BLOOD THIRSTY SAVAGES

By Artel Chao

AT THE TIME, | ONLY HAD
THE VAGUEST IDEA OF
WHAT ROLLER DERBY WAS,
PROBABLY FROM ELLEN
PAGE'S MOVIE WHIP IT
THAT | SAW WHEN | WAS

A REBELLIOUS TEENAGER.

48

When | first moved to Castlegar for school in
September 2016, | didn’t know anyone in town and
felt the need to establish local connections to rid myself
of my loneliness. Joining a sports team was the way
| wanted to go about this, but knowing | have never
been good at ball sports, | did not feel motivated to try
out for basketball, volleyball, soccer, or anything that
involves balls. As | was driving home one day, a muffled
recruitment ad came on the radio, and an enthusiastic
voice announced that Castlegar’s very own roller derby
team Dam City Rollers would be starting to train their
“fresh meat” soon for the season and it was going be
a lot of fun! No experience, no problem! Just bring a
mouth guard and they will train you from the start.
Interesting, | thought, but the idea of me knocking
people out on roller skates was just too absurd. Being
shorter than 5 foot 3 and weighing just a bit over 115
pounds, | imagined that | would be
easily butchered. At the time, the
only idea | had of what roller derby
is was probably from Ellen Page’s
movie Whip It that | saw when | was
a teenager. Too absurd, | thought. |
brushed away the idea and went on
with my life.

But when recruitment posters
started showing up everywhere |
went on campus, | knew that derby
was calling me. So | thought to
myself, ok, | will just go to a practice
and check it out. | didn’t even bring
a mouth guard because A) | didn't know where to get a
mouth guard, and B) | was sure that roller derby was not
for me. | just wanted to see it with my own eyes for once.

| showed up at the practice hall, in t-shirt and jeans,
fancied up with some lipstick, hoping to make a good
impression on the players. When | was greeted by two
girls double my size and calling themselves “Pro-pain
Paula” and “Jinjoe Fight-Us,” and another one with
tattoos named “Irish Whipsky”, | felt so intimidated
and thought, this is not my type of game; these people
will tear me apart and | should really get myself out of
here before it’s too late. Unfortunately (or fortunately),
| did not have the chance to get out before more girls
showed up and greeted me warmly. One who was
about my size suggested that I try on her gear. Give it
a try, she said, see if you like it.

As | put the skates on, the mixed feelings of excite-
ment and embarrassment swamped me; | hadn't put

on a pair of roller skates since | was eight years old. |
didn’t know if the way | tied my laces was right, and |
didn’t know how to stand up nor stop myself from roll-
ing once | was up. It was such an incredible feeling to
find myself outside of my comfort zone before | realized
it consciously. | owned the danger and the excitement
with my whole body like Bambi trying to walk on ice and
didn't’ let negative thoughts stop me from trying. After
being on wheels for about 5 minutes, half of my self-
doubt was gone. | felt the derby girl in me.| wanted in!

| got my mouth guard the next day and started
joining the practices twice a week. Once | got to know
the players, | became ever more amazed by each one
of them to a point that | was so ashamed of my initial
assumption that only big, tattooed, ruthless women who
enjoyed nothing but violence played derby.

| learned that many of the Dam City Rollers are
working moms with various jobs, and some are even
returning to derby after giving birth. Their tattoos don't
suggest criminality or violence; they are the creative
representations of their passions and the unique
stories of their lives. The players are not defined by
their body types; no matter big or small, thin or thick,
there are different positions suitable for all players to
shine with their full potential as athletes. Their move-
ments are swift and precise, demonstrating both the
physical strengths in their toned muscles and the will
power that pushes them beyond pain and fatigue. They
play by league rules and don't just knock people out
like blood-thirsty savages. They have committees that
govern the internal functions of the team and social
contributions to local communities. Most importantly,
roller derby is a team sport that gives rise to a strong
sisterhood among players. Once you are ready to show
your commitment to the team, you will receive tremen-
dous love and support in return.

Roller derby is an empowering sport that provides
women a platform to discover their strengths and
build self-confidence. For example, players need to
communicate with each other loudly and clearly, trust-
ing their own skills as well as their coach's or teammates’
decisions for strategies, and helping new players by
passing on their techniques and encouragement. It is
also a very humbling sport. From learning to fall down,
passing the skills tests, to being rostered for bouts
and playing an assistive role in a game, there is always
something that keeps players’ egos in check for the
cohesiveness and the success of the team. These are
the valuable qualities of assertive yet compassionate