Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier features editor

Cammie Wilks, Campus Carrier asst. features editor

From the shiny wooden skate floor, the shelves of worn-down rental skates to the neon glow-designs covering the walls, roller rinks are a popular destination for a rainy afternoon. Skating rinks are the frequent hosts of children’s birthday parties and school spirit nights, but these buildings also serve as practice locations for often forgotten sport of roller derby. 

Watching sports is popular pastime; some love football, yelling excitedly at their television screen as a professional player dashes towards the endzone. Others may enjoy watching baseball, cheering excitedly as the bat cracks and the ball glides out of the park. Many sports draw attention, whether it is by kicking a ball or sprinting towards a finish line; however, few of these sports are played on roller-skates. Roller derby consists of fast paced skating, as two teams attempt to score points while preventing the other team from scoring. 

While the smaller details of the sport may differ across leagues, the basic rules of roller derby are simple; in each round, referred to as a jam, five players from each team take the track. Each team has one jammer who scores points by skating laps. The other players, called blockers form a pack, and must work as a team to prevent the other team’s jammer from passing the through the pack and scoring points. The jammers start behind each team’s pack, and they earn a point for each opposing blocker they pass. The game is fast paced and intense for spectators and players as both teams shove, knock and roll for       the win. 

Caitlin Whittaker has been competing on the Rome Roller Derby team for the past two years under the name ‘Hell Raised Her.’ Growing up, Whittaker was an active participant in sports, but as an adult she found that she didn’t have as much time to stay active. She was initially interested in getting involved in the sport a few years ago, but the local team disbanded. When she heard that Rome Roller Derby was starting up again, she was excited to join. 

“When I was a teenager I roller-skated everywhere,” Whittaker said. “But as you get older and you work, you lose time for that. It’s something I hadn’t done in years, so it was almost like I had to re-train my body to know what I was doing.” 

Rome Roller Derby has both a home team and a travel team. Both teams have games once a month at their respective locations, and practices are held every Sunday and Monday. Whittaker currently plays on the home team, and she has found that since they started up again, there has been an increased interest in the sport.

“We’re trying to build up a good following,” Whittaker said. “Again, it was something that ceased to exist a few years ago, and now that it is re-started, we are letting people know that it is back, and it’s here. We are trying to get more people to come to our games, and there has been a lot of interest.” 

Vannesa Hodge, known on the rink as “Genie in a Battle,” is a jammer on the Rome Roller Derby team. She’s been playing on the team since 2010, when the team first began. From there, she learned how to play roller derby for a year, before moving to a different team that was closer to home. Now, after taking a break, Hodge has begun to play in Rome again, happy to have come full circle and participate in a sport she loves. 

According to Hodge, roller derby is a very physically exhausting sport, due to its rough, contact-based nature. It requires people to be physically fit if they want to do it without struggle. Despite this, Hodge still enjoys the challenge and the excitement that roller derby brings her.

“It’s a good outlet,” Hodge said. “I don’t do a lot for myself, really. I’m pretty focused on my kids and husbands and all that. I don’t have a problem with that, but roller derby is something unique that I can do as an outlet. When I am having a rough day, I can put that aside and get those endorphins going. Roller derby is a stress reliever.” 

Amber Lovell is known on the court as “Licious,” due to the nickname “Amberlicious” that her previous coach gave her. She has been playing roller derby for 15 years and has been a roller derby coach for the last eight years. She coaches the current Rome Roller Derby teams that were reestablished two years ago, and her husband and children now play too. Lovell trains her players in the rink to learn how to position themselves, fall properly and be strong on the court while opponents are playing rough. Besides the physical aspects of roller derby and preparing her players for games, Lovell enjoys connecting with the team and helping her players out.

“In all reality, you just have to be patient with yourself, and it’s tough to coach that,” Lovell said. “You just have to do reminding: ‘Hey, you’re doing great,’ and ‘One step at a time,’ because it really is a tough sport to play.”

Outside of practices and games, the Rome Roller Derby players spend time together in non-competitive settings. The team tries to give back to the community. They have raised money for children’s school supplies, bought food for the homeless and participated in other local events.

“All of the people that I meet and the friends that I meet basically turn into family,” Lovell said. “We love hanging out outside of derby, doing stuff in the community as well. I love the bonding and the people in it.”

Roller derby is a fun sport that people of all ages can enjoy, including students. Though there is only one Berry student in the sport right now, the Rome Roller Derby team is always looking for new players. Since there are other university students on the team, Lovell is hoping to bring awareness to roller derby at Berry, and maybe even start a recreational team here. 

“Roller derby is here and around and open for everyone, no matter who you are or where you are in life,” Lovell said.