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Monday, March 9, 2009
News Charlotte Roller Girls win big, 110-64
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 4:10 PM
If you missed The Charlotte Roller Girls' sold-out season opener, don't despair, you have six more chances to watch them slam into their competition at their new home rink — the Grady Cole Center — this season.
Moments before the girls took to the floor this past Saturday for their pre-game demonstration, one of the announcers said of the full arena, "We're gonna havta scrunch in a bit. So, get to know your neighbor. The people next to you might be a little scary-lookin', but this is roller derby; that makes them family."
Speaking of scary, Rotto Von Klownstein, the team's mascot, is some kinda freaky looking with mis-matched eyes (one is white), a purple wig and a maniacal smile. He did his best to embarrass a young woman named Megan, who chose to celebrate her birthday by watching the Classic City Roller Girls, from Athens, Ga., get crushed.
Roller Derby, which can be traced to the mid-1930s Depression Era, is a contact sport and 100 percent American made. It became famous in the 1950s, thanks to television. Unfortunately, however, not long after the 1973 movie Kansas City Bombers, starring Raquel Welch, another economic crisis brought the sport to its knee pads.
Now, in the midst of yet another economic melt-down, today's version of the sport is evolving, says Craig Bailey, of Sports Media and Events, the public relations firm that promotes The Charlotte Roller Girls. He says the most recent incarnation of roller derby emerged in the early 2000s and that the rules may change depending on the teams' agreements with each other.
Fortunately for fans, the event programs, handed out by the girls themselves, are full of good-to-know information, including the event's schedule (the periods are 30 minutes each, broken up by a 15 minute intermission), the rules and history of the game, pictures of potential referee hand signals (be sure to look up "insubordination"), the team roster and information about obtaining autographs, after parties and the team's charity, A Child's Place.
"I can tell you the action is real," Bailey said, whose wife is part of the team, though she is currently on the injured list.
Once they donned their skates, it was clear the girls weren't joking around, or, at least, most of them weren't; some of the girls got their boogie on to DJ Spider's tunes while waiting at the starting line for the ref's whistle. But, with names like Pamela Ander-Slam, Puncher P. Hole, Emmylou Harrass and Court'her Pound'her — these aren't ladies you want to cross, especially at the skating rink.
The crowd, made up of all ages, sizes and colors, seemed to enjoy themselves. And, the girls enjoy the crowd, too. In the event program they write, "To our fans: all the sweat, bruises, torn ligaments, pulled muscled, even cracked teeth are all worth it to be able to play the sport we love. Thanks for cheering us on!"
Though there were plenty of tumbles, only one player, Hellin Felon (#13), required a medic's care. In the minute or so she was down, the crowd responded with a respectful silence.
Soon after, the hometown team completed the annihilation of their competition, the Classic City Roller Girls.
The Athens girls didn't seem to have a chance, either. The score, 48-32 at the half, swelled to 110-64 for the Charlotte win. Court'her Pound'her scored an impressive 10 points in one jam alone, bringing her team's score to 105.
For those interested in meeting the Charlotte Roller Girls, or in becoming one of them, they are hosting a meet and greet at Fuel Pizza in Gastonia on Mon., March 16. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. Visit their Web site, www.CharlotteRollerGirls.com, for more information.
The next bout has the girls facing off with the River City Roller Girls, of Richmond, Va., on April 18.
Want to see pictures from the event? Click here.
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