My friend Betsy and I decided to take in some Roller Derby at the fairgrounds in Albany last night. It is a cultural experience and a feast for the eyes. "It is better people watching than the airport."
They did a nice job explaining the rules for those of us in the crowd whose only prior knowledge came from Whip It! And reading the program was almost as exciting as watching the matches. Our team consisted of girls named: Jala-Pain-Yo, CosMoPain, Hot Boxx, Smack Dapus, and Ophelia MuffKrush...among others.
I am glad Betsy went with me...because she brought her camera and took some great pictures. Mine all turned out like this:
Enjoy some shots by the fabulous Betsy.... because a post about Roller Derby would be nothing without images. Seriously!
Both teams line up 4 girls on the line to start a "jam"... the Roller Derby term for match.
If you are over 18, you can sit in the "Crash Zone" which is the corners of the flat track. If you are super cool, you can do it while wearing white crocs!
The girls skating during warmups.
Getting pumped after introductions.
Seriously, the outfits are half the charm of Roller Derby.
The jammers (one for each team) are the only ones who can score points. They have a star on their helmet and try to score point by passing the "pack". Our hometown team is the Sick Town Derby Dames. We were playing the Flat Track Furies. If you could read the scoreboard in the back, you would know we were losing.
This is the track.. .inside of a building at the fairgrounds. It was snap together tile squares with plastic roping to make lanes. I thought roller derby rinks were sloped and made of wood. But apparently, not all.
This is the captain of the STDD.. Brick Wallace. She was one tough cookie. (Those bricks are painted on...no tights here like the rest of the girls).
This was my favorite. One of the refs was named "Bambi on ice" and he had a tail. He is also the one who skated the American flag around the rink during the National Anthem. It was hard for me to keep a straight face. I have never held my hand over my heart in salute of a flag being carried by a man with a tail.... until now.
Current Proudest Achievement: Purging my Facebook friend list of 100 people
Currently Wanting: a text conversation
Currently Thankful for: My Friends
Currently Looking Forward to: Oregon State FFA Convention March 18-21
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