I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and last weekend I was visiting old friends in Portland, Oregon. It was girls’ night out so we decided to catch a match between two Rose City Roller teams, the Heartless Heathers versus the Breakneck Betties.
I hadn’t been to roller derby before, despite having had it on my to do list for quite some time.
We arrived at the location, a warehouse that was already packed with fans – the Rose City Rollers nearly always sell out. We ordered PBR tall boys, a roller derby prerequisite drink, and found our seats.
Thankfully I attended with someone who knew her stuff and she explained the entire game to me before the match started. However, once the match got underway, it took me several jams to figure out what the heck was going on. A jam is sort of like a bout. There is a short pause between each jam making the two 20-minute halves, plus halftime, around two hours long.
My verdict? Roller derby is awesome, and wow do those girls wear short shorts.
The game is fast and ferocious, and it’s ridiculously fun. In the late 1800 and early 1900s, roller derby was an endurance race on roller skates. Eventually it became a team sport in and the 1970s was considered an “entertainment sport.” In the mid-2000s the roller derby experienced a revival and teams started cropping up everywhere.
Thanks in part to the 2009 movie “Whip It“ the sport has now become mainstream.
I will definitely start catching roller derby in Colorado, and there’s no shortage of teams to root for here.
Here’s where to find roller derby along the Front Range:
Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Derby Dames
Denver, Denver Roller Dolls
Denver, Rocky Mountain Rollergirls
Greeley, Slaughterhouse Derby Girls
www.slaughterhousederbygirls.com
Fort Collins, Choice City Rebels
Fort Collins, FoCo Girls Gone Derby
Pueblo, Pueblo Derby Devil Dollz
www.myspace.com/pueblorollerderby
Let me know if I’ve missed any teams!
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I love watching the FoCo Girls Gone Derby teams compete against each other, but I can never decide if I want to root for the Chanel Cartel or the Deathrow Dolls! I usually just end up cheering for whichever team is behind in points.
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Thanks for stopping by, Jamie! I noticed the same thing happening in Portland. Once the Heartless Heathers got behind it seemed the entire place was rooting for them. I can’t wait to check out the local teams because I had a blast!
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I need to see if there are any local teams in my area. This sounds like fun! I love the team names, too. 🙂
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Ironically, I already have tickets to go to my first Derby on Saturday in FoCo! I know girls who skate for Greeley, but have never seen them do so. Thanks for the article! I’m expecting a great time!
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Check out the choice city rebels at the qdoba events center, great venue and lots of PBR.
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Thanks for stopping by Canuk! I plan on checking out all the teams in NoCo. Just gotta find the time. And for some reason PBR seems to be the perfect derby drink. After all, it did win a blue ribbon!
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These are awesome matches…great energy….great personalities and girls that can dish it out! I have been to only 2 events….but I am reminded by this post that I should get on it! It is developing a huge following in a short time. AND it is fun for the whole family! Little kids get into the speed….etc…sometimes they have a live band play during the break too. Great fun! Great post!
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Thanks for stopping by Jan! I should have blogged about roller derby awhile ago. This post has been a real hit, in more ways than one!!! 🙂
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If anyone is interested in banked track derby, Colorado now has its first banked track roller derby league: Missile Mountain Roller Derby.
Details on the league and upcoming events are available at http://www.mmrd.net
There is a bout coming up on Saturday, November 12. TXRD is sending their All Scar Army to face off against the MMRD Rocketeers!
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Thanks for the info Nicci!!!