Tokyo Rose of roller derby fame judges not, for she was not so judged

Retired roller derby queen Tokyo Rose watched the new movie "Whip It" with a discerning eye, but she was clearly enthralled and exhilarated. The movie sparked memories of the adrenaline rush she had skating 30 to 35 miles an hour before screaming crowds.

Tokyo Rose so enjoyed the movie that afterward she enthusiastically demonstrated how she could whip me forward during a race. Oh yes, that was a show stopper for those at the Red Rock resort's food court.

Tokyo Rose spent six years with the Los Angeles T-Birds. Like the movie's heroine, Bliss, aka Babe Ruthless, she was small, agile and fast. She was frequently the jammer, the skater who scores points by soaring past as the other team tried to block her.

You might know Tokyo Rose by another name, one a tad more serious if you met her professionally, such as during a criminal sentencing. Then you call her "Judge," as in District Judge Valorie Vega.

Vega's career as a professional on the roller derby circuit ended in 1986 when the sport conflicted with her job as a Clark County deputy district attorney. You can't skate on Saturday and still be up to interview witnesses on Sunday for a trial on Monday. So Vega, then 30, gave it up.

Although, she still glides peacefully on roller blades, she doesn't wear that distinctive flower in her hair that made Tokyo Rose so easy to identify. Her judicial persona doesn't reflect her whooping and hollering after scoring a point, part of the mandatory persona of any self-respecting roller derby queen. Vega, the mother of a 15-year-old daughter, married to Las Vegas Review-Journal gaming reporter Howard Stutz, is more sedate than her alter ego, Tokyo Rose.

Vega gave "Whip It," the first directorial effort of actress Drew Barrymore, a B for authenticity in the presentation of roller derby queens. (R-J movie critic Carol Cling gave it a B minus overall. She also suggested my roller derby name should be Slammin' JAM.)

Vega said the movie "doesn't show how much hard work it takes to break in." She practiced for six months, three hours a day, six days a week, building up her endurance and speed before trying out for the T-Birds. In "Whip It," the heroine pulls on her old skates and makes the Hurl Scouts team quickly.

Vega said the rough and tough locker room antics in the movie rang true and yes, being shoved into a locker happened to her plenty of times.

That's not the only parallel between Tokyo Rose and Babe Ruthless, played by Ellen Page.

Just like Babe Ruthless, Tokyo Rose didn't tell her parents she was skating until circumstances forced her. As far as they knew, she was in law school in Los Angeles studying hard while they were living in Santa Barbara. Vega was going to law school, working part time as a law clerk and skating, which involved practice on a Thursday and a race on a Friday or Saturday.

Skating fit her personality, she said. "It's a great outlet for stress, a good mental escape." Then and now, Vega wanted the freedom to explore her talents and strengths. "I don't want anyone else to set my limits for me."

She skated professionally for 10 months before she told her parents.

"I didn't tell them until I came home for Christmas with my arm in a cast," she said. Vega was outed by a broken arm and dislocated shoulder from a training accident.

Her dad was like the dad in "Whip It," impressed and proud. Her mom was less thrilled, worried about Vega's safety. Her grandmother, however, loved having a real roller derby queen in the family.

A parent's dream clashing with a child's is both a movie theme and reality. Vega is proof. She always wanted to ice skate, but didn't live near an ice rink. Plus ice skating is more expensive. So when her daughter was old enough, Vega put her on ice skates. However, her daughter didn't like ice skating; soccer is her thing. Vega is OK with that.

For Valorie Vega, her mom accepted her choices, and she is accepting her own daughter's, which makes for a happy ending, just like in the movies.

In roller derby lingo, that's a grand slam for mother-daughter relations.

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/morrison.