rid yeast infections

That's right. There's a roller derby league in Hampton Roads. Created in the 1930s, Roller Derby is one of those odd pastimes that grew out the need for a distraction during the Depression. It basically shut down in the early 70s, only continuing as a minor subculture sort of thing up until just the past few years. The sport is quickly growing in popularity all over the country. And now the HR has a bunch of Rollergirls to call their own.

How's it done? If you go to a "bout" (correct term for a match or game) without knowing the rules ahead of time, pretty much all you'll see is a bunch of girls skating around in a circle and occasionally trying to knock each other down. And while I'm sure the horny guys in the audience enjoy this spectator sport, there's a bit more to it than that. The person who scores the points is called a "jammer". She wears a big star on her helmet, starts in the back, and tries to pass as many members of the teams as possible, since that is how she scores points. One point per opposing skater that she passes. Blocking her from passing are the "blockers". Pretty self-explanatory. In front of the blockers are the "pivots". They set the pace for everyone else, keeping the speed consistent.

Those are the basic rules, which are pretty simple. Add in the various things that will get you a penalty, plus a few other intricacies and you've got yourself a game.

Add in the action of hot girls playing a full contact sport, skaters that fall into audience members laps, and the occasional girl-on-girl fight, and you've got yourself a sport.

Yes, there are fights, but they seem more fun than serious. The Dominion Derby Girls actually all train together, so even the fights are all in the name of a good time. 

The Dirty Diesel Darlins - winners of the evening (photo by Rich-Joseph Facun)

As of right now, the DDG is composed of two teams - The Dirty Diesel Darlins and the Femmes Fatales. Each of the players has a stage name of sorts - usually suggestive puns like Skank Williams, Traylor Crash and Holly GoBiteMe. The game is divided up into three periods. (Why do they call each third a "period" IN AN ALL FEMALE SPORT? One can only hope it's deliberate.) Between each period, there is some sort of entertainment. Because of my tire issues, I missed the first intermission's band, The Rats. Second intermission, however, brought something called "The Penalty Wheel".

The Penalty wheel is run by a dominatrix character, brought out to punish the girl from each team who has the highest number of penalties at this point in the game. The punishments can include dancing, arm wrestling, and a good old fashioned smackdown. This particular evening, the Price is Right wheel ended up on Chariot Racing first, and a Pillow Fight second. A what? A Pillow Fight. If one of the girls wins these little contests, she earns a point for her team.

The Femme Fatales (photo by Stuntkid)

All in all, I think I'd have to describe this evening as a mix of hockey, car racing, and burlesque. And it was surprisingly fun.

If you're braver than I am, there are several opportunities to become involved. Tryouts are in September, but you first have to go to an orientation on August 31st. Sign up by emailing freshmeat@varollergirls.com. Or you can tryout for being a referee, which is open to both men and women. But you do need to have insurance. No, seriously, you do.

(Note: The Derby Girls will be heading up to Pennsylvania to tackle the Penn Jersey She Devils on September 24th. Their local bouts will be posted in our Events Calendar as the dates get finalized.)