Roller bout gets blood pumping

By Emma Sun
ROLLER Derby fever will rock the Greater Dandenong region again in 2011 with the commencement of its first bout at the Springers Leisure Centre in Keysborough.
The date for the curtain-raising bout, called the Slam It Janet: The Blocky Horror Show, has been set, which will see the Cutthroat Charmers face off against the Dolly Rogers.
Crowd favourites Harmin’ Miranda, Mad Mel Arena, Em C Hammer and Nurse Pain are back, along with new Charmers Flyin’ Nun Chucker and Toe Cutter and Dolly’s Dani Darko and Pacmanda.
Roller Derby is a competitive all-girl sport and has been around for over 50 years.
South Sea Roller Derby player “Ale Mary” Bolling said roller derby could be violent, but it is a very technical sport.
“It’s a race on wheels, but an almost full contact race where two teams will each have a racer and all their opponents are essentially trying to take them out,” Ale Mary said
“It takes a lot of preparation because a lot of girls come to the sport not even very confident with their roller skating and it takes about a year between joining and being able to compete. It’s a whole new skill base.”
Every bout has a theme, and Ale Mary said they usually revolve around a bad pun, which the girls have a lot of fun playing around with.
“As well as the technicalities of derby, there’s the theatre and drama with violence, which seems to sum up what we’re offering quite well,” she said.
“A lot of coloured hair, a bit of fake blood never goes astray. We do a lot of skating in full make-up so this time the make-up will be very over the top to go with the theme.
“It’ll be a night people won’t forget.”
Watch the Slam It Janet: The Blocky Horror Show roller derby bout on Saturday 19 March. Doors open at 7pm and the bout commences at 8pm.
The Springers Leisure Centre is located at 400 Cheltenham Road in Keysborough.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. For more information, to book tickets or for future bout dates, visit www.southsearollerderby.com.