Are you ready? You better be, because it’s time for jammers to get whipped, for blockers to lay out the lead, for hammering hip checks and snowplowing packs. And maybe, just maybe, a grand slam or two.
It’s once again time for roller derby in the bluegrass. The Rollergirls of Central Kentucky (ROCK) are set to begin their season this coming weekend against the Blue Ridge Rollergirls of Asheville, NC. The bout will be held Saturday at the Asheville Civic Center at 7 PM.
“We didn’t play Blue Ridge last season,” said Rainbow Smite, ROCK’s assistant captain. “This is our first bout against them, and this is actually their 2010 season opener.”
Smite is one of more than 25 skaters who make up ROCK, an all-female flat track derby league formed in 2007. The skater owned and operated group is entering its third season here in Lexington.
“I think we’re better prepared this year than in past seasons due to our longevity as a league,” said Smite. “We have more experienced skaters and more consistent training, and a strong batch of new recruits who keep us on our toes.”
The new recruits also provide enough live bodies for the team to scrimmage in full during practice sessions, which is “truly invaluable,” she said.
ROCK finished last season with 4 wins and 5 losses. This year’s team is expanding its schedule to 12 bouts, which includes the East Coast Derby Extravaganza (ECE), a three day, large-scale women’s flat track roller derby competition featuring teams from across the US and Canada.
With more bouts and more practice under its belt, ROCK hopes to improve even more this season by playing more as a team and incorporating new techniques and styles of play into their already solid format.
“This team is made up of more skaters who work differently together,” said Smite. “In previous seasons, we’ve not always understood the best way to truly play as a team, and we’ve also had few enough skaters that we were going into bouts with the same 8 or 12 people who worked in familiar ways together. This season has a lot of new faces, which means new plays, new styles … new ways of kicking ass.”
Smite said she thinks audience members will notice some of the same teamwork they saw in season’s past, but they’ll see it executed seamlessly and will begin to recognize signature plays that define ROCK as a league.
Another goal of ROCK is joining the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) in the future. WFTDA, which recently formed in 2004, is the governing association for all flat track derby play and provides leagues with the rules of the sport, as well as roller derby tips and advice. In addition, WFTDA disseminates up-to-date news and information about flat track derby tournaments, and local and national rankings.
“WFTDA is a long-term league goal that we have our sights on, but we need to be cautious,” Rainbow said. “As the generally recognized organizing structure for the sport, to become a member would give ROCK the opportunity to do things like play and be ranked in national tournaments, and receive the benefits and guidance of WFTDA. Still, it’s a goal we have to work on slowly since it requires letters of support from current WFTDA leagues, an established league history and a record of philanthropy.”
This year’s ROCK team includes: Abigator Death Roll, Autumn Hutt, Bjoink, Blackeyed Pea, Bitty Bast’rd, Boom Boom, Ellie Slay (captain), Icey Deadgirls, Jessie Maims, Junk Drawer, Kitty O’Doom, Mona Lisa Vile, PammDemic, Paralethal, Ragdoll Ruby, Rainbow Smite (asst. captain), Rebel Red, Ryder Die, Salem Slammah, Sharon Moonshine, Shirley Psycho, Sissy Bug, Speedy Jenkins, Sugar Shock, SueTure, Two Keys Terror. Referees include: Howie Swerve and Paco Chaos.
If you would like to learn more about ROCK go to www.rocknrollergirls.com. For more information on WFTDA visit www.wftda.com.
Leave a Reply