3 teams on 8 wheels: Derby rolls on in Chattanooga
A culture of inclusivity and fierce physicality on the track put Chattanooga Roller Derby in a league of its own.
By William Newlin
Roller derby practice gets loud. It’s the sound of skates on a basketball hardwood, shouted drilling instructions, and the unmistakable screech of braking as players stop, pivot, and glide on. Chattanooga Roller Derby’s (CRD) twice-weekly sessions build the endurance and finesse needed for their weekend bouts against regional competitors.
For team members without derby experience, the gym at Orange Grove Center in Glenwood is a needed testing ground to go from wobbling to whooshing.
“We’ve all been there,” said Ricochet, a captain on CRD’s B-Railers. “Being like Bambi on the track to finding your feet and everything.”
Before the league’s slate of practices and bouts, annual boot camps acclimate new members to the eight-wheeled mayhem of derby, a full contact sport featuring all-women teams duking it out on flat tracks.
There, they learn rules, safety measures, and team logistics like dues, equipment needs, and even community service requirements.
Being a self-funded, all-volunteer league distinguishes derby from the more high-profile (and paid) sports organizations in Chattanooga. But that's not the only difference between the Lookouts and Chattanooga Football Club and roller derby competitors. Equal parts on-track ferocity and off-the-clock camaraderie, the subculture of derby is in a league of its own.
“These women go hard for two hours, and then you’ll have a drink together,” said 62-year-old truck driver and local derby fan Bill Phillips. “As soon as the whistle blows, it’s all over. That blows my mind.”
'Radically open'
Big personalities and spotlights for women athletes have defined roller derby since it began almost a century ago with coed teams. By the 1960s-1970s, it had morphed into a theatrical spectacle akin to wrestling (or more accurately, “wrasslin’”, said Phillips, who used to watch with his grandfather).
Its renaissance as a women-only sport, complete with gaudy outfits and campy nicknames, emerged a couple decades ago. As derby has grown, it’s become more organized and less whimsical. Currently, Chattanooga ranks No. 60 of 453 leagues in the international Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association, which includes teams from Tucson to Tokyo.
“The sport is kind of evolving,” said CRD veteran Goldie, now in her ninth season of competition. “A lot of players are going by their last name. They’re keeping it more on the legit side.”
Fishnets might still make an appearance, though, and Chattanooga’s rosters are full of eccentric alter egos, some with more pun-forward aliases than others (AdrenEllen, Midwife Crisis, Princess Slaya, etc.).
The faux intimidation of their names point toward the aggressiveness of derby bouts. Shouting, shoving, and scrumming is all part of the game. But beefs on the track — even the occasional illegal elbow — don’t carry over into the after-parties.
“You have people from all different religions, politics, everything. But nobody thinks about that,” said B-Railers captain Slim Reaper. “It's just, ‘This is derby.’ We all have that in common, and it's kind of healed everybody's soul.”
Phillips was drawn to both the unabashed physicality and the inter-term support within derby. He said it attracts people who might not be accepted elsewhere, highlighting the performance of a trans athlete on CRD as “just another member of the team.”
“It’s a fairly tight-knit community,” Phillips said. “But it’s open. It’s radically open to anyone. I don’t care who you are, what you are, how you think — as long as you’re a decent person, come on.”
'Kind of underground'
Some fans, such as Phillips, are regular faces — he said he once coordinated with his supervisor to park his truck in New Orleans and surprise the team at a road bout. And while curious newcomers keep discovering CRD at their home track at Camp Jordan Arena, it’s not yet fully mainstream in Chattanooga.
“I do hear all the time, like anytime anyone hears that I play derby, they're like, ‘Oh, I didn't know Chattanooga had a team,’” Ricochet said. “It’s still kind of underground.”
However, she said a renewed interest in roller skating generally has brought more attention, and more players, to the team. With more than 40 skaters, CRD is fielding its biggest lineup in league history.
Another part of its growth is CRD’s ability to develop members of all skill levels. Before their boot camps, Ricochet, Slim Reaper, and Goldie didn’t have skating experience beyond casual outings and birthday parties at Hamilton Skate Place.
Goldie, who’s a nurse when she’s not dodging defenders as the All-Stars’ jammer (lead offensive player), said she found out about the league through a coworker. Not one to back away from a challenge, she caught the tail end of a boot camp and was jamming after a few bouts.
“Just dive headfirst. Don’t be afraid,” she said. “If you're coming to Chattanooga, we're going to teach you everything you need to know, especially in regards to safety. Go into it, have fun, work hard, don't give up. But just do it.”
After a disappointing opener, CRD’s next home contest is on June 10 at Camp Jordan. Two adult teams, the All-Stars and the B-Railers, as well as a junior team, the Ruby Regulators, will compete in a slate of bouts from 2-9 p.m.
The next junior boot camp will run from June 16-July 9, and the league is looking for new skating and non-skating officials to referee bouts. Visit Chattanooga Roller Derby on Facebook for league updates.
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