Cape Girardeau Roller Girls join growing roller derby trend

Most people spend their days avoiding injury and trying to walk without tripping or falling, but a group of mostly women have recently started spending their Monday nights learning to fall and loving their injuries.

The Cape Girardeau Roller Girls practice from 6 to 9 p.m. Mondays in the Arena Building and are still welcoming other women into a sport team members say has helped their self-esteem, state of mind and general boredom.

With pads and helmets, they skate in a circle and drop at the tweet of a whistle, just to pop up and do it again. The girls with injuries prowl the sidelines during their restricted activities and then jet out to participate in drills when they can.

Roller derby leagues have been growing since the early 2000s, according to the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, the regulating organization that started in 2004. The WFTDA lists 78 member leagues around the country and dozens of apprentice leagues that haven't qualified yet.

After seeing the recent roller derby movie "Whip It," Marcia Herring took a trip with Julie Moser and Ben Marxer to see the Southern Illinois Roller Girls in a bout, or game.

"'Whip It' made it look fun, but seeing the game in person really made it seem like something incredible," said Herring, who dubbed herself "Sylvia Smash."

"I thought it was really surprising, the unique combination of sexuality and aggressiveness," she said.

Herring, Moser and Marxer started a Cape Girardeau Roller Girls fan page on Facebook in late winter and have attracted nearly 600 fans so far.

"We said we would start small, but everyone started responding and now we're here," Moser said. When on skates, she goes by "Bobbie Soxx."

The league has about 35 women and six referees -- male and female. When the group grows and the members skate better, have USA Roller Sports Insurance and feel ready, they will break up into teams to engage in bouts on a more local level.

Bouts are split into jams. In a jam, 10 skaters from two teams are on the rink at one time. On each team, one woman is a jammer who tries to make it through pack, around the rink and through the pack again. Three women are blockers, who try to stop the opposing jammer, and one women is a pivot, who starts as a blocker, but can take over as a jammer if the original jammer passes the position over to her.

Once a jammer is out of the pack and makes a lap to catch the pack again, she earns a point for every opposing player she passes. The first jammer out of the pack is designated the lead jammer and has the option to end the jam at any time. If she doesn't call it, the jam ends after two minutes.

The Cape Roller Girls plan to have an exhibition game and play each other in November. The bout will be in the Arena Building.

Moser said the team is satisfied with its practice space, but would like a secondary location like a warehouse.

In order to be prepared and have the most productive practices over the summer, the league is closing enrollment after the June 7 practice. Because of a scheduling conflict, they will not practice Monday, but Moser said women can come to the June 7 practice and be a part of the league as long as they have made the commitment -- paid dues and have padding and equipment.

"Be ready to go. Be ready to skate," she said.

Hannah "Insanahanna" Hart said she was ready to go from the beginning.

"I came to the second [practice] and I've been here ever since," she said, adding roller derby is good for "getting the aggression out" and getting in shape.

"You got to be in shape to do this," she said. "If you're not, you will be."

Hart, a stay-at-home mom with a 9-year-old son and an 8-month-old daughter, said she has always played soccer and been active. She coaches soccer and baseball and helps with Boy Scouts for her son. She said her husband was less than thrilled with her decision to join the roller derby league.

"He thought I was insane," she said. "I think now that he sees how much I get out of it, he's happier."

Hart said she used to watch roller derby on TV when she was younger.

"I always thought it looked supercool," she said. "It was empowering to see women doing it."

It's been empowering for her to participate as well. Since starting roller derby, Hart said she has better self-esteem, physical strength, mental awareness and a "better frame of mind."

charris@semissourian.com

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