‘Girls on Wheels’ Story by Jonathan Maness MONTROSE — It’s Roller Madness. Collisions, bruises, mini skirts and the vintage roller skates were back in style Saturday at Friendship Hall, and for a good cause. In a fundraiser event for the Habitat for Humanity and the Special Olympics, the Greeley Slaughterhouse Derby Girls held a bout between its two interleague squads the Renegade Brigade and the Marshals of Mayhem. The two squads brandished helmets, elbow pads and surly attitudes as they raced in circles around an oval track, trying to knock the opposing jammers and blockers on their butts. “It was really fun to come and be in a new place,” said Marshals of Mayhems’ Iggy Poppins. “It was exciting to be in a new town. Hopefully, people that didn’t know anything about derby picked up something new and we have some new fans.” It might not have been like the old-school roller derbies that entertained fans with choreographed flying clotheslines or the cartoonish body slams, but Saturday’s Derby kept the 70-plus fans entertained. Whether it was the skaters grappling for position and knocking each other down. Or the jammer slicing her way through the pack to score points for her squad. No matter what the Derby girls were met with oohs and aahs. The game did have its share of injuries. Renegades’ Shank U Kindly hit the ground hard during the first bout, injuring her left foot and couldn’t make it back on the rink. The Renegades’ captain Bea Line also suffered an injury to her right hand. “Is it a very violent game? Oh yeah,” said Becky Colvin, aka Boudica of the Renegade Brigade. “Half our team when we first started went down with injuries. It’s fun, we had a great time and it was for a good cause.” While roller derby has made a transition into a regular sport and less of a spectacle. The girls styles adds to the sport. The bright pink and black elbow pads and fishnet stockings may have clashed with the camouflage and bright yellow team outfits, but it adds to the joy of the game. Even after Saturday’s bout the ladies made an appearance at Smugglers decked out in their gear to sign autographs. “Tonight we are going to wear this, but we usually don’t go around dressed like this,” said Bea Line, aka Jenna Allen. Bea Line’s Renegades pulled out the victory Saturday and much of it she said had to do with teamwork. “I think we won this game, we got killed the last game, because we talked better and we communicated better,” Bea Line said. “We kept our cool over here on the bench. The refs are all new, so when you get all hot headed it takes your mind out of the game. We sat here and prepared for the next lineup instead of being mad about what happened.” The girls not only range from 20 to 42 years old, but also from a wide variety for professions. The girls include an accountant, a dental hygienist, a massage therapist, a contractor, a teacher, a tattoo artist and some stay at home moms. But on the rink they transform into the likes of ‘TNT Dynomite’, ‘Nine Inch Nailer’ and ‘KO Mama.’ “You have a lot of people that you wouldn’t expect to come out decked out,” Iggy Poppins said. “I’m a stay at home mom. Most of my time is spent taking care of my kids. This is something that I do for myself, I figured I can come out and knock some girls down and have a good time.” The Derby Girls also held a dinner party Friday night at Paghre’s Pizza as well as group and individual skate lessons Saturday for the fundraiser. “This was a brand new idea for a fundraiser,” Habitat’s Ellie Dooley said. “The key would be the roller derby. I think everybody that came really enjoyed it. We had some connections with the girls and this was a good opportunity for people to come out and have fun. This is all for Habitat for Humanity and the Special Olympics.” |