A Side Note about Roller Derby

I know this is a blog about all things related to the movie Science Sex and the Ladies, but I want to talk about another movie instead - just cause I'm excited about it. Whip it is a movie about Roller Derby - and that's all I need to know. I hope it's a good movie - female written, directed, and about a grass roots female driven sport. Any one of those things on their own is rare, but all 3 together - ridiculously unheard of. I'm pulling for this movie, and will be seeing it tonight.

Besides, I truly and deeply love Indianapolis's own Roller Derby team - the Tornado Sirens of the Naptown Roller Girls League. They, and please check them out here, had their 1st bout in 2006. This is their 4th season, and they just keep getting better. They officially became part of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, and continue to play ever increasingly tough teams from all over the country. The bouts are loud, fun, raucous events, with a wide variety of folks in attendance: old people, little kids, rockabilly types, punk types, artsy types, suburban types, trashy types - all loving it. In fact, I believe if you went there, you would see someone you know - unexpectedly. That's just what happens cause all kinds of people try it out just for the novelty of it, but then they get hooked. Plus Naptown Roller Girls are badass at marketing, so they get the word out to all parts of the Indy community. I randomly saw an old high school teacher (with her friends and child), my godfather (with his fellow mechanics from his shop), AnC’s movie buff friends from the IFS, old cast and crew, fellow biologists from work among many others. Someone I went to high school with and hadn’t seen for years sang the National Anthem there.

It takes a little time to really figure out what's going on, but once you can follow it and can see their strategies - it's awesome. I recommend attending a bout to anyone. In fact even more now: This season they have moved into the Pepsi Coliseum. They had been in the Blue Ribbon Pavilion at the Fairgrounds. It was nice, but eventually the crowds had been getting so big that it became almost uncomfortable to watch. They got too popular. They had to turn fans away at the door for some bouts, so you had to get their early to make sure you got in and super super early to make sure you got a good seat or a seat at all. Now they’re in a bigger place with better seating. We just bought tickets to their first bout in November.

If you are not from Indy, just look around, there is probably a Roller Derby team very near you. I have to say, though, that I've heard Indy fans support their Roller Derby team a lot better than many other cities do, so you might not find the same crowds we have. What can I say; Indy has its own kind of awesomeness.