Rolling for the sport and fun of it: Derby leagues catch on

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Rolling for the sport and fun of it: Derby leagues catching on in Central PA

February 22, 2015

By Cherie Hicks (chicks@altoonamirror.com) , The Altoona Mirror

STATE COLLEGE - The pseudonyms, colorful clothes and painted faces remain, but athleticism and competition have replaced the scripted theatrics and pre-determined outcomes.

Before they can play, these women have to prove themselves by going 27 times around the not-quite-oval track in five minutes. And, they have to do it on roller skates while navigating through a minefield of falling bodies.

“Roller derby is very famous for its fun outfits and makeup, but it has become a very serious and legitimate sport,” said Morgan Sample, who goes by the nickname Claire Violent and is the volunteer marketing director for the State College Area Rollers (SCAR).

Founded in 2010, SCAR today has nearly 40 members, most of whom play on one of the two league teams - the Pennsyltucky Punishers and the Mount Nittany Mayhem - as well as on one of the two traveling teams, the Happy Valley Dolls and the newly formed Plan B.

It joined the modern movement to legitimate “roller derby,” a phrase coined nearly 100 years ago to describe skate races that evolved into televised entertainment from the 1940s to the 1970s known more for drama than sport.

SCAR is one of nearly 400 member leagues that are part of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), an international governing body founded in 2004 that sets rules and other guidelines for its member organizations.

Sample said it is one of the fastest growing sports in the country - it was briefly considered for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic games - in part because flat tracks are cheap to make: The players simply tape ropes on existing skating rink floors to create the boundaries.

Even SCAR is somewhat responsible for a league in Johnstown, called the J-Town Roller Girls, which Kimberly Stewart founded two years ago when she grew weary of driving to State College. It has one traveling team called the Flood City Sirens.

The rollers range in age from 18 to about 50 - with WFTDA liability insurance covering up to the age of 80. And they come from all walks of life - from students to teachers, from stay-at-home mothers to professionals - and from different areas in central Pennsylvania, including Altoona.

“We’re all here for different reasons,” Sample, 30, of State College said. “Some are here for the activity, some are here for the teamwork, some are here for the competition and some are here just to have fun.”

Pinky Balboa, for example, looked menacing as she towered over some of her shorter competitors during an intra-league bout on Feb. 14 at Penn Skates.

She scowled as she and her pink tutu were sent to the penalty box for a minute.

Afterward, though, Melanie Lynch (Pinky’s real name) passionately explained why she reluctantly started skating in the league 2 1/2 years ago and why she wears pink. She teaches health education to juniors and seniors at State College Area High School and she wants her students to know that she practices what she preaches.

“I was almost 45 when I started,” she said. “I was scared. I was too old. But then I told myself that the excuses had to stop.”

Lynch of State College wears pink for breast cancer awareness in honor of her late mother. In fact, a lot of SCAR’s work, as well as that of J-Town Roller Girls, has little to do with roller derby and more to do with promoting good causes. Each member has to perform eight hours of community service on behalf of SCAR every two months.

The latest bout raised funds for the American Red Cross through a silent auction after rollers hit up businesses for donated gift items. It also promoted a blood drive.

It is the goodwill part that drew Sample to roller derby when a friend first introduced her to the sport at a skating party in 2010.

“I …was never interested in sports,” she said. “But my friend kept bugging me, and then she passed away due to cervical cancer in 2011. She was 31 and left two young kids. A few months later, I remembered her bugging me about it, so I got on the website and tryouts were two weeks away.”

She signed up and hasn’t looked back.

“Life is too short to miss out on something that you might have a lot of fun doing, and truthfully, I’m sorry I didn’t do it earlier,” Sample continued. “Now I can’t remember my life before derby. What did I do every night? What did I look forward to?”

Suenami, aka Susan Varner, started rolling shortly after her daughter, Julia, was born five years ago. She is a stay-at-home mother from State College and says the sport helps her stay in shape. “Being at home all day, I need to get out and have adult conversations,” said Varner, 39. “And, this is fun.”

All players have to go through the required “fresh meat” class - along with updates every year - in which they learn basic rules, safety and strategy. Despite all the required equipment - helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards and mouth guard - injuries happen. Sample broke her elbow during training and was out 10 weeks. Two other players currently are sidelined with ankle and knee injuries, and concussions aren’t unusual.

“You’re strapped to four wheels,” Sample noted.

But there is a method to the madness.

Bouts are two 30-minute halves, which are broken down into two-minute jams with 30-second breaks between each jam. It’s fast-paced, so each team of 12 keeps rotating players in, but only five are on the floor at a time: one jammer and four blockers called the pack. The jammer’s goal is to break through the opposing team’s pack, circle the rink and then start passing opponents, scoring a point for each one passed. The first jammer through is called the lead jammer and she could end a jam sooner than the allotted two minutes. It has to do with strategy.

“It is very unique in that you’re simultaneously playing offense and defense,” Sample said. “As a blocker, I am trying to help my own jammer get through while trying to beat the crap out of the other jammer.”

Hitting is allowed, but you can only use specific body parts: the top of the arm and shoulder, the hip and the behind. And, you can only hit an opponent in certain areas: from the back bra strap and out, and between the shoulders and mid-thigh.

“You can’t hit somebody square in the back or their head,” Sample said. “But the front is open game. If they turn around, you can lay into their chest and there isn’t a foul.”

Gross misconduct, ranging from foul language and threats to physical violence, can get a player expelled.

Multiple whistles can go off simultaneously for several reasons. When a jammer breaks free, an assigned referee blows the whistle, points to the jammer, and rolls around the safety lane on the outside of the track, following the jammer until the jam has ended. If both jammers break free at the same time, it can sound like mayhem. There can be up to seven referees calling a bout, checking for fouls and keeping score.

Chris Brace has been a SCAR referee for five years and he enjoys it because of the friendship, exercise and fun, but he acknowledged that bouts can get testy.

“Particularly at the end, when they’re getting tired, tempers flare sometimes and we’re calling more penalties,” he said.

Jim Chandler was one of the hundred or so spectators watching SCAR kick off its 2015 season. He said he enjoyed watching roller derby on TV years ago and had just heard about the local league when he decided to drive the 10 miles or so down from Bellefonte.

“I like this,” he said, as he prepared to leave the rink for the icy roads outside. He didn’t care that the Punishers squeaked past the Mayhem, 167-146. “I’ll definitely be back.”

For upcoming bouts and more information, check out the Facebook pages for State College Area Rollers and J-Town Roller Girls.

Mirror Staff Writer Cherie Hicks is at 949-7030.

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Online:

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Information from: Altoona Mirror, https://www.altoonamirror.com