“Women’s Roller Derby Dishes Out Fun, Friendship and Fitness” by Taylor Hickey

The article I read was “Women’s Roller Derby Dishes Out Fun, Friendship and Fitness.”  It begins with Amber Mori who drives a forklift in a warehouse in Gaithersburg, Maryland telling the

reporter about her experience with roller derby.  Twice a week Amber transforms into “Cykosis” kwon for wearing fish-net stockings and being a skatin’ diva while bumping and jabbing her way around a roller rink.  Amber has been skating over a year as a member of the roller derby team names the “Mason Dixon Roller Vixens.”  What now is a passion started out as an escapade.  “I love it; it’s a great way to get out, be invigorated—and the companionship is wonderful,” says Mori.  “And I’ve got legs as strong as pythons.”

When women’s roller derby started as a professional sport it was in the 1920s , when teams went all over the country in order to get to the national championship, teams would jab and shove to win.  Sadly roller derby and the fans started to wane in the 1970s.  But with it’s resurrection the extreme sport of women’s flat track roller derby has made a comeback.  Women who were exhausted with the idea of pilates and jazzercise were looking for more exciting ways to stay in shape; the campy novelty of the sport seemed to spark some interest.  Now, all of over the country there are nonprofessional teams beginning.  In 2004 the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association was established in order to promote the sport by “facilitating the development of athletic ability, sportswomanship and good will among member leagues.” Like some other roller derby teams the Vixens are not a member of the league but do have the opportunity to join.

When the vixens started their League in Hagerstown, Maryland they were a small team of only eight women.  Now with people with names such as “Stun Hun” to “Squeaky Bomb” to “Fanny Harmher” they have over 20 women on the roster.  Twice a week, these gals practice intensely in order to stay in shape and flexible.  Their coach, Travis “Groper Cleavage” McGlaughlin, makes the girls do sit-ups, pushups, and stretches to enhance their endurance.  “They need to stay in shape,” he says with a laugh.  “Racing around a rink may look easy; it’s not.  It takes a lot of strength and stamina just to keep going.”  Jocelyn Bassler, the team captain, better known as “Skid Ho,” says roller derby is the best workout she’s ever had.  As a former high school athlete, Bassler was looking for a sport to stay in shape when she found the rink.  “Why go to the gym if you have roller derby?” she asks.  Mori agreed with Bassler because she said ever since she joined the squad she’s dropped some weight.  Sports medicine experts said and average-sized skater can use 400 to 1,000 calories and hour in competition, depending on how fast they skate.  “At first I had a lot of toning in my legs,” Mori says.  “But since then, I think I’ve lost 16 pounds.”

The women will also tell you that not just is there a thrill of victory but some pain of bumps and bruises.  They’ve suffered many of injuries from broken bones to swollen ankles to jammed fingers.  So during practice women are taught how to fall correctly so they don’t get severely injured.  “Because if you’re not prepared to fall you just aren’t playing the game,” says Bassler.  It’s tough, but I love it.”  Dr. Stuart Willick, who’s an associate professor at the University of Utah Orthopedic center, knows first hand that it’s tough.  Do to the fact that the university’s sports medicine team provides on-site medical coverage for the Salt Lake City Derby Girls in case one of the players were to be injured.  “We have recognized that these skilled and dedicated athletes are at high risk for various musculoskeletal injuries,” he says.  “Furthermore, this population of athletes is generally underserved by sports medicine experts.”  Sp the he could understand roller derby injuries, Willick and his colleagues are undergoing what they refer to as ‘the most comprehensive study of roller derby injuries to date’ by gathering surveys from leagues all across the country.

In the hope of figuring out hot to prevent further injuries and keep derby girls safely rolling, Willick has been studying how athletes get hurt.  “There is a lack of medical knowledge considering roller derby injury epidemiology, treatment and prevention,’ says Willick.  “We feel it’s important to better understand injury risk among these athletes in order to improve treatment and prevention protocols.” Willick has claimed that he has more than 1,000 respondents to their electronic injury survey so far; he is hoping to have the final results as of this summer.  “The high response rate indicates that the athletes themselves feel that this is an important issue,” he says.  The Vixens agree: Roller derby can hurt and is not for sissies.  But injuries or not, these divas will tell you there is no other game in town, and if they get knocked down, they’ll just get up again and keep on rollin’.

I think this article is interesting and informative.  I have personal experience with roller derby because my mother does it and I would like to try out for the junior league if it starts this spring.  It’s a tough game to plan and there is no doubt you will fall down and probably get hurt.  If there were a way to prevent from getting injured in the game it wouldn’t make it dun any more, I mean what’s good fun if someone doesn’t get a little hurt.

Source: Val Willingham, “Women’s Roller Derby Dishes Out Fun, Friendship and Fitness” CNN.com