By Erin Pittman  Photos by Tim Hill

For most of us, lacing up a pair of roller skates brings back to mind a leisurely evening going round and round a rink to pop music, but not for the River City Rollergirls. Stepping onto a rink launches them into a full contact, highly competitive sport.

Roller Derby has been around since the 1930s, with the founding of the WFTDA (Women’s Flat Track Derby Association), the Rollergirls’ certifying league, coming to be in 2004. WFTDA joins leagues in a sisterhood of healthy competition and sanctions many of the bouts, roller derby games.

For those unfamiliar with this action-packed sport, here are the basics: Each team enters the rink with five ladies. The jammer wears a star on her helmet, the pivot wears a stripe and the other three plain-helmeted ladies are referred to as blockers. All players except the jammer from each team start out in a pack. The pivot sets the pace for game play. Once the blockers and pivot have reached a certain point, the jammers take off. Their mission is to pass as many members of the opposing team as possible. Sounds easy right? Not quite so when you remember the full contact element of this sport! Each blocker does her best to prevent the jammer from passing by using her body and skating skills. The lead jammer, the one who passes through the initial pack first, can call the round to claim their points any time after the second pass. Play continues through two 30 minute periods.

The River City Rollergirls are passionate about their sport. “I enjoy playing because it is so physical,” says team member Katie Gantt. “I played different sports as I grew up, but this is the most physical one. It’s really fun to get to hit other people,” she laughs. Katie also noted that the camaraderie among the team is superb.

Former team member Jessica Williams concurs, “Roller derby makes me feel like I really belong somewhere. I love my team, and I love feeling so strong and capable. The camaraderie I’ve found within my derby family is amazing. I feel at home when I am on the track, going fast and working hard with the most awesome girls I have ever known.”

River City Rollergirls is open to women age 18 and older, but becoming a team member does not happen overnight and is no piece of cake. Prospective rollergirls must complete what is known as “The Fresh Meat Cycle” before being considered for the team. This involves attending multiple practices a week where players learn to fall properly, how to hit correctly, as well as the basic mechanics of skating and receiving personal assistance from their Fresh Meat Coach. After three months, a minimum skills assessment must be passed in order to make the team.

Roller Derby is a sport to be experienced. According to Rollergirl Rachel Thomas, “It is by far the biggest rush I have ever had. There’s nothing more fun than women on skates kicking each other’s butts.”

Intrigued by this one of a kind sport and the ladies that love it so? Catch their upcoming annual bout, Seasons Beatings, Saturday December 3rd from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.