Derby Mania

Reprinted from Dec 2009 

Last weekend my husband and I finally visited a Roller Derby competition in which one our friends was a member.  Our friend Kim (aka Psychopathic Lynn) is a member of the Murder Beach Militia and they were competing with the Right Coast Raiders.  Little did we know that it was the finals for the Jersey Shore Roller Derby Competition.  Everybody I talk to about Roller Derby remembers it how it was when we were small.  Bloody noses, angry women, rolling violence.  We kept putting off attending but chose to go last minute because why not?   It was held in the Asbury Park Convention Center, which was chilly because it was November on the beach!  But it was downright boiling inside.  With a quick review of the rules, we found out this is a whole other type of derby.  These girls compete on a flat surface and have to stay within the bounds of the track.  All while traveling at dizzying speeds!  And violence is punished (thats not saying that the girls don't sometimes play dirty) The fans were so excited, we got swept up in all the action.  There was some anger at discrepencies in score keeping and chants for favorite teams.  In the end, our friend's team won.  I was screaming and jumping and yelling, you would think I attended every match!  We are not sports fans but next season they are a definite addition to our calendar!  Check one item off my bucket list!