Skate Like A Girl

Justa Hotmess. Poise & Bury. TT Twister. Ms. Sippi Queen. Sir Blox-a-lot. Michi-Gang$ter.

More than slang nicknames, these titles are a badge of individuality. Plays on words, puns that reflect their personalities, their playing styles, their place in the team culture. Each is emblazoned on the back of the jerseys they wear as they lace up their skates and step into the persona that lets them abandon the stresses of everyday life and just play.

“You gain a lot of street cred just by saying, ‘I play roller derby,’” says skater Poise & Bury from Pensacola’s West Florida Roller Derby.

But roller derby is more than cool names and women on skates hip checking each other as they jockey for position on the track. It’s grit, determination, strength, agility, teamwork, competitive spirit, strategy, and community.

Photos by Angela Percy Photography

“With any sport, there’s the obvious physical strengthening that happens, but it’s also incredibly empowering,” says Poise & Bury. “It’s a huge confidence and self-esteem booster for all body types. The timid find their voice; the weak become strong.”

Consequently, the teambuilding that happens on the track is something that carries over into other aspects of life for these women.

“We are all very supportive of our team members both on and off the track,” says TT Twister, a derby skater with Panama City’s Sugar Sands Roller Derby. “This sport is all about raising each other up with patience and support—especially during injuries, when a player may feel the most down. All for one, and one for all!”

Though most would consider roller derby fairly modern, the sport has been around for nearly a century, having first emerged in the ’30s as roller skating races and eventually evolving into a full-contact sport. During the Great Depression, it became widely popular as an inexpensive form of entertainment and reached peak popularity in the 1940s.

Over the next 30 years, the sport experienced a decline as derby teams shifted toward scripted play and theatrical performances. But after another three decades, roller derby experienced a revival when, in 2001, female-only leagues in Austin, Texas began skating on flat tracks.

The resurgence gave rise to nonprofit leagues across the country. Today, the sport continues to grow under the guidance of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).

Photos by Angela Percy Photography

Getting on the track might feel intimidating, but there is an incredible sense of inclusion and camaraderie that encourages even the most beginner-level skaters to find a sense of self-empowerment.

“I didn’t even know how to skate before I showed up for my first practice,” says West Florida Roller Derby skater Sin-der-Hella. “If you’re looking for a community of people who will fully accept you for who you are and will help you grow, derby is that community. It does not matter your skill level or age.”

Michi-Gang$ter, skater with Panhandle United Roller Derby in Fort Walton Beach, notes the league’s entry-level training program that teaches basics like how to skate and fall.

“The team allows people to join right where they’re at in life,” Michi-Gang$ter says. “The training gets skaters outside of their comfort zone, and they fall in love with the community and how they progress as a skater in the sport.”

And derby athletes gain benefits beyond basic skating skills and game play knowledge.

“It even has overlap with self-defense; mentally, it’s even more,” says skater Poise & Bury. “Our players play derby to stay sober, to find their strength after leaving abusive relationships, to release their anger or mom-rage, fight depression, navigate neurodivergence, and everything in between.”

Naturally, practice is a big part of the sport.

“We have concise, busy, fun, and constructive practices twice a week,” says Poise & Bury. “We use a well-oiled plan of warm-ups, drills, skills, and derby spills. A typical practice is sweaty and intense.”

Photos by David Baird of Midnight Deadline Photography

Poise & Bury says the West Florida Roller Derby league starts with warmups and stretching before moving onto endurance, footwork, and game play drills. The last 30 minutes of practice are scrimmaging.

“It depends on the practice how many times skaters hit the floor—there’s usually a lot more falls with new drills, and falls during practice are typically accompanied by laughter,” Poise & Bury says. “Some skaters never hit the floor once, and others are on the floor the whole night. The key is to fall properly, and get up quick!”

Whether you’re a newbie on skates or a seasoned pro, roller derby welcomes you with open arms—and maybe the requisite bruise or two. 

What’s it All About?

Roller Derby is played on a flat, oval track. Play is broken up into two 30-minute periods, with each period broken into units of two-minute game play called jams, with 30 second breaks between jams. During a jam, each team fields up to five skaters. Four of these skaters are called blockers. Together, the blockers are called the pack. The other player is the jammer, marked by a star on their helmet. The teams’ respective jammers start each jam at the back of the pack and score a point for every opposing blocker they lap, each lap. Because they start behind the pack, they must pass the pack before attempts at lapping begin.

Photos by David Baird of Midnight Deadline Photography

Setting the Standard

The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the international governing body of women’s flat track roller derby, representing more than 400 member leagues on six continents. The WFTDA sets the international standards for
rankings, rules,
and competition each year and provides guidance and resources to the sport of flat track derby.

Learn more at WFTDA.com.

Find more information on roller derby leagues in your area.

Pensacola
West Florida Roller Derby: WestFloridaRollerDerby.com

Panama City
Sugar Sands Roller Derby: SugarSandsRD.wixsite.com/ssrd

Fort Walton Beach
Panhandle United Roller Derby: PanhandleUnitedRollerDerby.com