For those unfamiliar with roller derby, it is a women’s sport relatively new to the area. The derby is played on either a flat track or banked track, and is called a bout. A bout is held in two 30-minute halves and a 30-minute halftime.
During a bout there are two teams of five girls on the track, three blockers, a pivot and a jammer. The three blockers and the pivot start ahead of the jammers by 20 feet. At the whistle, the blockers and pivot take off, and once they pass a certain point the jammers beginning racing.
  
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At this point a new set of players takes the floor to start the process over again.
The action is fast and hard with injuries being common, as it is a full-contact sport. Most of the contact is done by hip checking, where one girl will come around the corner and slam her hips into the other skater, hopefully knocking her down or out of bounds. To prevent injury the skaters are required to wear helmets, wrist braces, kneepads, elbow pads and a mouthpiece.
To keep the injuries and violence in check the bouts have several referees to monitor the action. One follows the lead jammer and tallies points, two are on each curved side of the track and two are in the middle. The referees watch for players throwing elbows and skating out of bounds.
Typically the skaters don extra leggings, unusually some face paint or draw-on tattoos, and assume skating pseudonyms like Lethal Lavender, or O’Grief.
The RageCity girls skated hard on Saturday, but were outnumbered, with Grave Danger having about 20 skaters to RageCity’s 12. Fatigue started to take effect in the second half as RageCity’s skaters were getting worn down.
Before the bout, Jenny “Blitzkrieg” Baker believed keys for a RageCity win were to skate hard and fast. “We have less skaters, but so what, I think we are pretty good. We just got to go out there and take the win.”
Baker, who has been skating much of her life, joined the team more than two years ago. “I have only been a roller girl for two seasons now, but I am in love with the best sport in the world,” she said. “I think it is awesome that there is a full-contact women’s sport out there.”
And audience members agree, as could be heard by the loud cheers after big hits and collisions.
The bout’s atmosphere was electric with fans screaming and waving signs to support their favorite skaters.
“Yeah, we just about have a sold out crowd to tonight. And that is pretty exciting seeing as how it is the first bout in the Valley,” said media relations manager Annie Davis.
She adds that the bout also helps out the Wasilla Food Pantry.
“Everyone who brought in a canned good received a lower entry fee. You know, since we are a non-profit we like to help other non-profits, and we try to volunteer and be active members in the community,” she said.
At least one audience member agreed with Davis.
“These girls do a lot of volunteer work and they help each other. I mean, these girls come from all walks of life and different professions, but once they get out here they are one team,” said Marge Wanner of West Yellowstone Montana.
Wanner, who recently attended a bout in Sioux City, Iowa, believes roller girls are fun because they put on a great show. “As an outsider, it is interesting to watch all the maneuvers and moves they have. And they skate so well — I am a little envious of their skating ability.”
Contact Lanier Hutcheson at lanier.hutcheson@frontiersman.com or 352-2265.
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