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July 14, 2007
The strangest thing has been happening to me lately. The number of Roller Derby references has been very high. As if any number of them in my life wouldn't be a high one. Random conversations, websites and TV shows that I've come across would oddly shift to the subject of Roller Derby. The culmination of these came with an invitation to attend my very first actual event at The Nat Holman Gymnasium at City College of NY. With bodies crashing, wheels spinning and tattooed limbs flailing, matches are rightly called bouts. I felt a bit out of place standing on the sidelines with my fellow shutterbugs. I know none of the intricacies of the sport other than the unique names assumed by the players, their B-horror movie sex-kitten image and an atmosphere of titillating danger. My limited understanding led me to equate this to a staged performance. Boy was I wrong. Tonight I learned that this is truly a sport requiring serious stamina and skill. As utterly entertaining as it may be, it is by no means merely show biz. To be honest, even after this revelation, the sheer erotic overtones of sweat glistening off of fishnet covered bruises and tight shorts would have been enough to keep my adrenaline pumping. Even in my state of ignorance I could feel the excitement in the air as the enthusiastic crowd roared and I clutched my camera in anticipation of capturing the many action-packed moments. Waves of cheers thru the crowd were coaxed by Jeerleaders; the troops of costumed cohorts who rile up the crowd while playfully competing with one another for attention. Tonight they were 'jeering' for The Brooklyn Bombshells and The Queens of Pain. They treated the crowd to a fun, choreographed number during half-time as well. From what I understand, they're hoping to head to Las Vegas for Rollercon in August. Rollercon is an annual gathering of over a thousand rollergirls from all over the world raising hell and swapping stories. Also during halftime came an act called The NY Neo-Futurists. Their short skits were set up in the same manner as an improv act. Someone would call out a word and then say, "Go," indicating the start of a skit. Yet these were set to music and clearly rehearsed. Their set began with a humorous analysis of the NYC Condom marketing style which seems to suggest sex is filled with the same weirdness and tedium of a subway ride. If you haven't seen them, the packaging is meant to mimic the subway signs in NYC. It ended with the hair buzzing of an anxious volunteer from the crowd. Ah, art! Back to the bout. After a short break these brave ladies came back to the blue oval for another half hour of punishment seemingly more keyed up than before. I wouldn't have thought this to be possible. Seriously, I was getting tired just trying to watch. The second half also saw the crowd cheering at an even higher level. It could have been all of that cold water, soda and hot dogs served during halftime that refueled them. I was lucky after the bout to speak with Ginger Snap, captain of the Bronx Gridlocks. She did her best to explain certain intricacies of the sport. I know now the roles of the Jammer and Blocker—though I'm still a bit fuzzy on the Pivot—and how to tell them apart by the markings of the helmets. Stars indicate the Jammer whose task it is to score points by passing as many Blockers (helmets have no markings) and Pivots (helmets have a stripe) as possible during a two-minute 'jam'. Blockers do their best to stop this from happening short of committing any major or minor penalties and sitting out as a 'Naughty Girl'. This part is still a mystery to me. Apparently blocking using the head or hands is illegal. The blur of the action tended to blind me of what constituted foul or fair play. Both appeared equally brutal. I'm still foggy on certain bits—such as the role of the Pivot and how the scorekeepers keep up with the speed of it all—but now that my eyes have been opened, I'm eager to learn more. I'm grateful to have been exposed to this phenomenon and look forward to seeing more bouts. I'm not much into your everyday American sports due to the tendencies of players toward being phony, overpaid crybabies. I can tell you there is none of that here. Playing hurt is part of the game and EMTs are standing by to help. Whether you're an expert fanatic or novice spectator—or you just want to satisfy some fetish you have about watching girls rumble at high speed—Roller Derby may be right up your alley. Thanks to the Gotham Girls Roller Derby website, I was able to track down some stats from the bout. The final score was Queens 122, Brooklyn 76. Read more here and I'll see you at the next bout. Links:
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