need volunteer coaches, referees, performers, and statisticians. It takes a lot of coordination to pull off the fanfare of a bout, including DJ’s, ushers, and promotional giveaways. The team is actively seeking sponsors and advertisers to support their efforts. And you read it first in Uptown magazine: though the Charlotte Roller Girls do have an amazing base of creative and gung-ho fans, they don’t have an official fan club! So any student government types who have been lonely without a pep-rally to organize, this is your chance!
The long-term vision of the Roller Girls includes the continued expansion of the league and a Charlotte practice space that will be much more. Cress and Gardner both feel that the city lacks an accessible, all-purpose space that could house not only roller derby events but also be open for a variety of other activities. Any large (8,000-20,000 square foot) open warehouse-type space will do.
Learn more about the Charlotte Roller Girls at www.charlotterollergirls.com. Check out upcoming bouts and events, and support your local roller derby team!
~ Celina Mincey
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