Roller derby absent in Boulder

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High energy, speed skating, hard hitters and, of course, the neon fishnets under a rather revealing miniskirt. What could these wonderful descriptors mean but to illustrate the brilliant and hardcore world of roller derby?

Boulder, we must recover our roller skates from the fourth grade and hop on this derby bandwagon.

Every major city in Colorado has a team. Denver has two leagues and our rivals, Fort Collins, have two very skilled leagues of their own. Aurora, Durango, Castle Rock, Pueblo, Monument, Colorado Springs and Greeley all have one. So where is Boulder’s team of kick-ass ladies kicking the ass out of these other cities?

The sport hit a high in the early 20th century around America. But now roller derby has made a comeback for the better. Today, the game isn’t just about hot girls beating the crap out of one another on roller skates.

The leagues of Colorado are made up of respected doctors, lawyers, students, cashiers and pizza-delivery girls of all ages and shapes. The games consist of strict rules and regulations. Although we’d all love to see a great hair pulling, roller derby has more substance nowadays.

In Colorado, we have mainly flat track derby leagues. This simply means that our tracks are flat on the ground and not raised off of the floor like a banked track. The game is very confusing at first, but if you’re interested in seeing a complete list of rules, positioning, referee signals and more, please visit http://wftda.com/.

There are a few basics to know before watching or playing roller derby. There are always two teams on the track per “jam” (fancy way of saying match). Each team has one jammer and four blockers. The jammer scores her team points by every player she passes. The blockers are trying to knock the opposing jammer and blockers down, so their jammer will have the opportunity to pass the other team. The game can get violent, but speed is key in this sport.

One of the newest leagues in Colorado is Aurora’s High City Derby Divas (HCDD). Co-Founder Bruister Keister, or Kaela Dreller, is quite new to the sport herself. She shared some insight on what derby is all about, and why Boulder may just be the next big city to adopt a league of our own.

“I first became involved in roller derby on November of 2008,” Dreller said. “I am an auto claims adjuster. That is my Monday through Friday job, and I consider HCDD my second job.”

Dreller said she loves the social culture of the sport.

“You end up with an eclectic group of women that would never have gotten together if it weren’t for the sport,” she said. “It is really empowering, and there’s that confidence factor. It used to be five to 10 years ago a sport for alternative people, but I don’t think anymore. It’s a sport for anybody.”

Boulder has the resources for a strong team. Dreller explained Boulder’s potential for a great roller derby league.

“I think Boulder has a different demographic than other areas,” she said. “I think it would bring something new to the community. Our league has kind of filled the gaps between competitive leagues and rec. leagues. Having a league for boulder would do the same thing.”

Roller derby is the perfect solution to getting into shape or trying a new extracurricular. More friendships seem to develop in roller derby than any other sport. It seems that the more bruises shared among teammates equals the greater the shared bond. The fitness is intense, but well worth the strains and rock hard abs. The game is an amazing alternative to our college life of partying and promiscuity.

Another great reason to play roller derby is the fame and the secret identity that consumes your life. You have the opportunity to choose your very own derby name and persona. This is a great way to be someone you’re not for a night. Who doesn’t love that? Your derby name is registered into the roller derby database, and no one can ever take that name from you.

At CU, we have a huge campus. We’ve got the population and potential for our own league. Any of our 30,000 students could play roller derby (yes boys, there’s a men’s league too).

So, throw on that mini skirt, pull up those stockings, lace up your skates and let’s get out there and take charge. Professors at CU, students on campus or staff at C4C, consider sliding on a helmet. Get out there and kick some Foco derby diva butt. Like it always has been, and like it always should be.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Chelsea Miller at Chelsea.lenore.miller@colorado.edu.