Rollergirls

Last night, the co-signer and I went to see the Rat City Rollergirls roller derby event. It was really fun and good family entertainment. Seriously. It was an interesting crowd watching spectacle. Lots of different types of people gathered together to watch a sport that really died after the 1970s only to be revived in the last couple of years. It was good entertainment.

I got there at the end of the first half (after working all day). The event was sold out, but I wasn't the last person arriving. Hanger 27 at Magnuson Park is spacious enough to easily handle the event complete with beer garden, merchandise booths, bleachers, track, scoreboard, video screens, a very good lighting rig, and food court. My first stop was the beer garden as it was a hot day and I was a tad tired from work. I had a beer and then followed it up with a "Roller Rita" which did not spare the tequila. Perfect.

We took our seats before the second half. Not having a favorite team, I just wanted to kick back and watch the spectacle of something I'd only ever seen on television before. I've got to say it again - it was fun. The girls skating were a variety of ages and body types. This wasn't just skinny chicks or Amazon women showing some leg for the boys. There were petite girls as well as large ones. They all had their rolls on their respective teams. Also, they all worked their collective asses off skating around the ring in shifts of 2 minutes each and battling each other for position.

Lest one think that this is theater, these women skated and fought hard. I saw some really hard knocks and some bruising falls. One woman was clipped in front and took what appeared to be a really painful blow to her breasts. The set up allows for people to sit ring side and there is only a short, flimsy barrier to mark the track boundary. This meant that on occasion one of the girls would be knocked off of the track and onto the ring side spectators. As they say on the ticket stub: Roller Derby is dangerous.

That said, what could be more wholesome entertainment than seeing women skating around in skimpy (read: camp) uniforms during a full contact sport? Really, you've got to see it. A band plays a warm up gig. A DJ spins rock music throughout the event. Cheesy announcers making classic, 70s-era inspired comments, mascots, the score whore, the cacophonous echo of the hanger. It all adds up to good times. I'm tempted to go see them next month at the Seattle Storm game, but the co-signer tells me that we've got a wedding to go to that night..