I wasn't sure if I had the right place when I pulled into a warehouse parking lot. It was dark, kind of empty and the only entrance that was open looked like it was straight out of a B-grade horror movie - fluorescent light flickering and all. I immediately contemplated turning around and going back home. But the "I Y Derby" sticker on the back of one of the cars seemed to suggest that this was where I was supposed to be, so I hesitantly got out of the car and walked to the eerie door, hoping there wasn't a serial killer inside.
Instead, I saw a bunch of helmet and kneepad-wearing women sporting brightly colored socks and fishnets, bandanas, tattoos and booty shorts, skating in a pack around a circle rink. Looks like I had come just in time - practice had just started.
The most I've ever seen or heard about roller derbies is from watching the trailer for Drew Barrymore's movie "Whip It!," but I didn't actually know what it was until I went to one of the Charlottesville Derby Dames' practices.
These women are tough. Roller derby is a full-contact sport, complete with body blocks, aggressive racing and lots and lots of falling. "Rink rash" doesn't have anything on Charlottesville Derby Dame skater "Dyslexi." Fellow skater "Bruta Liza" pointed out a massive bruise on her thigh during stretching, and Dyslexi laughed it off, "Yeah, I can basically see the Virgin Mary in it!"
It's just as rowdy as the atmosphere at a hockey game, except instead of guys on ice, it's a bunch of women in roller skates. I think the fact that the rink was lined with couches and large pads tied to the walls were the first signs that these women meant business.
Rowdiness aside, however, roller derby is a highly regulated sport. "Ivy," a veteran skater both here and in Florida who couldn't participate that night because she's pregnant, explained the rules to me. There are five players on the rink from each team: three blockers, a jammer and a pivot, as well as two refs. The jammer, distinguished by a panty (aka helmet cover) with a star on either side, is the only woman who can score points, trying to get past the other team's blockers. For each blocker she passes, her team gets a point.
But getting through the blockers isn't as easy as it may seem. The pivot, who wears a panty with a stripe down the middle, sets the pace of the rest of the pack, calling out the speed and what's going on with the jammer. She and the three blockers can use (most of) their bodies to keep the jammer from passing. Though they can't shove people on the other team with their hands, they can shove their own team members to get them where they need to be. With someone trying to get through, under, around or over, there's bound to be a lot of falling.
Which is why, Ivy said, it's important to learn how to fall correctly. The Dames offer a "fresh meat" practice where new members can learn the rules of the rink. Amber, the newest member of the group, is learning how to skate and how to fall so she doesn't hurt herself, among other things. "It's a really encouraging practice," she said. New members skate at the fresh meat practice until they pass a series of tests and can practice with everyone else.
For a sport I never knew existed, I was surprised at the strong culture surrounding roller derby. Each woman who participates - and reaches a certain skill level - creates a derby girl name for herself that is hers and hers only. In fact, there's even a national list of everyone registered, so no one girl has the same or similar name, Ivy said. They all seemed really close at practice, and that friendship is one of the reasons many of the skaters joined the team. Both Amber and Tessa Hansen joined because they were new to the area and wanted to meet new people. "You meet a bunch of new, fun, interesting women," Hansen said. "And it's a kickass workout."
I don't know if my tiny little body frame and/or wallet could handle that kind of beating/workout (skates and all that protective gear are expensive!), but it's awesome to watch. The Dames will host their first home bout at the Augusta Expo Center on Sunday at 5 p.m.
As Hansen said, "Think 15 ladies in fishnets and knee pads, skating fast and hard in kitchy roller rinks ... Refs tweeting, music loud, disco ball spinning, fans cheering for trips, crashes, and pileups, and throughout some seriously badass skating."
Sounds about right.
Leslie's column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at l.keena@cavalierdaily.com.
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