Sacred City Derby Girls

By Brandon Caylor

Bringing Classic Roller Derby Back

I have been a fan of the roller derby for many years. I used to love watching the late night matches on some obscure TV station, and get totally in to watching people get slammed, banged up, and thrown over the rails. The only thing was, most of the thrills and spills were staged. I always thought to myself, this would be an amazing sport if people would just take it seriously! But as the years went on, and the roller derby went through countless rebirths, the whole thing just got sillier and sillier. That is, until now.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the roller derby is back, and this time all of the WWF clowning around has been left behind, leaving us with some true, gritty, sweaty competition! Finally! And the Sacred City Derby Girls are bringing it to you live and in your pretty little face.

Roller derby is a sport played on quad skates (not inline). Each game is called a “bout” Here you have a group of girls with very cool names like Candy Crusher, Rosy Knuckles, and SpillHer, all skating around a flat track. Both teams have a jammer, one skater who laps the other players to score points. Of course there’s bound to be some bumping, shoving, and some great spills.

Billed as “The Bout to Rip Your Heart Out,” the Sacred City Derby Girls took on the Pikes Peak Derby Dames on February 16th at Roller King in Roseville. This being my first trip out to see a bout, I had no idea what to expect. I was, however, told to arrive an hour early. Well, that didn’t work out so well for me, but I did arrive a half hour early, thinking I would be okay. Wrong! I had to park far away from the rink, and when you’re carrying a kid with you, it makes it even farther. I had no idea this sport was so popular, or that Roller King could pack in so many people. I have read that the Derby Girls regularly bring out the crowds, but I seriously was not expecting close to one thousand people. Where have I been all this time? To get myself caught up, I summoned the courage to ask Dez Astriss, a Derby Girl member and also in charge of marketing, some questions. The first thing I wanted to know was whether or not this was indeed a real sport, nothing fake whatsoever.

“This is not grandpa’s roller derby. We play to win and every hit is real- there is strategy and there are plays. It gets very technical. I like to compare it to football on skates, but instead of a 300-pound dude you get to see bad-ass chicks skating fast and hitting hard. We are athletic and feminine at the same time. It is intoxicating to watch and I guarantee anyone who comes out to see the Sacred City Derby Girls will become fast fans of this sport- YES roller derby is a sport. This is full contact, all female roller derby at its best! Sacred City Derby Girls compete nationally and get ranked. There are state, regional and national tournaments sanctioned by the WFTDA (Womens Flat Track Derby Association), and we are competing to get placed so we can bout the top WFTDA leagues from around the country.”

Now let me tell you, these chicks did skate fast, and they did hit hard. Being that there are no rails separating the track from the crowd, there were occasions where a skater fell and slid right into the unsuspecting spectators. And, when they fell, they fell for real. My next questions was regarding the girls on the team. What kind of person is a derby chick?

“I am always amazed at how many different women are attracted to this sport. We have a minimum age requirement of 21, and I know women well into their 40’s still competing. Lawyers, nurses, schoolteachers, stay-at-home moms, business owners, college students, the list of different backgrounds goes on and on. Many different religions and cultures are blended together with one goal in mind - play derby and win. This sport is a character builder, and I am very lucky to be a part of such a diverse group of women. We truly respect and encourage one another.”

So can anybody be part of this sport?

“Our next try-out is Sunday, May 11th. You must be 21 years of age and have some minimum basic skate skills. Call 1-888-LUV-SCDG and leave a message telling us why you want to be a Sacred City Derby Girl and we can get you set up! I want to encourage anyone out there thinking, “I don’t know how to skate,” or,”I haven’t skated in 20 years!” It’s like a riding a bike- just get out and start skating now. Spend a couple days a week at the local roller rink and get going. We have women in our league from all over the world- different backgrounds, shapes and sizes. Being a derby girl starts on the inside. If you have the heart we will train you.” What about the future of the sport? Will it grow, and will the team need to move into a new, larger venue?

“Sacred City Derby Girls easily attract crowds of 1000+ at every bout. We have outgrown our current venue and would love to have a venue capable of holding our bouts with a larger capacity. The Memorial Audiorium would be an ideal location, and we are exploring our options. The biggest roadblock in securing a new venue is purchasing a portable skate court ($20,000). Sacred City Derby Girls are DIY- we pay to play. Our monthly dues covers the cost of renting our practice space. We hold fundraisers to help offset the cost of traveling. SCDG is presently seeking both local and corporate sponsors to facilitate our goals. Visit our website at www.sacredcityderbygirls.com. We have a wide range of advertising packages for your business – or you can buy a personalized banner with your name on it, and we will put it up at every bout.” Now before I hear you say something like, “but I hate sports,” you really must give this a try. I would consider the roller derby to be a sport for people that don’t like sports. Why? Because you don’t have to deal with a bunch of overpaid athletes whining about this or that, no steroid scandals, just a bunch of real people playing a real game. It’s fun and exciting to watch, and I found myself wanting so badly to run out onto the track, throw on some skates, and help them to victory (the Derby Girls lost the bout by a measly three points). But alas, it is a womens league, but whenever they start up the Sacred City Derby Dudes, I’ll be the first to join.