photo: courtesy TRD
Since 2004, the number of roller derby teams rocketed from three in the United States - Austin, Phoenix, Tucson - to more than 400 worldwide. Big enough that there's a Facebook group whose theme is not knowing your friends' real names because you call them only by their derby nom de guerre.
There are Australian teams, Swedish teams, junior teams, teams for men and a whole lot of women with newfound Olympic aspirations. Yes, Olympic, not X Games. Roller derby is ascendant, a subculture headed from the sidelines to the spotlight, the biggest spotlight.
These women are tough, determined and unstopped by infected toes, ripped knee ligaments or public expectations. For a fundraiser with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, they willingly lathered a never-before-bathed, dreadlocked, supposedly white, 100-pound Great Pyrenees mountain dog.
They're going big. For Tucson Roller Derby, the local league of four teams and a travel ensemble, that means moving to the city's major arena, the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. The convention center's smallest room will hold a crowd of about 2,800, almost tripling the potential audience available at Tucson Indoor Sports Center, where the crew long held sold-out bouts. TCC will now host one bout a month and one practice a week.
The roller girls are also looking for an upgrade in practice space. They now workout three or four times a week at Catalina Magnet High School. The track has an enviable view of the Catalina Mountains, but who cares when it's 100 degrees outside? They're looking for a warehouse downtown.
"We're super psyched about moving downtown," said Zoe O'Reilly, better known as Whiskey Mick of the VICE Squad. "(TCC staff) has been really fantastic about working with us."
The warehouse search hasn't gone quite as smoothly. The space needs to be big, at least 80 by 110 feet, and clear of structural support in the track area. The league lost one potential site to a cash bid and another to an unresponsive seller. "We're still looking," O'Reilly said.
Meanwhile, the TCC relationship keeps rolling. The next bout is scheduled for June 19.
As for the popularity, both among skaters and spectators, Whiskey Mick explains it this way: "It's a game for girls who never knew they were team players. It's a big commitment, and it's a full-contact sport - we're literally writing our own rules."
For more information, go to TucsonRollerDerby.com. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter at TucsonDerby.
