Published: December 30, 2006 11:35 pm      

Rolling in the new year

Tornado Alley Rollergirls Tornado Alley Rollergirls

EDMOND — Back in the 1970s, singer Jim Croce said a roller derby queen was “the meanest hunk o’ woman anybody ever seen.”

But members of the Tornado Alley Rollergirls — a league of four local roller derby teams — don’t seem too mean, at least when they’re away from the track. They come from all walks of life and include teachers, hairstylists, restaurant managers, military wives and more.

In their “real lives,” they’re just everyday women in everyday jobs.

But once they put on the gear, it’s a different story. They’re willing to shove, push, sideswipe, block and fall, all with good style, of course. They’re skillful skaters and devoted team members, taking part in an Oklahoma City league that’s not even one year old.

Tracy Neely-Fuller of Edmond said she’s currently the oldest member in the league at age 42. She’s a single mom who owns her own house- and office-cleaning business, and she used to see the Rollergirls practicing at the skating rink when she took her two children to skate.

“They finally asked me if I wanted to practice with them,” she said.

She rummaged through her children’s stuff until she found knee and elbow pads and suited up for a few practices.

“I said, ‘I’ll do this for a little while,’” she said. “Before I knew it, I was on a team.”

She’s a member of Victory Dolls, with the skate name “F-5.” The other local teams are Cell Block #9, Homewrecking Harlots and Valkyrie Vixens.

Neely-Fuller said the image of “roller derby queen” doesn’t bother her much, but she did have a few problems publicizing her newly found sport.

“The hardest part was telling my mom,” she said. “She said, ‘Don’t tell me you’re going to join a team!’”

Too late.

Neely-Fuller said her son and daughter are quite proud of her prowess on the track.

“My daughter wants to be a Rollergirl so bad. And my son is very excited — he thinks his mom is pretty cool right now.”

The local league is a member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association and their competitions adhere to WFTDA rules and regulations.

Five players from each team skate at a time. One person is a “jammer,” and she’s the one who scores points. One skater is a “pivot,” or pace setter. The other three are called the “pack,” and it’s their job to protect their own jammer and try to prevent the other team’s jammer from

scoring.

Scoring is done by passing a skater from the other team.

Competitions are called “bouts,” made up of three periods played between the two teams. A period is 15 minutes of play, with “jams” of up to two minutes in each 15-minute period.

Skaters go through rigorous training and practice sessions, wearing four-wheeled skates — not in-line skates. Players are required to wear helmets, mouth guards, elbow and knee pads and wrist

protection.

The league is constantly recruiting new skaters, who must be at least 21 years of age, for all four teams.

And it takes a certain personality to compete in roller derby.

“It is a contact sport. It can get really rough,” Neely-Fuller said, but she added that the sport provides stress relief after a busy day.

“I have nowhere (else) I can let off steam.”

The team is building a sense of camaraderie, she said.

“Right now we’re all still learning and helping each other. We do a lot of falling down and getting back up. They start us out by teaching us how to fall correctly.”

And the teamwork does contribute to a sense of togetherness, even away from the rink.

“I just love it,” she said. “I love the — I want to call it a sisterhood. We all pull together. I’ve seen them all help each other out — it’s almost like a second family.”

The Tornado Alley Rollergirls will compete in Edmond several times in the next few months, beginning with a “Derbytaunt Brawl” exhibition at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Rockin’ Roller Rink, 14701 N. Lincoln Blvd. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door, and doors open at 6 p.m.

All four teams will be playing, and seating is limited, so Brooke Burleson, public relations director for the Rollergirls — known on the track as “Sally Strych 9” — advises spectators to arrive early and to bring a chair. All ages are welcome. Belle Isle Brewery will be selling beer at the event, and an afterparty for those age 21 and older will take place following the bout.

A portion of proceeds from the Derbytaunt Brawl will be donated to Campfire Boys and Girls.

The league will have a pre-bout party at 7 p.m. Friday at the Electric Chair Art Gallery, 6409 S. Western. Entry fee is $6 and several local bands will be playing.

The Tornado Alley league was started in April by Reagan Kloiber and eight others. There currently are about 40 skaters in the league.

Members are required to practice at least twice a week — one team practice and one league practice, at three hours each. Skaters also are required to pass a skill test.

Flat-track roller derby currently is the fastest-growing sport in the nation, Burleson said, with about 130 leagues nationwide.

“The most important thing to us is that we be taken seriously,” she said. “This is a very rough, full contact sport. Nothing is staged. The falls and bruises are very real.”

Emergency medical technicians are on hand at practices and are often required to attend to injuries. Trips to the emergency room are not uncommon for skaters.

“But injuries aside, this is the most dedicated group of girls I have ever met,” Burleson said.

“These ladies don’t get paid to do this and they are still at practice until 10 at night just to be the best that they can. They are strong, independent women and they deserve the respect of the community.”

(Alice Collinsworth may be reached via e-mail at acollinsworth@edmondsun.

com.)