Roller Derby Wheels Into Fashion

After three decades, across the U.S., women's roller derby leagues are again becoming a popular way to blow off steam, reports Michelle Gielan.

[@willboywonder]

I grew up on this. My grandmother and me watched this every Saturday afternoon back in the early 70s.

[@friendlyporkchop]

Roller derby is an incredible sport! I just started with junior derby and it's incredible how good it feels to spend a few hours at practice or a bout and just forget about everything else in your life, to knock someone down and be knocked down only to find you can get right back up again.

[@NinaDulceQT]

I'm trying out for roller derby in a month!! I'm so excited and nervous at the same time!

[@derbygirl121]

I am so glad Roller Derby is getting more popular. im in a junior league and im totally in love with it and i can't wait to progress up into the older league ♥

[@ScorpioBornIn69]

I remembered this sport and one of the CHiPs episodes had this sport. Talk about a sport that really has no rules; elbowing, punching, pushing and kicking. Makes hockey look like child's play.

[@pandachick90]

@BethieBlood If your in Illinois, there's a Jr. League for the Southland Slashers. We skate out of Coal City, and there's one in Chicago too.

[@ColorOfCatVomit]

@BethieBlood Why wait? There are junior leagues all over the country. I started at 18 and wish I had decided to do it earlier!

[@SirenVoyager]

omg! that looks so fun!

[@RiyleStar]

OMG I SO WANT TO DO ROLLER DERBY NOW!!!!

[@CallMyName211]

dude...I totally wanna do roller durby now...

[@LindaMurphyEricsson664]

it IS fun! Agree with the first post here, they could have mentioned the rules.. I skate for the London Rockin' Rollers, in London (surprise I hear) and we all LOVE it! Going up to Glasgow in days for our first bout of the season! Fingers crossed please! Kit Kat Power x

[@Kelsie154]

I've been skating for 13 years... and I don't use padding... so it tends to hurt a little more. :P I think it'd be so hard to skate with all that padding. but i've always wanted to do roller derby. :)

[@kitkatpattywhack]

GOD I 'd love to do try it out!!! I can't skate on rollerskates!!! DANG IT!

[@vanillagoat]

Holy fuck, I so want to play this. -__- It sucks living in Australia, because there's no junior leagues near that I can play for, so I've got four more years to train up before I can play. D:

[@Vincered333]

Love roller derby, but I took offence to them saying that the 8 track was dead.

[@cpcoasternut]

my grandma would use to watch this when they had it out, and some girls got into a fight where they would beat the crapout of them off the track and beat them with trash cans

[@Jeff4congress]

As a roller derby referee who has to keep up with the practice schedule and sees what actually happens in a bout if you think that this is not physically demanding I challenge you to try it. There are men's teams out there too, fear not, you wont have to challenge your pride by getting beat up by a girl.

[@BethieBlood]

@ColorOfCatVomit Well not where I live sadly. I live in Ozark, AR

[@pandachick90]

its changed a lot from the old derby. All that stuff is illegal, but its actually a bit harder because instead of getting hit with an elbow you get body checked. It still makes hockey look pretty childish though :)

[@Qetzalicious]

"I don`t care bear" xD super cool nick ... lovit :D

[@thylacinelove]

Holla from the Fort Myers Derby Girls!!

[@BethieBlood]

I would love to be a derby girl when I'm older :)

[@moochie987]

this is awesome ever since i was little i wanted to be a roller durby girl! i know understand why people do it! i could never find a team! thought it was non existant till now! anyone know of a local 909 team

[@QcrgNetNY]

If your ever in WNY come check us out! Slugs and Kisses, The Queen City Roller Girls

[@Powerfistsguk]

what state do you live in?

[@Aznar245]

like female fight club.. love it

[@HALOGLITCHES43]

@squeakyla lol im not playing roller derby XD but i get your point...

[@jenni0206]

No. You must skate on quad skates for derby

[@evilcreature3]

i wanna do this :)) it looks like fun! i just dont know how to skate :( but i can skateboard :D is it almost the same?

[@Bronwin1231231231232]

I want to be a roller derby girl

[@hiphopgurlere]

do yu not think its a bit dangerous that theres no barriers when they're playing at 0.33??

[@Hidjdjdj]

so basically you skate around and knock people down? sounds fun. i might try it when i get older.

[@toastersstoast]

okay, I've decided this looks stupid to me. Therefore, I've acquired respect for roller derby girls for doing what they like regardless of how it looks for someone who's never done it.

[@squeakyla]

@squeakyla p.s. I've seen vids of the men's leagues and they're terrible. They say there's sports only men are cut out for, well, there's the opposite too. :)

[@monkeyjunki]

Im think about joining a rollar derby team. Anyone have any tips? please email me with any tips you have. Thanks

[@VictoriaCreeper]

@millerliteisgud Make signs for her! She'll love that!

[@squeakyla]

@HALOGLITCHES43 I don't play sports because I'm a lazy bum (hey, I'm admitting it.) I plan to change that when I have the stress of 12th grade off my shoulders. So I can't make judgements about what is more demanding than another. However, if those sports are harder, that doesn't mean roller derby isn't hard. If you play roller derby and all those other sports, only then can you make a clear judgement about it. And yes there are men's roller derby leagues.

[@kan0shii]

@hiphopgurlere that's the 'suicide seating' area. You're warned when you sit there the risk of getting hit. Fans tend to love being smashed by a roller girl C:

[@BethieBlood]

@pandachick90 Sadly I'm in Arkansas

[@Cutiebebe22]

@dieannadior618 hahaha, i play roller derby.. NO SUCH THING AS TOO TINY.! the smallest girl on our team is HARD CORE.! you should do it, it is so FUN.! I hope you got on a team, it is the best.! :)

[@Imran92693]

thumbs up if you cam from "Kyle's" Video!!

[@DavidKlausa]

and that's about all you have to be to get on TV news...

[@systemaddictshock]

all fun and games...until you break a bone(s).

[@stopfidgetting]

Woohoo! Go Hurl Scouts!!!

[@VictoriaCreeper]

@Gloinnlight Yeah because cars are involved in roller derby...or there are roller skates involved in Mario Kart. Gay? Why don't you strap on some skates and see how gay it is.

[@sailonquickk]

The interviewer needs a helmet ladies!

[@dangergirlnga]

@moochie987 There are leagues everywhere -- just check out wftda(dot)com/leagues for one near you. Trust a derby girl -- this is a life-changing sport that you can't help but love. -fifi fleshwound, suburbia roller derby, westchester, ny

[@pandachick90]

your comment makes no sense. This is nothing like mario kart... besides the fact that there are no cars, this is real and the stuff you do is on a tv screen.

[@HALOGLITCHES43]

@squeakyla play hockey or football or lacrosse then talk to me :P

[@Nuisance_Bear]

For some reason I'm not surprised at all that most of these are white chicks.

[@sierrascott7232]

then it's not really derby...

[@sierrascott7232]

Ginger smash #17!!

[@W1ldmutt]

at least women had something to do for fun lol

[@HALOGLITCHES43]

so its a bunch of chicks going in a circle with checking? if only they were hot XD and no its not physicly demanding its not even a sport!!! hockey is a sport and physicly demanding so yeah quit the crap

[@mcmiraclevalley]

Put on nice uniforms and stop the ugly shameless outfits: