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Roller Girls keep skate invasion rolling with second season and move to fairgrounds
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Apr 26, 2009
TALLMADGE: Virtually free of professional skate marks over the first 86 years of the sport, Summit County suddenly has become somewhat of a hotbed for roller derby.
The Rubber City Rollergirls made their debut April 18 against Roc City Roller Derby at the John S. Knight Center.
Now, the second-year Northeast Ohio Rock'N'Roller Girls are preparing to make their Summit County debut May 2 against the Suicidal Saucies of Buffalo, N.Y., in the Arena Building at the Summit County Fairgrounds.
Living Akron sports encyclopedia Frank ''Whitey'' Wahl labels this invasion of skates as somewhat of a phenomenon.
''It may be hard to believe it, but there wasn't anything in Akron during roller derby's heyday in the '60s and '70s,'' Wahl said. ''I'm sure if the girls were skating in Akron, I would have heard about it.''
You'd certainly think so.
The 88-year-old Wahl's birth predates the creation of roller derby in Chicago in 1922 by two years.
The NEO Rock'N'Roller Girls organized nearly two years ago and competed last year at Pinnacle Sports Complex, which is in Medina County just west of the Summit County line. The team won three of its five bouts at Pinnacle.
The Rock'N'Roller Girls lost their lone road bout at Evansville, Ind., and finished their first season with a 3-3 record.
The move to the fairgrounds gives the Rock'N'Roller Girls the potential to draw bigger crowds. They averaged nearly 350 fans per bout at Pinnacle last year.
''It was like, 'Wow!' the first time we walked into the fairgrounds building,'' said team spokeswoman Kim ''Scarlet GoDancin'' Shuman. ''Everybody on the team absolutely loved how big the building is.
''One of our goals for this year was to make everything bigger and the building is simply gargantuan.
''The building also has a real feel for the sport. Roller derby is an underground sport, and when you look at the building at the fairgrounds, it really gives you that underground kind of feeling. We really appreciated what the people at Pinnacle did for us last year, but we really love it here at the Fairgrounds. It's just more 'roller derby.' ''
The fairgrounds also gives the team the opportunity to skate on a different surface after competing on the sport-court surface at Pinnacle last year.
''The fairgrounds is smooth cement and it's taking us a while to get used to it in practice,'' said Shuman, a part-time chocolatier and mother of one. ''It doesn't really matter what the surface, it always hurts when you fall.
''What is different is how the skates grip the surface. We were pleasantly surprised that the wheels grip quite nicely on the floor, which was covered with dirt until our first practice there April 7.''
Shuman said the Rock'N'Roller Girls, who return 11 skaters ranging in age from 22-year-old star jammer and fan favorite Aime ''Teeny Houdini'' Slone to several 40-year-old skaters, are in midseason form for their opener. They lost their first two bouts in Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, then beat Evansville 102-100 for the first road win in team history. They lost April 11 in Portland, Maine.
''We're ready to skate, and the fans are going to love everything about the team and the Fairgrounds,'' said Natalie ''Chrissie B. Hynde'' David, the mother of two daughters who serve as team mascots Buster Keister [Aubrey David] and Ellen Rage [Fiona David]. ''There's going to be stadium seating for about 800 and another 200 can get into the suicide seating.
''The floor is really fast. That's going to provide a lot more action for the fans. Pinnacle was really nice, but it wasn't roller derby. The Fairgrounds is gritty, like roller derby, and I think the fans are going to love. it.''
Shuman said the event will be family-oriented, but the move to the Fairgrounds allows the Rock'N'Roller Girls to sell beer during the bouts.
''We got a lot of calls with people asking when we were going to sell beer,'' Shuman said. ''Now that we're at the fairgrounds, we can do that. But we'll keep a family-oriented atmosphere.''
The Rock'N'Roller Girls' schedule goes into mid-October.
Shuman said there is no home bout scheduled for July due to the annual Summit County Fair. They also plan to hold a Roller Derby Expo during the county fair Aug. 1.
Details:
Here is the NEO Rock 'N' Roller Girls 2009 home schedule. All bouts are at 6 p.m. at Summit County Fairgrounds (doors open at 5 p.m.)
May 2: Buffalo (N.Y.) Queen City's Suicidal Saucies
June 13: Fort Wayne (Ind.) S.W.A.T.
Aug. 29: Columbus Gang Green
Sept. 19: Cleveland Burning River Roller Girls' B
Oct. 17: Syracuse (N.Y.) Assault City Roller Derby
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
TALLMADGE: Virtually free of professional skate marks over the first 86 years of the sport, Summit County suddenly has become somewhat of a hotbed for roller derby.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Canton, OH
Posted 11:51 AM, 04/26/2009
YOWZA !!!! I like a feisty girl !!!!!!!!!
Kent, OH
Posted 03:33 PM, 04/26/2009
Purchase tickets online at: www.NEORollerDerby.com !!!
