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DAVID SCHICK
Clo//ic City Rollergiil/
Roll On in 2014
The athletes are fierce, the competition is spirited and
home bouts are generally packed out with passionate fans (and
always feature a full bar). Organized women's roller derby has
existed in Athens since 2006, but if this is all news to you,
take heart, friends: There is plenty of room on the bandwagon.
The 2013 season was one of the most grueling yet reward
ing for the hometown Classic City Rollergirls, a member of the
nationally recognized Women's Flat Track Derby Association
(WFTDA). Despite having to endure multiple injuries to key per
formers while navigating a difficult road schedule that included
long-distance away bouts in Charlotte, Chattanooga and
Tallahassee???and without a full-time head coach???the scrappy
squad still managed a very respectable 4-4 win-loss record.
"I think we had a great season," says last year's MVP and
team captain Elizabeth Impaler, the longest-tenured CCRG
veteran. "We held our own in most bouts, even against higher-
caliber teams, and we improved our off-the-track commitment
to fitness, which helps us take things seriously and be taken
more seriously." It was also the first season the team featured
trading cards for each member of the roster, available for pur
chase at the merch table during bouts.
It's important to remember that CCRG is an unpaid army
of women managing career, family and coursework who must
also find time for thrice-weekly practices, nine monthly bouts
and the plethora of community and civic-minded projects the
Rollergirls are known to champion. A million millionaires speak
of a love for the game every morning in the daily sports page.
Here, it isn't all lip service and public relations.
team will need to replace no less than seven skaters who saw
significant track time last season, including talented and
versatile veteran Hella BLitzgeraId and 2013 team co-captain
Mosh-ya Brady. Some skaters leave town. Some retire. Several
bolt for the seemingly greener pastures of Atlanta, which
boasts one of the perennially highest-ranked WFTDA clubs in
the country.
"I have thought a lot about turnover," says Devill. "I don't
really have a good answer for that yet. I feel like, the more
competitive we become, the more we will be able to retain
skaters. In a transient town like Athens, sometimes, if we're
lucky, we get a skater for four years. During the time that we
have them, most players have to be built from scratch."
Therein lies the unique challenge facing this outsider sport,
which has only during the past 15 years enjoyed somewhat of
a renaissance: Very few and maybe none of the athletes playing
derby at this level today are the product of a massive youth
movement. For most, roller derby didn't exist in high school,
and there was no intramural team in college. Many of the peo
ple you'll find at a CCRG Boot Camp, where the team recruits,
trains and evaluates newbies (the next camp begins Jan. 27),
are learning to skate (or skate again) for the first time.
Naturally, that begs the question: How does this year's
incoming crop of would-be jammers, pivots and blockers look?
Asked after a recent Monday night practice, fourth-year veteran
skater Louis Strongarm says, "They show up. They do the exer
cises and activities. They put forth effort, and they're excited."
MaeHamm agrees, gushing, "The newest bouting skaters that
will be making their debut [this weekend] are seriously giving
the veteran skaters a run for their money. Everyone is going to
have to step up their game and work extra hard for a spot on
the roster. It's exciting to see CCRG growing in such a positive
way. There's so much potential for 2014."
From left, Classic City rollergirls Human Missile Crisis, Lady Voldehurt, Glitterbombi, Walt Hitman and Cirque du Slay practice at Fun Galaxy.
"For us, the offseason was one week with no practices, so I
doubt we lost too much muscle," says newly elected team cap
tain Kattilac Coupe Devill, adding, "We are putting in work and
staying hungry for 2014."
Indeed, the upcoming CCRG season promises to be compel
ling for a number of reasons. For starters, the skaters now have
a head coach (Orville Red'N'Blocker) and an assistant coach
(Rock Steady). They're also poised to become the first down
town sports franchise in recent memory when they kick off the
2014 season with the annual Green vs. Black intra-squad game
Saturday at the Classic Center.
The move downtown is a huge step for CCRG, which has
played the past few seasons at Athens Arena and whose hum
ble home-bout beginnings can be traced to the former Skate-
A-Round USA (presently Fun Galaxy) on the Eastside. "I'm
definitely excited about the move to the Classic Center," shares
veteran blocker Lolli-MaeHamm. "The Arena will always have a
place in our hearts, and we may hold some events there in the
future, but we are very excited for the opportunity to accom
modate more of our fans in such a convenient location."
The most intriguing storyline to follow this season, and
perhaps the one that best defines the budding legacy of this
D.I.Y. group of girls on wheels, is roster attrition. The 2014
Longtime derby fans will undoubtedly follow CCRG this
season, but with the increased seating capacity offered by the
team's new venue, there will also be plenty of room for the
newly curious. Home bouts are scheduled for this Saturday,
as well as Apr. 19, May 31, July 19 and Aug. 23. A portion of
ticket proceeds, as always, will benefit a local nonprofit orga
nization. This weekend, you can show your support for CCRG
and the Multi-Agency Alliance for Children, a collaborative of
eight nonprofit behavioral healthcare providers united to serve
at-risk children and families in our area.
"CCRG definitely makes an effort to give back to the Athens
community," says MaeHamm. "Athens is so supportive of us,
it's the least we can do to say thanks."
David Eduardo
(??? \
WHO: Classic City Rollergirls Green v. Black Bout
WHERE: The Classic Center
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 18,7 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $12
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