‘Like football on skates’: Kinship attracts women to roller derby

The rumble of wheels and a shrill whistle echoed through the gym as about 10 women tried to learn how to race on skates for the contact sport of roller derby.

If you’re looking to learn the sport, which saw its popularity decline in the 1970s and rebound more recently, this is the place to be. Every month, the women of the Fabulous Sin City Rollergirls league hold boot camps at their practice gym, a facility known as the “Fab Lab” that the team rents at 4405 E. Colton Ave. It’s here that women — some of whom had never been on skates before — learn what the sport is all about.

Roller derby is complicated, said team Vice President Lesley Green, otherwise known by her derby name, Nitro Glistenin’.

She said the rules of the league, a founding member of the overarching Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, call for no elbowing, punching, fighting or tripping. Only certain parts of the body can get hit, or players receive time in the penalty box. The team competes on weekends, usually traveling in January through June.

“It’s kind of like football on skates,” Green said. “It’s very challenging.”

And it’s not all speeding around a track. During matches and competitions, points are earned by the “jammer” passing the opposing team’s players. The “pivot” player directs the “blockers,” who try to prevent the opposing team from passing. That’s where the contact comes into play.

But the newbies at the July 19 boot camp weren’t there to learn how to be a pivot, jammer or blocker. They learned basic skills such as falling on their knee pads, stopping, scooter pushes and backward skating.

Most of the interested women watched from the sidelines, while two others strapped on skates and went around the track with the experienced players, wobbling a little but smiling.

“We came up with these boot camps to try to get people interested,” Green said. “(For some) this was their first time putting on skates.”

Previously, the only way to join the league, which is made up of different-level travel and practice teams, was to show up at the beginning of the “Fresh Meat” program and jump in. All players must pass a basic skills test to graduate from the program and try out for a team.

The boot camps let women just stand back and watch.

Cristina Caputo did just that, standing in the middle of the gym while the skaters moved around her. The 32-year-old said she long has dreamed of being on a roller derby team, but she didn’t have the opportunity until her recent move to Las Vegas.

“I was just looking for a community,” she said, adding that she found the Rollergirls through a Facebook search. “It’s really nice to have the option to come and see what it takes.”

Caputo said she would in-line and ice skate as a child but has no other experience related to roller derby. Although players don’t get to pick their roller derby name until they graduate from “Fresh Meat,” Caputo said she was considering Apple Bottom Bumper.

She said what draws her to the sport is supportive, diverse women.

Wendy Nickel, a 56-year-old nutrition therapist and massage therapist wearing a silver glitter headband, said she was also impressed by the sense of support.

“I wanted to see what they do, and I love to support girls and girl sports,” she said.

Nickel said she was a speed skater in high school and is still involved in sports through off-road racing. She only observed during the boot camp, to determine if she could handle the sport without major injuries.

“We need each other, and I think this is a good way to bond and help with self-esteem and confidence,” she said, while watching a senior member steady a skater donning a turquoise helmet.

The skater, Melissa Porch, said her girlfriend persuaded her to come to the boot camp after she had practiced with the team for a few months.

“She’s always talking about it, and I wanted to try it,” she said.

It was the first time the 26-year-old had tried the roller derby skates, but she enjoyed learning.

“It was just a different sensation with four wheels instead of a line,” she said. “I definitely recommend it for people that want to come out and learn new things.”

For Green, the women who call her Nitro and meet up for practice three times a week have kept her coming back for four years.

“I’ve honestly met people who I know are going to be in my life for a really, really long time,” she said.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.