Gem City Glamour Shots

An invitation to good old fashioned fun.

It was while waiting for a hair appointment that I stepped into a local coffee house to kill thirty minutes or so that I stumbled across the small flyer that was destined to profoundly alter my life. As I sipped from my cup of Highlander Grogg, savoring the rich butterscotch flavored beverage I took a minute to peruse the usual pile of leaflets stacked haphazardly by the front counter. Among the usual assortment of garage band circulars and local artist exhibition invitations one particular post card sized announcement caught my eye. On it was the schedule for the 2007 Gem City roller Girls.

Now, even though I’d heard of the Gem City Roller girls I really didn’t know anything about them. As a lad growing up in Jeffersonville, Indiana I’d always loved Roller Derby on television and it was the very first venue in my life where I encountered the concept of women as athletes. I’m not talking about synchronized swimming kind of athletes either. No sir, I’m talking about a spit in your eye, punch an opposing team member in the chops and pull out their hair and skate around the track waving it in the air like a pom-pom kind of woman athlete. Oh how I loved those women and all the so sweet fantasies they fueled in my adolescent boyish dreams...

Fonda goes La Boom!
("I got yer fantasies, Bub!")

Later on in the evening as my wife and I sat on the sofa, watching a little television, talking about our day and relaxing, I showed her the little flyer and told her I’d really like to go and see one of the Roller Derby performances. The next day at work she went online and ordered me two tickets for the very next show. (My wife is very cool like that.) Well I just couldn’t wait for the day to roll around when I’d be attending my first Roller Derby event, “Red White and Bruised” at the Nutter Center.

One of my best buddies is a big bruiser of a guy named Max. He has an open mind, is always willing to give something new a try and he was the first person that came to mind when I started thinking about who I wanted to invite along for the show. Now, Max really didn’t know a lot about Roller Derby and it took a little convincing before he agreed to join me. (Actually it wasn’t so terribly difficult once I informed him I was paying for the tickets.)

When the big night finally arrived Max and I jumped into the big old purple P.T. Cruiser of psychedelic love and off we headed to the grand event. Now, I’ve already chronicled the events of that night in a previous post so I won’t rehash the details here. What I do want to talk about is what I found so magical about that first evening with the Gem City Roller Girls that keeps me coming back for more.

Polly Rocket, she skates until it hurts.

The very first thing that caught my eye as I watched the pre-game festivities was the number of small children sitting on the floor around the flat oval track. It wasn’t long before skaters finishing up their warm up laps were sitting in the midst of small groups of young fans chatting and signing autographs. The kids loved it and the rapport between them and the Gem City Girls was refreshing and heartwarming to watch. The girls truly love their fans and will do just about anything to make them happy.

The second thing that caught my eye during the evening’s bout was the number of smiles I saw on the faces of the combatants through the entire match. As I’ve spent a number of hours sifting through the numerous digital images I’ve collected from the matches I’ve attended it is the one thing that constantly amazes me; these girls are having such incredible amounts of fun. Now, don’t get me wrong, these women are fierce competitors and will deliver some bone tingling, spine jangling and nearly decapitating hits in a hot wheeled heartbeat. Yet, as soon as a stoppage in play occurs or a jam is called and there is a moment to catch one’s breath you’ll see these warriors smiling and exchanging laughs or a little good natured ribbing with opposing team members. There is a banter that runs back and forth throughout the evening that only occurs when athletes are playing for pure fun and a genuine enjoyment of the sport. Trust me, it is infectious.

You'll always find plenty of smiles here.

Once you catch the Roller Derby bug you’ll be hooked. Fortunately the cure is easily available in the Dayton, Ohio area thanks to the Gem City Roller Girls and their frequent appearances at the Ervin J. Nutter Center located on the picturesque campus of Wright State University. There are still two events remaining in the 2007 Flat Track Roller Derby Season; Saturday September the Eighth-Talk Derby to Me and Sunday October the Twenty-First-Hex on Wheels. Do yourself a favor and come out to see one of America’s fastest growing spectacles played in high def guts and glory by the Gem City Roller Girls.

You’ll be glad you did...