Por Dave Schwab

Modern-day roller derby is here to stay

It’s like a band of sisters.

That’s how 11-year-old Nicki “Bubblegum Brawl” Davis described her team, the San Diego Juvenile Dollinquents, who squared off against Beach Cities Shark Bites in a tracked junior league roller derby match Jan. 20, held at the “Dollhouse,” a 24,000-square-foot training facility in the East Village neighborhood of Downtown San Diego.

The Juvenile Dollinquents are the all-stars of the San Diego Derby Dolls junior program, consisting of girls 7-17 years old. They played on a twin bill that evening with the San Diego Derby Dolls’ B-Level adult team, Sparks, ages 18-48, who took on the Beach Cities Sea Gals.

The matches are all part of the “new” roller derby which, in San Diego at least, is youth-focused.

Isabelle Ringer, general manager of the San Diego Derby Dolls, said the old school derby days of hair pulling and catfights staged by female competitors are long gone.

“About 12 years ago, there was a resurgence that most of us refer to as modern roller derby,” Ringer explained. “It’s an entirely different set of rules. And you’ll find an entirely different age range of people playing.”

The latest incarnation of roller derby is “a lot more like hockey, pretty intense, with a lot of physical play and a lot of contact,” noted Ringer. “There are pretty specific rules about the blocking, what part of your body you can use.”

What hasn’t changed about roller derby through the years, however, is its excitement level, and almost mesmerizing ability to engage an audience.

“You’ll still see pretty crazy stuff and you’ll see that out of both the juniors and the adults,” Ringer said.

Tom Griffen, who refereed the junior league match, agreed the sport has evolved over time.

“The difference is it’s all real now,” Griffen said of the changes. “When before, it was all made for TV. They were great athletes back then. So that’s the same. But it’s all real now.”

Asked if his job was difficult, Griffen agreed.

“You get people yelling at you,” he said. “But other than that … it’s a lot of rules. I learn something new every day.”

“Ric-A-Shea” Conley, 14, said she she’s involved in junior roller derby because, “It’s such an empowering league.”

“It empowers women, makes you stronger,” she said. “Everyone builds each other up. I love it so much. And, I made a whole new family. It’s my second home.”

Conley said the sport is helping her grow up.

“I’m so much more mature now and I’m able to have adult conversations,” she said. “Everything about it just encourages me to be who I am today.”

Two adult Derby Dolls, Selenium Falcon and Killer Groove — who is captain of the Sparks adult team — said they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but at a roller derby match once a month when their teams play.

“It’s a really interesting sport, an alternative,” said Groove. “It allows people, who aren’t normally into sports, an outlet.”

One of those outlets involves selecting a derby moniker.

“We’re real-life women, wives, mothers, all these things associated with our real names,” Groove said. “Giving us derby names gives us the ability to switch into more of our warrior roles.”

Falcon agreed that roller derby is the sport for her.

“I personally never owned a pair of skates in my childhood,” she said. “I saw my first derby match about six years ago and I chose to be a part of it and went out and bought a pair of skates. It is the most fun I’ve ever had. It’s the most mentally challenging game I’ve ever played.”

Falcon said roller derby takes strategizing “to a whole new level.”

“You’re constantly calculating every little thing that you’re doing — and changing up the plan at a second’s notice,” she said.

Kelly “Clocks’ Em” Coffey handles promotions for the Derby Dolls.

A single mom who works full-time in public relations, Coffey got involved in the sport about a year ago because she “wanted to do something different.” She’s now happy to volunteer her time helping the Derby Dolls out with their networking and social media.

“We have a website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages,” Coffey said noting it isn’t such a bad responsibility.

“The Derby Dolls are pretty much an icon in San Diego,” she said. “There are other leagues. But we’re the only one with a banked track. So it’s a lot more fun for spectators to come watch, as opposed to watching it on a flat surface. It’s more exciting when we get out there.”

February kicks off the new season for the Derby Dolls. To learn more about this exciting local, live, banked-track roller derby group and buy tickets, visit sandiegoderbydolls.com or email them at [email protected]. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram @derbydolls, and Facebook.com/SDDerbyDolls.