The Derby Gals in the news again.
In roller derby; they are lords of the rink
By Jeff Hawkes
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Sep 18, 2006 11:37 PM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - In the rough-and-tumble of roller
derby, Jaclyn Downs, 28, has blossomed into a gritty skater
adept at evading hits.
Sleek and limber, she glides into a pack of eight helmeted
women jostling for position. She darts to one side, then the
other, seeking to slip through cracks between skaters.
Shortly, Downs emerges at the head of the pack untouched by
opponents trying to block her or, better yet, send her sprawling
to the floor.
Downs, of Lancaster, supports herself as a midwife’s apprentice,
nanny, substitute teacher and yoga instructor. But roller derby
is her new passion. Arms swinging, she pulls away, flies around
the flat, oval track at Manheim Township’s Overlook rink and
catches the pack for another stab at weaving through and
scoring more points for her team.
It’s a practice night for the Dutchland Derby Rollers, an
amateur, all-women league a handful of enthusiasts started
nine months ago. Forty-four have signed up.
“We’re all just women who love to skate,” said Jen Cole, 27, a
social worker who is the league’s president and co-founder. “I
thought Lancaster County was a community that could
handle something like this.”
Tight circle
Across the country, roller derby is making a comeback, not as
campy, pro-wrestling-style entertainment with rigged contests
and staged mayhem but as a recreational outlet for sporty, fun-
loving women.
True, some skaters whip around in tight tops, short skirts and
fishnet stockings. Tattoos and pierced body parts are in
evidence, too. The women also go by derby names such as
Torque Wench and Ona Rampage.
And in the heat of the moment they tend to say things — “I
Took her a-- down!” — you don’t hear at Sunday school.
But off the rink sweetness supersedes swagger. The women go
out afterward for drinks. They get together on weekends. They
share a fondness for an offbeat sport that forges fast
friendships.
“I was hesitant at first. It sort of scared me, to tell the truth,”
said Ashley Spotts, 29, who has suffered some ugly bruises at
practices.
“But I’m so happy that I joined the team,” said Spotts, aka
Haulin’ Ash. “I didn’t have friends in town (having recently
moved from Schuylkill County), and now I have a whole school
of girls I can do things with. It’s like a huge extended family.”
Practices are three nights a week and last two hours. Karen
McCollom, the league’s head referee, sometimes takes charge.
“Sprinting! Come on!” McCollom shouts above the hum of 30-
some pairs of traditional quad skates rolling on the hardwood
floor. The women circle the rink at a brisk pace.
McCollom blows a whistle and yells, “Fall!” The skaters drop
onto their kneepads, then jump up and resume skating. “Get up
quickly! Go on your toes!” McCollom calls. The drill lasts a half-
hour.
Opening night
It can be a punishing workout, as Deb Gorba, 22, of
Morgantown, finds out. She takes a spill, retires to a rink-side
bench and places a sweaty bag of ice cubes on her knee.
“It’s like rugby on skates,” says Gorba, who was a multi-sport
athlete in high school. “I’m a tough girl. I heal fast.”
The practices are building to the excitement of the Rollers’ first
competition, or bout, the night of Saturday, Nov. 18, at
Overlook. The women will participate in intramural parring.
Down the road they’ll form a travel team for out-of-town bouts.
“Most people are a little bit surprised, but also intrigued,” Erin
McSorley, 23, an artist who also works with people with mental
retardation, said of a typical reaction when she closes her
hobby. “They think it’s funny and can’t believe they know
somebody who does roller derby.”
Believe it.
“It’s real because every woman here has worked to make it
real,” Cole said. “It’s inspiring to see these women come out
and give it their all. I’m excited because it’s something really
positive I have in my life.”
