Roller derby is taking over the nation and the Enid Roller Girls are aiming to make a name for themselves. With 12 skaters so far, the Enid Roller Girls are looking for more women to join their league as they continue to better themselves and are working to become part of the Women Flat Track Derby Association, a national roller derby association.
“It’s a full contact sport,” said Jamie Garen, also known by her derby name: Jme Jawbreaker. Garen acts as co-captain along with Adriene “Coffey Grinder” Coffey.
The object of the game? A skater in the position of “jammer” must make it through a pack of “blockers” and lap them as they travel around an oval track. The blockers, of course, must try to block the jammer from getting through. The skaters wear a helmet, mouth guard, wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads and quad roller skates.
“It’s very full contact,” said Garen.
Of course, not everything goes.
“There are legal blocks and illegal blocks,” said Garen.
Skaters who break the rules are sent to the penalty box.
The Enid Roller Girls are starting their league with the help of the Victory Dolls, a league in Oklahoma City.
“They are our sister league,” said Garen.
The Victory Dolls are a WFTDA league.
“We want to eventually be WFTDA so they are taking us under their wing,” said Garen.
One member of the Victory Dolls is Cristina Romanos, formerly of Enid.
“There are three leagues in the city,” said Romanos. “Oklahoma Victory Dolls Roller Derby, Oklahoma City Roller Derby and Outwest Outlaws, a banked track (rather than flat track) league.”
Romanos was initially exposed to roller derby first hand while living in Texas.“Seeing girls with fun rollergirl names, knocking each other down while on skates was crazy and awesome to me,” said Romanos.
Right now the Enid Roller Girls are looking for a permanent place to practice so they can have regular games, called “bouts.”
“We won’t bout regularly until the end of 2011 or 2012,” said Garen.
All that is needed for the Enid Roller Girls to practice is a flat surface.
“As long as you show up to practice, we can teach anybody how to derby,” said Garen.
“Anytime someone is having a hard time, I give them some encouraging words and tell them they are doing an awesome job because I have totally been there. When you haven’t skated since like elementary or junior high, you can’t expect to come in and be roller derby queen of the world, you know?” said Romanos.
Those who participate in roller derby have found that it is just what they need for a little escape from everyday life.
Garen said it’s easy for people to lose themselves in their day-to-day routine.
“You get involved in taking care of everybody else and you forget what it’s like to be you.”
Whether you are just practicing or actually bouting, roller derby is a couple of hours just being yourself, getting exercise and having fun.
“With all the adrenaline that comes with the first blow of the jam whistle, whether I’m on the track for that jam or not, the nerves go away, ” said Romanos.
“Not only are we representing our league,but also our city, our state. So when we go out on the track, we go with guns-a-blazing.”
“It’s a real do-it-yourself sport,” said Garen.
But it’s also more than that.
“It has become like a family,” said Garen. “We all kind of have our own part that we do.”
The sport is also family friendly and Garen said husbands often get involved as referees or officials. Spectators of all ages can attend bouts, and there is even a rule that skaters cannot use harsh language and will be penalized for doing so.
“Leagues always need dedicated volunteers, skaters and officials that love the sport,” said Romanos. “There are not many things (outside of college) that could expose you to so many different people and have this kind of experience.”
The Enid Roller Girls practice each Sunday at 4 p.m. and are looking for more women to join the league.
“For the most part, we’re just normal people,” said Garen. Currently the Enid Roller Girls have a variety of different women in the league including a teacher, a childcare provider, a stay-at-home mom, a business professional and others.
The sport is a quickly growing phenomenon. Romanos said flat track roller derby in particular has grown from one league in 2001 to more than 300 leagues around the world today.
Anyone who is interested in joining the Enid Roller Girls can send an email to enidrollergirls@yahoo.com.
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