By Ben Pierson
The Daily Cardinal
The jammer needs to pass. She needs to pass everyone, multiple times. But the blockers will not let her. She will have to pull, shove and skate her way through, and she'll need the help of her teammates, who will push and shove the other blockers and their jammer. The pivot watches everyone and calls out directions, while blocking and elbowing all the same. No one is thirsty for blood, just the quenching delight that comes with victory. This is roller derby.
""My main goal is to ‘nacho cheese' someone … I've sent people into the stands before, and probably split a few drinks, but I have never made another player get nacho cheese on themselves."" This is from Mouse (#4 pivot/blocker/jammer) the smiling blonde who turns into a compact ball of fire when she's on the track. She's won multiple awards as Res Doll (one of the Mad Rollin' Doll's multiple teams), including fastest doll two years running.
Speed is as important to the game as power, points are only awarded as the jammer passes opposing players, so the whole team must work together as a network that make paths and closes holes. The teamwork is best embodied in the infamous ""Whip."" This is the move Drew Barrymore's roller derby movie is named for. One player will grab the arm of their jammer and whip her ahead as fast as possible. It is impressive to see and when it works the jammer flies past opposing teammates like they are scarecrows.
Not to say that there is a lot of standing around. The game is fast paced with constant collisions and maneuvers. As a spectator sport, roller derby is among the best.
It is catching on internationally as well. There are over 350 leagues in North America and teams across the globe. Alone, Women's Flat Track Derby Association—the league Mad Rollin' Dolls compete in—boasts are now 78 teams across four divisions in the United States and Canada. Nearly every major city has a team, or has one forming.
The modern incarnation of roller derby, the switch to a flat instead of a banked track, was born in Austin in 2003. A few months later the Mad Rollin' Dolls formed a team, the sixth in nation. Today the Dolls have a traveling team, the Dairyland Dolls, that plays in bouts around the country. Last year they placed third in their division.
At home the Dolls enjoy an enthusiastic audience; over two thousand onlookers came to their last bout in January. There is a special relationship between the fans and the players. After bouts the teams have after-parties where fans can come talk and drink with their favorite players.
It is a community event for both the fans and the players. After a rowdy match the bad blood from the last bout boils away as the players unwind with their teammates and rivals. Injuries may happen on the track, but when the skates come off , the scene becomes more of a family bonding time than a death match.
After their bout on Valentine's Day at 1 p.m., the Dolls will host their after-party at Badger Bowl at 3 p.m.
The tension is building now for the ""Love Hurts"" bout. The Reservoir Dolls will face off against fellow Mad Rollers the Unholy Rollers, while the MRD's Quad Squad prepares to take on Appleton's Paper Valley Roller Girls. The Dolls hope to pack the Coliseum even tighter than their last match. Tickets are available at various locations in Madison check www.madrollindolls.com for details.
