newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — If you happened to witness the packs of helmeted and padded women on old-school roller skates careening along Fairbanks’ bike paths last spring and summer, it was not an apparition. It was the Fairbanks Rollergirls on a training run.

These Rollergirls, currently 19 strong-willed women — mothers, businesswomen, students and housewives of varying ages — are here to do a little pushing and shoving in the name of having good time, getting some exercise and creating a sense of camaraderie. They are part of nationwide movement of female-dominated roller derby leagues popping up in cities all over the United States.

But modern roller derby takes only its name and basic concept of the sport from its 1970 predecessor. Back then roller derby was primetime television and featured a combination of comic and, at times, brutal competition that had people flying over rails, fighting in the stands and whacking each other with chairs. All done with disco music blaring in the background. Today’s version of the decidedly amateur sport has similarities and differences: Competition has moved from the original oval track to a flat track, and it is significantly less violent. The music remains and, while not disco, it is still rocking.

Michelle Maynor, owner of Interior Graphic and Design, formed the Fairbanks league almost a year ago, taking inspiration from her sister-in-law, who started a similar league in Anchorage.

“I figured this was a pretty good sport for the women in Fairbanks to have because we don’t really have anything to call our own,” Maynor said. “There’s not really a lot of stuff to do, physically active type stuff, for women. This is definitely a unique sport and we’re a unique bunch. You’ve got to be hearty to live in Fairbanks. It seems like a pretty good match.”

Taking it to the streets

Initially, the Rollergirls had nowhere to skate. The Polar Roller rink in North Pole closed years ago, and most schools wouldn’t allow skates on their floors. There was little choice but to wait for the snow to melt and then hit the trails.

“We didn’t have any other options,” she said. “We all had our gear, our skates and stuff, but we didn’t have anywhere else to go. We did what we could. I know some people didn’t want to join at the time because we had to skate on asphalt. We are not fortunate enough to have an indoor rink or sports center to skate in.”

While some members of the squad come from speed skating or ice hockey backgrounds, Maynor noted that skating on the street, with the thought of falling on asphalt, helped make everyone, especially some of the newer members, become better skaters.

“It definitely improved our skater skills,” she laughed. “We had to get used to dodging rocks and cracks and skating on uneven surfaces.”

The league has since found an indoor home at Ryan Middle School. And though the space is non-regulation sized, it still allows the team to continue practicing through the winter in preparation for their first bouts of competition next spring.

Training sessions help develop skating skills, body control, agility and strength. Training techniques used include skating with sponges tucked under armpits to help keep elbows down, or tossing a ball around to “take the focus off our feet,” Maynor explained. The three-hour sessions also include brief scrimmages and lots of push-ups and crunches.

“That’s where were at right now as far as training,” she said. “We want to get the basics down before we put on our first bout. We want to be as prepared as we can be. None of us have ever really done this before, so it’s really an undertaking.”

How it works

Roller derby is played on a 54-foot by 35-foot oval flat track, and like hockey, consists of three 20-minute periods. These are broken down into two-minute sessions called jams, when scoring is possible. Teams are composed of 14-20 players, but only 5 are on the track at any one time: One jammer, one pivot and three blockers, each distinguished by helmet markings. Jammers wear a star, pivots have stripes, and blocker helmets have no markings.

Jammers are the only skater capable to score points, earned by passing opposing players. Pivots and blockers help secure a path for jammers to speed ahead and score.

A jam begins with skaters moving counterclockwise. The pivots and blockers form a pack, and the jammers hang back. The pivot usually blocks the opposing teams jammer, or falls back to slingshot her jammer ahead while the blockers in the pack use hips or shoulders —elbows, hands and forearms are not allowed — to clear a path through the cloud of skaters.

Points are awarded for each opposing player a jammer passes. Once the jammer gets through the pack, they skate around to the back and then attempt go through the pack again. This continues until the two minutes are up. After a quick breather, it all starts again.

“There really is a lot of strategy involved,” Maynor said, still with a hint of surprise in her voice. “When I first started I had no idea how roller derby worked. I thought we get to push people around and cruise around on skates, but it’s athletic too, a lot of strength and endurance. I think it’s a lot more than anybody expects. There’s a lot more to the game than I thought.”

Positions on the Rollergirls have not yet been determined.

Calling all girls

Fairbanks Rollergirls currently operate as an unsanctioned league, but hope to join the Women's Flat Track Derby Association in 2009. The Rollergirls already follow association rules and guidelines but need to expand before they can join the association. Right now, Maynor is recruiting. Her goal is to get enough people participating to create two or more Fairbanks teams so local groups can get sanctioned.

The squad has sponsored parties and community events to raise awareness of the league, but in some cases they garner attention simply by practicing. Some women stop them on the streets to find out who those crazy women on skates might be. New members are trickling in. Many are enticed by the sport’s unique qualities and athletic demands, but also because roller derby provides an expressive outlet where women can meet other women while doing something fun and rewarding, albeit a little out of their normal realm. It’s something, several of the skaters explained, that is “just for them.”

“Many (Rollergirls) have kids or have gone through college, and you get to a certain point in your life when you’ve done all the soccer mom driving around stuff. You need to have something for you,” Maynor explained. “It’s exercise, and it’s fun bonding with other women. We get to hang out with women who are here for the same reason: We’re enjoying doing something that’s just for us.”

“It gives me something to look forward to every week,” added Kristin Jones, whose husband is serving in Iraq. “I moved up here from California a few years ago and I’ve been trying to establish roots and get involved with other women, and then I found this. Everything about it I love. It’s been a blast.”

“It does feel like you’re reaching and grasping for that youthful feeling,” agreed hair stylist, girl scout troop leader and Roller Girl Teresa Messina. “But it’s just great to be out there skating with a bunch of ladies who feel the same way.”

A confidence builder

Besides the physical release of skating and camaraderie of fellow teammates, roller derby works as a confidence builder. Many on the team are either new to skating or haven’t skated in years. Many haven’t exercised consistently in years. They take their lumps and bumps, but ultimately with the support of teammates — and lots of practice — develop an inner confidence that extends outside the ring.

“It’s immense in building confidence in the girls,” full-time mom Cristina Rogers said. “They just come in here and rock it out, they can do this better than anyone else. They need that. As far as a woman’s sport, we need that. It’s an incredible character builder.”

“I used to go to work, come home and hang out,” Jones added. “The roller derby gives me the kind of confidence I somewhat had, but has been strengthened since I joined. That teamwork and helping each other with various weaknesses, like skating or whatever, is really great in building friendships and confidence. I’m feeling better about myself.”

Overcoming the negative image

Of course, there will always be that question of the roller derby image.

When Jim Croce sings “Roller Derby Queen,” which can be heard on the Fairbanks Rollergirls MySpace page, it’s understood exactly to whom he’s referring — a tough, hardened woman on wheels ready to pulverize anyone in her path, and feeling no remorse in doing so. Movies like “Kansas City Bomber,” staring Raquel Welch, may have cemented those images in our head, and the murder and mayhem spirit in the 1975 flick “Rollerball” took that image even further. So the reality of today’s roller derby has image issues to overcome.

“It pained me to see that movie,” Maynor said about the violent “Kansas City Bomber.” “It’s not exactly like that.”

Messina agreed. She said her customers are often startled to discover that she is a Rollergirl.

“They’re usually pretty surprised,” she said with a laugh. “’You’re in roller derby, really? I didn’t think you’d be aggressive like that.’ It’s funny, I don’t see roller derby as full of aggression. I see a team of ladies who go out and enjoy doing the same thing.”

Still, she admits there is some pushing and shoving.

“I think people see it as a girls’ sport, but you have to be ready to take a punch,” Rogers laughed. “It reminds me of ‘Fight Club.’ It’s like this after-hours thing, but you show up at your normal 9-to-5 with black eyes. It’s got a reputation as a really tough sport.”

At the same time, the women interviewed for this story admit they enjoy the physicality that goes with the sport. It’s a chance to bring out their alter egos — and maybe a little of the rough image after all.

Adopting names like Chuckosoreass Rex (Jones), Moose Rack (Messina), Crass Monkey (Rogers) or Bad Lady 53 (Maynor) allows these Rollergirls to get outside their daily lives and expectations to become someone else, if only for a little while.

“You get to be your loud side,” Maynor said. “One girl’s got a skull on her helmet. Kristin has little dinosaurs taped to top of her helmet so they look like horns. Everyone adds their own unique flair.”

Jones was more to the point.

“It is fun knocking people around,” she confided. “It does give me a bit of high to slam into another girl because sometimes girls can be pretty nasty. It’s something lots of girls have wanted to do, to go pick a fight, so to speak. This is kind of an excuse, but that’s part of the derby. I wouldn’t say I’ve gotten much meaner, but I do whatever I can to slam them out of bounds or get past someone.”

What’s down the track?

The first official bout will come when Maynor’s Roller Girls square off against her sister-in-law’s team in Anchorage in April and again in Fairbanks come May. Maynor already sees the Rollergirls as an important addition to the sport of roller derby in Alaska.

“The sport of roller derby (will) become more solidified in the state,” she said. “With our team, it helps give the Anchorage team more credibility in the sport.”

On a local level, the Rollergirls are already creating an athletic and expressive outlet for women looking for something fun and unique they can stake a claim on. Yet, Maynor’s goals extend into the community.

“I’d like to see long term either a sport center built in Fairbanks or even another roller rink. There is definitely a need for something like that. I have lofty goals.”

Glenn BurnSilver is a freelancer who lives in Fairbanks.