Cincinnati Rollergirls
Rollergirls' growth bridges mainstream and alternative
By Paul Dehner Jr., CNATI.com Posted May 6, 2010 12:01 PM ET
Jennifer Adkins roams the Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital. As a full-time nurse, she makes her rounds and checks on patients with a tender touch.
Her very existence aims to bring hope and healing to the lives of all those whose path she crosses.
Hours later, she walks into a sprawling, dark, musty warehouse and slips through a mysterious covered doorway underneath a sign that reads: "Chop Shop."
Once she walks through, her persona changes. From her clothes to her job all the way down to her name. No longer Jen the nurse, she goes by the name Trauma. She's the Cincinnati Rollergirls 2009 Blocker of the Year and her primary objective is to impose her physical will on others.
"One game last year we sent three of the other team's players to the hospital," Trauma says, following the statement with a deep, barbaric laugh more befitting a horror-movie villain, than gentle, ICU hero.
Inside the Bramkamp Printing warehouse, in which the Rollergirls rent space for practices, Trauma is joined by many more like her.
Mercedes spends her days solving problems as a bubbly customer service representative at a local bank.
Once strapping on helmet and skates, however, she's Sadistic Sadie, one of the most feared athletes in all of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.
"My favorite part is I get pretty physical, but then I like to be mentally abusive to the people that I play against," she said. "I will make fun of them. Knock them down and taunt them. That is totally my thing."
Each member of the Rollergirls team picks a nickname from the list of thousands and checks it against all of those registered with the league so everyone owns a moniker as unique as each of their paths to this niche sport. The ominous, intimidating names represent the stray from the real world and feminine stereotypes they leave behind.
These women toss in mouthpieces, tape up cuts, shove, strike and slave with all the intensity and ferocity of any testosterone-driven male counterparts.
Only, when the Rollergirls are done, they retreat to lives as professional and ordinary as Suzy Homemaker.
"There are people who you are surprised when you find out what they do for their day jobs," Trauma admitted.
There is K. Lethal. She teaches preschoolers.
Flannery O'Slaughter spends her days as a biostatistician.
June with a Cleaver is a dental hygenist.
And then there's Hannah OuchoCinco. Custom-built for Cincinnati, she changed her name from Hannah Barbaric as the Bengals star receiver took on his alternate persona a few years ago. Hannah even created a checklist of the opposing team's top blockers to cross off after each game in the same manner as Chad Ochocinco's checklist from 2006.
Oh, by the way, when she is not fighting through a broken finger that is supposed to keep her out 6-to-8 weeks while insisting it will only sideline her for four, she serves as a financial counselor at the Lindner Center of Hope.
To most, joining the organization sounds crazy.
"It's like running away with the circus," said Cincinnati Rollergirls referee Jennemy of the State.
To some, it sounds made up.
"The misconception is that it is a spectacle, that it is dress-up," said Sista Sacrilicious.
But, to the 47 women making up two Cincinnati Rollergirls teams, the best of which is ranked No. 4 in the region and No. 16 out 350 in the country, it sounds like one of the most fulfilling experiences of their lives.
"I think we all have a competitive edge which is what makes us enjoy the sport," Trauma said, tying the shoes of her skates and fastening her helmet before a recent practice. "We fought to be a high-ranked, competitive team. That is what drives us."
'EVERYBODY SUCKED THEN'
Five years ago, the inaugural campaign of the Cincinnati Rollergirls began. Nobody knew much about what exactly to do on this flat track oval, more importantly, few had the skills to execute it.
The team began and anybody could join, athletes and non-athletes alike. The team is owned and operated by the skaters and they practiced anywhere that would allow: Fun Factory Skating Rink, Castle Skateland and Beechmont Rollarena.
Games were only exhibitions and each practice involved an hour of putting the track down beforehand and then packing it up after. What happened in between was equally tedious and tough to watch.
"Everybody sucked then," said Sadie, now a member of the national all-star team, Team Awesome. "You could just not skate and be on the team. It was bad. They were just like, whatever, if you want to be a Rollergirl, you can."
Roller derby takes place on a flat track and involves an individual in the
position of jammer for both teams attempting to score points. Four blockers from each team attempt to plow a path. The first jammer to make it through earns one point for each member of the opposing team she passes. The jams last up to two minutes. Two halves last 30 minutes each.
Where many of the members of the Rollergirls joined the team on a whim, it soon changed into a competitive venture as they started to improve.
In 2007, the team moved into its current home of the Cincinnati Gardens and became a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The next season, they formed a varsity team, the Black Sheep, and a junior varsity, the Silent Lambs, competing in interleague play.
By last season, the Black Sheep came within one win of qualifying for the national tournament in Philadelphia and finished fourth out of 19 teams in the North Central Region.
The Rollergirls don't get paid. They venture into the Chop Shop - a facility they began practicing at this year for when the Gardens are not available - three to four times a week after their day jobs.
Whistles blow. Standards and expectations are set. Athletes are pushed to the limit.
Last year, the team's EMT, Dr. Kill Dear, treated a fractured leg, dislocated jaw and a bruised hip - all before the first game of the season.
"The coaching staff pushes them like a football team," he said.
'I DON'T KNOW THAT ANY OF US EXPECTED THAT'
A fun hobby, excuse to travel and interesting storyline evolved into much more this season. The Rollergirls made a decision to pour some of the money they made in averaging about 1,500 fans a game at the Gardens during 2008 into a marketing push.
Most of the people who attended a game enjoyed themselves. Tickets are cheap (adult general admission is $10), parking is free, the atmosphere caters to families and the Rollergirls stick around to sign autographs and take photos for fans after games.
The task was to find more people willing to give this fringe sport a chance.
Mission accomplished.
The team has more than doubled its average attendance from last year, now welcoming about 3,100 people per game this season. That number has grown in each of the first two home games. They hope to eventually break the league record of 5,100.
"I got noticed at the mall the other day," Trauma said, flashing a wide smile of both surprise and excitement.
These swelling crowds are not only loyal, but in tune with the rules of the game. Much like the Rollergirls program, who have outscored their last four opponents 565-256 on the way to a 5-1 record, the fan base grew along a parallel path.
"When we started playing in the Gardens, nobody knew, they just cheered for big hits," Sadie said. "They didn't understand strategy, now they understand what we are doing. Now they understand strategy. That is totally awesome. Very few fans in derby that really get it like ours."
The next step in the growth process comes on Saturday night at the Gardens against Chicago at 7 p.m. They will be welcoming Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts on Scout Night. Two more home games will follow on May 29 (College Night) against Indianapolis and June 19 (Service Night) against Milwaukee.
In the meantime, this group of lab analysts, yoga instructors, graphic designers and police dispatchers will continue to bridge the gap between mainstream and fringe - one game at a time.
"Cincinnati is not very accepting of the alternative," Sista Sacrilicious said. "For 3,500 people to accept it is great. I don't know that any of us expected that."
Categories: Cincinnati Rollergirls, Featured Stories
Tags: Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati Rollergirls
Comments (2)
I'm a Nurse and my quote about 3 girls going to the hospital last year sounds so mean!!! ha! ha! In our defense we think a couple were from pre-existing injuries. ;)
Thanks so much for the article. We are so appreciative of our fans and hopefully everyone who has been coming to our games will continue to support us.
Hope to see you Saturday!
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Thanks for the great story on the Cincinnati Rollergirls. I hope that the more people that make it out to a game, the more people will see roller derby as the true sport that it is. See you Saturday!
- Jennemy of the Skate (ref)
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