KALKASKA — An occasional exclamation punctuated the near-silence of the rink, as skaters in striped knee socks or torn fishnet stockings thudded to the floor.
Ten women skated in circles around the bare, not-yet-iced-over hockey rink at the Kaliseum Recreation Complex in Kalkaska. Their wheels turned in flashes of red, green, pink and black. When they fell, splaying cattywompus onto the hard floor, it was mere moments before they bounded back, upright again, and charged off on four wheels.
Meet the Traverse City Derby Dahlias.
"Like the flower," explained one member of the moniker, though these are no shrinking violets. These females fly their freak flag with pride. Not that anybody would call them freaks to their faces. A few look like they could bust a girl up something big.
But then, they left the rink and started to chat as they packed their bags following Tuesday's thrash-and-bash-filled practice. And, they're nice. Super nice. Funny, too — though a bit blue, as they are the first to admit.
"Derby is, like, known for being the gathering place for all the 'leftovers,'" said Anne Cole, of Traverse City.
"I prefer 'misfits,'" amended Liz Hodge (or "Shredda Garbo"), of Traverse City. "We are just a little bit less ladylike, but a lot cooler."
The Dahlias, who have been practicing since late spring, will scrimmage a team from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Kaliseum. The event "Red, White and Bruise" is free to the public, though donations are welcome.
Another local roller derby effort is underway through the Traverse City Roller Derby, a league whose first team is the Toxic Cherries. They began organizing in January, said Vice President Kathleen Christopher. The Toxic Cherries have about 21 skaters, plus others involved as coaches, referees, sponsors and medical support. Christopher said they are striving for membership in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. The group is working to acquire a rink and funding.
"We are training, and we are training really hard," Christopher said.
Interest in roller derby has grown throughout the state. Dahlias president Jenn Price said she's sure the surge is partly due to the Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page movie "Whip It," set in Texas but filmed largely in Ann Arbor, Detroit and surrounding downstate locales. The 2009 film lionized the hardcore, full-bore rapport of roller derby. Price believes its popularity is also due to something else, something more.
"I think women want something that they can call their own," she said. "It's a very big family."
Many derby skaters wear a mix of clothing that's part practical (helmets; mouthguards; wrist, elbow and knee pads) and part punk, goth and pin-up girl. Tattoos and piercings are not uncommon. They all have nicknames, often twisting titles into fiercer-sounding puns. Most of the Dahlias are from Traverse City and are in their 20s and 30s.
Cole, who at age 37 laid claim to the oldest-skater superlative, is known on the rink as "Anne-phetamine." She found the team through a Facebook page. They needed help with paperwork; she ended up lacing her skates as well. Cole skated every weekend as a kid but stopped in grade school.
"It was terrifying when I first started. I was hugging the wall," Cole said.
The camaraderie of the culture clicked with her. She has more than 3,500 friends on Facebook; many are roller derby-related.
During practice, skaters worked on footwork drills and different falls such as baseball slides, monkey rolls and a full-throttle "rock star" fall on both knees. In addition to improving their skate skills, they also had to master the complicated rules of derby bouts. A team scores points when their jammer, a skater who starts behind the pack, passes opposing team members who try to block her progress.
"Derby's so brutal, but it's hilarious to watch," said one Dahlia.
Hodge, the team captain and former speed skater, ran the practice session instead of skating after injuring both her knees. The Dahlias are about a dozen members strong, and each woman brings her own mix of moxie and might to the team. Breanne Russell, or "Slaughterhouse Thighs," was a blur of purple leotard as she whizzed by skaters. Stacy Stark, of Traverse City, used to figure skate and was recruited to the team as a friend of Hodge. Sam Edenburn, of Traverse City, hadn't been on skates in 15 years when she joined.
"It's like Anne said, we're outcasts," Edenburn said. "Nobody gets our sense of humor but us."
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