By Michelle Berger
I was a very active child. I couldn”t just walk anywhere; I had to run, jump, cartwheel or even walk on my hands to get from point A to point B.
When it came to outdoor activities, I skateboarded, biked and roller skated all over the neighborhood and yet, never played sports.
I remember every kid in school was signing up for little league, junior soccer, junior basketball, etc., but I never wanted to play on any team.
I was more athletic and active than any of those kids. I could out-run them, out-throw them, out-bat them at the plate, but I chose not to play sports, because frankly, they bored me.
I thought the rules were stupid, the coaches were too high-strung, the uniforms were uncomfortable and the players took everything way too seriously, sucking all the fun out of the game.
However, there was one sport that I really, really wanted to play: Roller derby. Now that was a fun game, crazy themes and uniforms, fast-paced, physical power and edge-of-your-seat action. Roller derby would be like NASCAR allowing the drivers to run each other off the road in order to win. Oh, the sheer chaos! I loved roller derby.
Unfortunately, Lake County didn”t have a team, so, a group of girls and I would get together and form our own little junior teams in the streets, and boy oh boy, did we have fun. Even now, years later, we still don”t have a roller derby team, and the reasoning is quite simple: we don”t have a skating rink, we did once upon a time, but alas, no more.
I find this funny, since we”ve already built skate parks throughout the county and yet, no indoor rink. But hey, the lack of a rink is honestly not an excuse. According to the guidelines of the WFTDA, Women”s Flat Track Derby Association, any flat open space appropriate for skates can be used, as long as insurance is purchased and up to date for each team or league. This includes school gyms, multipurpose rooms, convention centers and even parking lots.
Folks, we have numerous gyms and granges all throughout this county, it is possible that a suitable place could be procured for weekly training and jams. Mendocino has an official sanctioned roller derby league and it honestly makes me sad that Lake County doesn”t participate.
So, hey, why don”t we?
We could form our own team and request a spot in their league, or we could just form our own.
Imagine what a positive thing this would be in the county. It would be a physical event steeped in sports entertainment. It would give the county more events to look foreword to and attend. It would be a sport representing the county instead of relying solely on high school football teams to be the ambassadors of the community.
Not to mention, roller derby teams go to major bouts to compete against the best in places like Las Vegas and Houston.
Also, most leagues are nonprofit, and use their bouts and jam sessions as a way to raise funds for charitable causes; in fact, many charities around the world, sponsor roller derby leagues to help promote causes. Now, roller derby is a hard core sport, its physically grueling like football and is extremely fast-paced.
The rules are simple, easy to follow, and the point is to have fun and kick some butt. It”s also extremely colorful, and filled with theatrics, similar to pro-wrestling with stage names and gimmicks.
Let”s do it folks!
I”m making a shout-out to all the hard core, fun-loving, energetic, committed, funky women 18 years or older out there, who would love to put on some skates and have a jam, drop me a line.
Let”s see if we can generate enough interest and get our own team or league approved by the association. Sorry boys, but roller derby is a female-dominated sport, but don”t let that drive you away, men often serve as coaches and referees.
In fact, if there are any people out there with previous roller derby experience and are familiar with the rules or systematic set-up of the leagues, please send me an e-mail. We can totally do this. For the thrills, for the action, for the community. Check out http://wftda.com/ for more information on the derby.
When Michelle Berger is not writing, she”s usually re-enacting famous fight scenes from Kung-Fu flicks. Reach her at mberger_om@yahoo.com.
