By Justin McAneny
The Daily Local News
They call it a bout because like boxing, roller derby is a fight to the exhausting, possible bruise-inducing end.
For 60 minutes of two-minute bouts (two 30-minute halves) all-female teams skate, block, sweat and spend time in the penalty box.
Or you could think of it the way Kath Poehler described it: “(Roller derby) is like lateral rugby meets hockey.” Basically, it’s fast and it’s physical. Kath, whose derby name is Hotwheels (each derby girl has a derby name) coaches the Brandywine Roller Girls with her wife, Heather Poehler (derby name SinIckle), at the Caln Skating Center, in Caln.
Right now if you are thinking about roller derbies from the ’70s that you’ve seen on television — stop. This is not that. According to the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, the governing body to modern roller derby, what you are imaging from the ’70s — big hair, an elevated track and over-the-top physicality — was mostly choreographed. Modern derby which became governed in 2001, uses a flat track and is by no means staged. Competitors have the scrapes and bruises to prove it.
And it’s something Heather, who is 41, saw on television in 2004 while living in Boston. She said she saw it and said, “that’s cool. I want to do that.”
She moved to this area a few years later and was excited when the Caln Skating Center reopened in late summer of 2010. Soon after, the roller derby was created at the rink. And it’s popularity keeps rising. There are 87 women on the roster right now with two or three new women showing up for each practice, according to Heather.
For bouts, five skaters from 15-member teams skate out to battle. There are a jammer (the girl who passes blockers to score points), three blockers (those that keep jammers from scoring) and a pivot (the skater who directs the teams action).
However, it’s more than just skating in circles and knocking down your opponent. If you watch, there is strategy, said Kath, who is 39. And as coach that’s what she teaches. There are different possibilities, like if one of your skaters is serving a penalty, or how to score on different teams — it’s like any other sport and what Kath described as “organized chaos.”
But before a woman can take part in a bout, she needs to be a strong enough skater and understand the rules. There are a lot. The women need to be able to make crossovers and have the ability to jump and land on skates. There are other little things to learn as well, like how to “fall the right way … to fall small,” Kath said. She had said earlier that falling, “it sounds more painful than it is.”
There is also a good cardiovascular workout involved — it’s a lot of skating. “It’s all about your quad strength. Quads and core,” Kath said. If you aren’t in shape, you soon will be.
On top of the physical demands, there are financial and time commitments involved as well. Skaters need skates, pads and a helmet (the rink will let you borrow if you are just starting out).The two- to three-hour practices twice a week are time consuming.
But for Kim Klingler, the choice to join the Brandywine Roller Girls was easy — financial, time and guaranteed pain commitments aside.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for a couple of years now,” Klingler said. She said she saw it on TV and thought “it looked so cool.”
Klingler said she skated a lot when she was younger. She is now 34. The first time on skates, she said, “it felt good. I was happy to be on skates again.” She did joke that that first fall … “It didn’t feel too good.”
She comes to both practices each week and is getting her legs back underneath her while learning the sport. “Everyone works together,” Klingler said. “It’s an adrenaline rush.”
Here is their tentative schedule (specific times dates yet to be determined):
March: Movie Night/ Fundraiser
April: Exhibition Bout
May: Exhibition Bout
June: Scrimmage
July: Season Opener: Bout 1
August: Bout 2
September: Bout 3
October: Bout 4
November: Playoffs
December: Championship
For more information about ticket sales or if you would like to become a Brandywine Roller Girl, please visit their Facebook page or email [email protected].
