Showing More than Just a Little Leg - Reporting by Girls Write Now
May 16, 2009Gotham Girls Roller Derby is pleased to be working with Girls Write Now to provide unique sports journalism opportunities for writing and reporting about roller derby.
Girls Write Now Inc. (GWN) is New York’s premier creative writing and mentoring non-profit organization, matching bright, creative teenage girls from the city’s public high schools with professional women writers. Their mission is to provide a safe and supportive environment where girls can develop their creative, independent voices, explore careers in professional writing, and learn how to make healthy choices in school, career, and life.
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Amalie Kwassman is a second year mentee with Girls Write Now. She lives in Brooklyn and is a senior at Edward R. Murrow High School. Amalie has performed spoken-word poetry at the Bowery Poetry Club, the Nuyorican Poets Café, and on the BAM stage and was an Urban Word Teen Poetry Slam semifinalist this year. This fall Amalie will be attending Smith College.
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For those of us who think that roller derby is just a bunch of girls in short skirts fighting with each other, think again! "Roller derby involves high mental capabilities," insists Speed McQueen of the Bronx Gridlock, one of the four teams representing New York as part of Gotham Girls Roller Derby (GGRD). The opportunities at GGRD present the women involved far more than just a chance to show off a little leg. Many of the women on the team are "bright and multi-faceted,” gushes Mc Queen, almost in awe of her fellow teammates, as she should be. Luna Impact, a star player on the Bronx Gridlock is a PhD candidate and a conversationalist, need we not mention a terrific athlete. For our under 30 crowd who do not know roller derby or what went on in the 1950s, roller derby consists of a maximum of 15 players on each team with a jammer, a pivot, and blockers. The object of the game is to score points by having the jammer pass all the blockers successfully and legally without getting hit.
Polly Gone, a star jammer for the Manhattan Mayhem, declares that roller derby, above all other sports, "gives her the opportunity to be tricky." She also gets to "freak people out," and who doesn’t like doing that? And if that's not freaky enough, the stories of how some women found out about roller derby are even stranger. One woman got a pair of derby skates as a birthday present while in her twenties, and another woman has been roller skating since she was in 3rd grade. But here, at the Gotham Girls Roller Derby, all experiences are welcome. It's like a built-in family, and this is one democratic household we are talking about! There is no hierarchy. All the players buy their own uniforms and skates, and everybody has a say in how GGRD is run. It also provides opportunities for women to stay in shape. Women's sports have characteristically been known to get less air time than men's sports, but roller derby might prove to be an exception. Perhaps, it is the showmanship or the silly names, but roller derby is catching some eyes and some hearts.
Women not only get to exercise and have a great time but they can also learn how to build partnerships with others and "work as a team.”. Luna Impact, a figure roller-skater before converting to roller derby, says that while "figure-skating is rigid and the most important thing is to stand up straight and have good shoulder placement," roller derby lets women have a good time! After interviewing several players, one thing is for certain -- this sport needs more coverage. Are people afraid to see women enjoying themselves?
On the May 16th game, the Manhattan Mayhem crushed the Brooklyn Bombshells 121-93. Don't let the score fool you. At one point in the first half, the Brooklyn Bombshells were losing 18-4. The Brooklyn team had just introduced a whole slew of rookie players. GalaxC, a newcomer to the Mayhem, described her very first game as ''amazing" and she just loved "the camaraderie." What keeps these women coming back to play game after game is the energy of the crowd and the fun. Points are secondary to enjoyment. That's the way it should be.