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factor—and can become even clearer after particularly aggres
sive bouts. Cooper, who tutors kindergartners as her day-job,
says an injury she sustained in the September bout surprised
her co-workers.
*1 had a black eye from our last bout and I came in and all
my kids were so freaked out and my supervisor was like, 'What
happened to you?" says Cooper, laughing. "It can get kind of
awkward to walk around school with a black eye."
For Felts, the rollergirl persona outside the rink is exciting,
but it took time for her to truly engage with her fierce alter-
ego when it came to hits during bouts and scrimmages.
"It was hard for me to hit people hard, especially when
they're not paying attention, but that's kind of my job, being a
blocker, to see those people who aren't being effective and use
it against them," says Felts. "When someone's got their head
in the other direction and I know I'm about to lay them out,
I feel a little bad about it, but I just had to learn that people
out here expect hard hits. It's just part of the game."
“1 Q team strives to create a comfortable learning
I 'r'Vp* environment for new and experienced skaters to
master blocking, hits and basic skills. Now that new girls are
accepted at any time, practices demand patience and under
standing from the team as a whole.
"(Practice) can be a little innovative sometimes to make
sure that everyone's included and learning, because you don't
want to make it too easy for your skaters that are well-skilled,
you want them to be able to get a good practice, but you also
don't want to make it so hard that your newer people aren't
effectively learning," says Felts. "A lot of times we try to do
some stuff together, like warm-ups, and then we'll kind of split
practice. Then it just takes patience and understanding and
realizing that we've all been there."
As a sport, roller derby gauges experience by skill sets in
which skaters must show proficiency before they can scrimmage
or compete in bouts, based on the Women's Flat Track Derby
Association standards and rules. Level One includes falls, stops
and striding, the basics of skating, while Level Two is focused
on endurance and includes hitting, bumping and what is now
the signature roller derby move: whipping. Once a skater has
moved on to Level Three, the focus is set on scrimmaging and
becoming "bout-ready."
"Normally, it's three to six months that you don't scrim
mage, and then when you start scrimmaging, they start you
off at SO percent, which is bumping, passive blocking or booty
blocking, which is basically when we stick our butts way out
there to stop someone. Then you go to 100 percent, when you
can prove that you're safe for your team and for yourself. One
hundred percent is, basically, we can do anything to you that's
within the confines of the rules," says Cooper.
During the three to six months, the new girls—called 'fresh
meat" by the vets—are training; they're also working to find
a niche in the group. Although many skaters are recruited by
friends, the world of roller derby—on and off the track—can
be intimidating to a newbie.
"A lot of them didn't know me and I didn't know them, and
they were already such a dose group of girls that I was afraid
of stepping on toes and coming into other people's territories,"
says Eggiman. 'But they accepted me; they accepted everyone.
It's just an awesome group of friends, and I know the/U be
around for the long haul. It keeps me coming back—no matter
how stressed out I get, I try toonake this a top priority."
The team dynamic is an unusual one, as these women vary
in age and experience. While one may be worried about com
pleting her thesis, another may be concerned about getting
home to her children. The connections made on the team have
encouraged Cooper to incorporate roller derby into her future
plans.
"I actually hope to be doing this for a really long time, or
at least until my knees just fall off, which I don't think will
happen for a long time," says Cooper. "Anywhere I move, if
I leave Athens, I will definitely be able to find a roller derby
team, or start one."
|“0 _ Classic City Roliergirts have their last home bout
I Mp of the year on Saturday; Nov. 6 and hope to have
the same enthusiasm from the crowd as their September bout
While the RoUergiris may be intimidating on the track, the
excitement of their bouts encourages new girls to join.
"Some of the skaters that are [at practice] I saw at open
skate; and one of the girls was just trying to skate in a tilde,"
says felts. "I told her, Tick up your foot it'll help you.' She
looks at me fee Tm crazy end Tm tike, Tm serious; trust me.'
And she was like, 1 just went to get good enough to go try
out for roller derby? I told her, KMt, I'm on the teem, so you
should come check out our practices. And pick your foot up."
