Derby Girlz Starting A League of Their Own

Me telling my 'classmates' at the meeting to pipe down so we can hear everyone.

I checked out a Midcoast Roller Derby meeting this past weekend at Lincoln Street in Rockland. Unlike the rest of you taking MLK off, I’ve still got deadlines, so here’s my quick ‘n dirty rundown.

• It’s already a kick-ass homegirl bonanza. More than 40 women (ages 18-to over-40) showed up from all over the Midcoast. (I loved that we had to sign in by typing our names and phone numbers on an old manual typewriter.) From stay-at-home moms to artists, waitresses, bakers, teachers, and business women, you could see that the underlying thread to this meeting wasn’t just about donning skates and letting our inner “Whip It” personalities fly on the flat track, --it was about high energy, physicality, sisterhood, and FUN. In the words of Hard Dash, the meeting's organizer,  this is intended to be “a real, supportive encouraging environment. This is ours—we own this.”

• Some real work is needed before girls can think about what they’re going to have for a funky costume and a derby name. That’s like picking out the drapes to a house you haven’t built yet. We will be separate from the Portland League (I also hear there is a Bangor League starting too.) This will be a full on Midcoast Roller Derby League—an actual company with insurance, taxes, dues, infrastructure, a governing committee, and hard, physical training twice a week. In other words, we’re nowhere near announcing our next bout yet. We got some serious building, research and work to do. I hope that doesn’t separate the wheat from the chaff, but it just means those who are serious about getting this league together will need to put their time, energy and money in—and not just on a used pair of skates.

• We’ve had a lot of requests for “Waterboys” (Sully, we saw you peeking in the meeting!) and every guy I’ve talked to about it this weekend has been just as supportive as the women. We have almost 100 group members on Facebook. It’s just clear that this Roller Derby League is one more rad thing happening in Rockland that has slowly made this little town evolve into a mini Seattle or Portland with every new creative venture. I can’t tell you how gratifying it feels to be part of it—As one member of the meeting said, “Girls on skates, come on! It’s gonna be so much fun!”

Stay tuned for more derby news on The Killer Convo.