Get Yer Skates On!

As Part of my time volunteering with Glasgow Women’s Library, I have recently had the opportunity and privilege to become involved with The National Museum Of Roller Derby. As part of the 21 revolutions anniversary celebrations at GWL, artist and all round wonder woman Ellie Harrison (who skates with Glasgow Roller Derby under the moniker of Cheapskate) chose to found the museum. Along with curators Sharon Meekin and Cara Viola from GRD and Kirstie Meehan from the Auld Reekie Roller Girls, the aim is to provide a permanent place to document the involvement of women in the UK in the sport while also attracting a new audience to both the library and roller derby.

As part of efforts to record and archive the thoughts and experiences of women involved in flat track derby racing for the upcoming “The Revolution On Roller Skates” exhibition (at GWL from Saturday 22nd September until Saturday 13th October) I attended the “Chaos On The Clyde” championship in Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall at the weekend there where Glasgow Roller Derby played host to the London Rockin’ Rollers, the Stuttgart Valley Roller Girlz, the Sheffield Steel Rollergirls, the Leeds Roller Dolls and the Auld Reekie Roller Girls from Edinburgh. It was my task to interview women about their experiences of being a part of the fastest growing sport in the world and what it means to them. What amazed and inspired me was that, despite the diversity of women I spoke to, there were many common themes. All talked of the supportive family and community that roller derby has brought to their lives – some have a “derby wife”, a fellow skater who has come up the ranks with them from their days as “fresh meat” and “newbies” as they do their “mins” (each new skater must complete a period of training and practice where they learn the rules and gain experience before being considered for advancement within the league) but most find camaraderie and friendship in their team. Women who for various reasons have previously shunned more traditional avenues of sport for women and fitness now find themselves talking enthusiastically about cross training and diet. One of the attractions of roller derby is that any woman, no matter what her height, weight or age can find a role, as a solid blocker, a commanding pivot or a nifty agile jammer. Or if competition is not for them, a role can be found in refereeing or officiating or providing support in promotion, merchandising and other varied support roles. A lot of people first became aware of the resurgence of roller derby via Drew Barrymore’s 2009 film “Whip It”. Although it portrayed some of the aspects of the sport well, roller derby has rapidly come from the mini skirts, fishnets and exhibitionism to become an extremely physical, and fast moving full-contact display of athleticism and tactics. Gameplay is fast and furious with points being racked up as jammers pass the pack and negotiate the defences of the opposing team. There is still a grassroots element to the game, with players and supporters feeling a great sense of investment – one woman stated to me that there cannot be many activities where someone coming in can possibly influence the growth and development from the ground up. There remains a strong “handmade” element to roller derby – many teams are funded by cake stalls and the sale of badges, t-shirts and stickers designed by their own players – but this is not to its detriment and in fact adds to the feeling that women have that this is “theirs”. However, there is an acceptance, albeit reluctant that the sport is developing professionally and the need for commercial sponsorship is a fact of life especially with the prospect of inclusion in the 2020 Olympics. Roller derby isn’t for the faint-hearted – the women I interviewed gleefully catalogued their bumps and scrapes. Torn ligaments and sprains are common and one captain described the horrors of witnessing a team member suffer a spiral fracture. Colleagues and friends have to be reassured that injuries are as a result of roller derby and nothing more sinister. Bruises are worn with pride and in a world where overpaid footballers seem to crumble to the most minor of gashes, the ability of roller women to bounce back is admirable. The sport is well regulated – the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA or “woof-ta-da” as it’s affectionately known) is the world governing body and its rules are adhered to, to the letter and enforced by a backbone of referees. The future does look bright for roller derby. Although many teams still practice in woefully inadequate community halls – space is difficult to find as by its nature, a solid floor that can take some punishment is needed and venues are reluctant to have their pristine woodwork scuffed – there are moves to provide more purpose built venues for both training and competition bouts and there is even a petition to encourage Glasgow City Council to open up the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome to skaters! A main challenge is youth development – many leagues would love to have junior teams but issues of insurance and disclosure prevent already cash-strapped teams from including it in short-range plans. However, the benefits to young women in terms of the boost to self-confidence and fitness cannot be overlooked and in a country still in the post-Olympic afterglow any funding opportunities should be grasped and exploited. For me, roller derby is the true leveller – beyond the rivalry and competitiveness there is true spirit of internationalism and boundary crossing, of breaking free of societal constraints and expectations where women can fasten on a helmet, pads and skates and for sixty exhilarating minutess, be a warrior on wheels. And that is surely worth preserving and promoting. The Revolution On Rollerskates opens at the Glasgow Women's Library, 15 Berkeley Street Glasgow G3 7BW (round the corner from the Mitchell Library)on Saturday 22nd September at 2pm and runs on Monday to Friday from 10am to 4.30pm until the 13th October and entry is free. For more information call 0141 248 9969 or visit http://womenslibrary.org.uk/event/revolution-on-roller-skates-exhibition/. The National Museum of Roller Derby is made up solely of donations. To donate to our exhibition or to find out more please visit http://nmrd.org.uk/ or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/rollerderbymuseum.

Glasgow Roller Derby play their first bout of the new season against the Gent Go-Go Rollergirls from Belgium at the ARC sport centre near Caledonian University on Saturday 8th September. For more info visit http://glasgowrollerderby.com/glasgow-080912/ Images(C)Ellie Harrison/ NMRD 2012