Roller Derby: Death-defying dames on a skate track.

The high contact sport of Roller Derby has seen a resurgence in the past decade. What once started as endurance races in the mid 1880s has evolved to the DIY, full contact, counter-culture sport of today. 

 Thanks to a New York TV deal back in 1948, Roller Derby broadcast helped increase live attendance and sell out Madison Square Garden. By the late 1950s and during the 1960s, the sport was broadcast on several networks, but attendance for matches was dwindling. Fast track some odd 20 years and America sees the 1989 debut of RollerGames, which presented the sport with more theatrics and storylines.

Roller Derby would have its last tv run with 1999's RollerJam on Spike TV, but it was obvious that the sport had it's influence in the 1975 film, Rollerball, 1998's Futuresport, and the 2002 Rollerball remake.

The majority of today's derby leagues are all female with a punk/rockabilly feminist aesthetic. Soccer moms and lawyers are putting on their knee-high socks, Dead Kennedys t-shirt, and helmets and pads for a rock-em and sock-em good time.

2009 saw Roller Derby put in the spotlight again with the film Whip It, written by Shauna Cross, basing it on her novel Derby Girl.

The film had good critical reception and helped the sport expand its fan base. The film also perfectly showed the culture of the sport and it's DIY or die attitude.

On August 8th, I'll be attending my first Roller Derby match as two local teams to my area, The Acadiana Roller Girls and The Cajun Rollergirls, continue their rivalry. This is all for a good cause, as the teams are collecting school supplies with the local United Way  and hope to "stuff" a school bus with supplies.