The Resolution To Do Different Things #1: Roller Derby. Seriously.

My first opportunity to act on my new year's resolution to try different things was handed to me on a silver platter. My dear friend Becky was in town with her boyfriend Chris (and to all who care: he's a great guy. I'm a big fan) to see the Carolina Roller Girls All Stars take on the Mob Town Maulers in a roller derby bout up in Baltimore.

Huh? What? Yeah. Roller derby. You didn't know about it? You hadn't read the previews of the bout in the sports section? Really?! Weird.

So here's the story: my good friend Tajhia has gotten really involved in roller derby down in Raleigh. I would have had no idea that roller derby was making a comeback if it wasn't for the fact that Taj was so heavily involved in not only the Carolina Rollergirls, but in the entire Women's Flat Track Derby Association, including having a hand in rules changes and the incorporation of new teams. I'm impressed.

The feel of the sport is total punk rock: part vixen and part violence. Argyle knee socks with skulls and crossbones, helmets covered in stickers, a hardcore band to start the proceedings. And then there's the nicknames: Faye Tallity. Shirley Temper. Rosie the Rioter. Trudy Struction. HR Rufnstuf. And my favorite: a gorgeous, heavily-tattooed referee who goes by "Bitchy Sambora". Well, maybe that's her real name. I shouldn't be presumptuous.

The track in Towson was a seriously old-school rink that included an awesome old board that had lights signaling that when it was "Ladies Only", "Couples Dance" and "Good Night". Multiple signs warning against wearing gang colors showed that, these days, this place saw worse things than south-bound hands during couples dance, but today, it was all for the roller girls. And the place was packed.

Becky, Chris and I found Taj (who wasn't skating due to still mending a broken collarbone) and got spots at the edge of the track; a coveted spectating position due to the likelihood of rollergirls careening off into the crowd.

I had no idea how roller derby worked, and the reading of the rules in the program didn't help much. But as with any sport, you can pretty quickly figure out the main object. Here's the simplified version: two teams of five people each skate in circles. Most of the players have to stay together in "the pack". Meanwhile, one player on each team are designated "jammers". They try to overtake the pack while their teammates try to help them through and their opponents try to hold them back. Teams get four points when the jammer overtakes the pack and one point when their jammer overtakes the other team's jammer. I think that's how it goes. The full suite of rules is pretty complex, but that's the basics.

And I understood enough. The game was a thrill, in spite of the fact that Carolina held a massive lead for the entire bout. Some of the jammers made moves through the pack that rivaled a running back's sharp cuts through a defensive line, and when the Baltimore team's jammer broke out in front of the pack, the crowd let out huge roar. The hits and spills into the crowd only heightened the thrill.

Maybe it was because Tajhia was sitting next to me explaining the rules, tactics and history of the game, but there in that rink outside of Baltimore, I really felt like this is a spectator sport that's got some legs (*ahem*). I'm sure it won't go far beyond its indie status and will likely stay amateur for a while, but it's a damn exciting experience. I didn't regret missing the Eagles/Giants game for a minute.