By Susan Johnson
Larson Newspapers
When a co-worker tiptoes out of the newsroom toward the exit wearing crazy striped knee socks, black tights, tight T-shirt, green helmet, men’s competition roller skates, thick knee pads and arm guards, we all know where she’s headed — roller derby practice under the lights at Riverfront Park in Cottonwood.
Roller derby?
Started as an endurance competition more than a century ago, it’s come and gone repeatedly, spawning different iterations in each of the last 10 decades.
In fashion once again, most leagues are women-only competing in flat-track amateur events.
For those who haven’t followed the fad, think of it as a hybrid combining speed skating with elements of a contact sport.
In other words, it’s a game that’s fast and rough.
That’s part of the allure for Elissa Ballew, Amber Godina, Marci Mozlan, Christina Stewart, Meredith Seivard, Tamsen Bedoy, Stacy Bray and Michele Bradley Pacheco, all of whom play for the Dirty Verde Team headquartered in Cottonwood.
“Roller derby is empowering for women,” Ballew and
Seivard said.
Both players like that they’re on the rink and any men involved are on the sidelines.
They also like the workout they get, forgetting for a few hours that they’re mothers with young children.
Oh yes, and don’t forget the campy outfits ranging from athletic to sexy to punk.
For the most part a typical matchup looks a little bit like the Rocky Horror Picture Show on wheels with skaters dressed and made up according to their derby alias which, for Ballew, is Maxine Velocity.
Five positions are fielded by each team: One is a jammer who wears a star on her helmet cover, three are blockers and one is a pivot wearing a stripe on her helmet cover and who sets the pace for the jam.
Both teams take the track at the same time.
When the referee’s whistle blows, both teams’ pivots take off first followed closely by their blockers who form a pack.
A few seconds later, the whistle blows again and the two opposing jammers take off.
Both jammers try to batter their way through the crowd of blockers and pivots to reach the open track.
Once they’ve escaped the pack for the first time, they score a point for each time they lap it again.
In the meantime, blockers and pivots do their best to form an impenetrable wall so the opposing jammer can’t get by.
They also try to give a helping hand to their own jammer, whipping her forward when they have the chance.
But, speed isn’t everything.
If the opposing jammer tries to slither around the blockers, they’re quick to give her a shoulder butt or a hip check, sending her to the ground and sometimes themselves as well.
In fact, the skaters spend considerable time on the ground either individually or in a heap.
At the Smoke Out Motorcycle Rally in Cottonwood this weekend, the Dirty Verde team joined forces with Prescott’s Whiskey Rowllers to put on an exhibition match on Saturday, May 9.
Though the day was hot and windy, scores of heavily tattooed bikers, male and female, lined the makeshift rink, sitting on benches and crowding the sideline bleachers.
With music blasting from the sound stage, the skaters lined up, one team in pink T-shirts and the other in white, almost all of them sporting black fishnet tights and mini-skirts in addition to helmets, mouthguards and thick padding for elbows and knees.
Far from regulation size the square of concrete in front of the bleachers was barely big enough for the jammers to take more than one or two long strides before slowing for the turns.
Those tight quarters led to numerous pileups, but friendly hands from nearby bikers soon put the skaters upright.
Brian Grandchamp was among the spectators enjoying the match.
Relocating to Cottonwood from Vermont a year ago, he was attending the rally with his girlfriend who was soon to compete in the wet T-shirt competition.
“This is pretty interesting. It’s a good way to kick back; I’m enjoying it,” he said.
On the top row of the bleachers were Mary and David Conner, there to watch their daughter, Adrienne Carey, captain of Prescott’s team and known as Holly Ween to her Verde Valley opponents.
An all-around athlete, Carey played softball and soccer before heading off to school in New Mexico where fast pitch took her through college, her parents explained.
The pink team was far behind at the half, but by the end of the match, they rallied to win 71 to 69.
Both teams are always on the lookout for additional players.
For more information, call 606-2477.
Susan Johnson can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 129 or e-mail sjohnson@larsonnewspapers.com.
