You couldn't blame Forx Roller Derby league co-founder Kelly Gray for being a little giddy Saturday night as the Grand Forks derby girls' readied for their first hometown bout at the Alerus Center. They had figured about 500 people would show up.
Instead, they got 1,200.
"This exceeds expectations. It is so exciting to see this come to fruition," said Gray, whose roller derby name is "Gray Madder."
Roller derby is a women's sport that requires skating stamina, strength, agility and strategy, but it's also a sport where participants glam up their uniforms with colorful tulle tutus, short skirts and fishnet stockings, make-up and body glitter, and give themselves names such as "Helen Killer" and "Jackie Ossassin."
Saturday's bout was the culmination of efforts begun by Gray and co-founder Cheryl Lawson ("Schmylee Rukus") last May. They found a couple dozen like-minded women and started practicing their roller skating and learning to hit and take hits properly.
ADVERTISEMENT
The evening started with a mixer, a short bout between women from the Capitol City Roller Girls, Fergus Falls (Minn.) Roller Girls, Iron Range Maidens, Dakota Derby Dolls and other roller derby organizations organized into two teams, the Prom Queens and the Carries. (The Prom Queens persevered 143-64.) That was followed by an every-woman-for-herself Queen of the Rink competition, won by a woman who called herself "SoCo Cracy," of the Williston (N.D.) Wreck Hers.
In the final bout of the evening, the Grand Forks Sugar Beaters team defeated the Deadwood (S.D.) Renegades 153-101.
The teams competed on a roller derby track outlined on the concrete floor of the Alerus arena, with fans seated in one side of the stands and sitting and standing on the floor around the track. Announcers kept the crowd informed of the action, and six or seven referees kept watch on the play.
"Are you ready for Queen of the Rink? If you want to see a little bit of pushing and a little bit of violence, it's probably going to happen," said one of the announcers, in a manner keeping with the spirit of the evening.
Gray said roller derby girls have a lot of leeway in the uniforms they wear -- "anything that will not fall off" -- but they are expected to wear all the protective gear, including helmet, mouth guard, knee and elbow pads and all the rest.
Gray said the next home bout for the Grand Forks team would be April 30 at the Alerus Center.
Reach Tobin at (701) 780-1134; (800) 477-6572, ext. 134; or send e-mail to ptobin@gfherald.com .
