Derby Girls & Tallboys

In the mood for something different? I've got two words: Roller Derby. Yes, really.

We had a family outing last night to the KC Roller Warriors Coll-Ides of March matches, pitting the Dreadnaught Dorothys against the Knockouts, and the Black Eyed Susans (pictured above) against the Victory Vixens.

The matches had been mentioned on the local NPR weekend calendar segment so it was a record breaking crowd of about 3600 down at Municipal Auditorium. With the exception of excruciatingly long beer lines it was a ton of fun. (When was the last time you were at an event where beer was sold in tallboys?! I was tempted to go the PBR route but went with Bud Heavy just to be safe.)

It's roller derby just like you're thinking, but on a flat, rather than banked track. The refs gave a quick primer beforehand so you'd have an idea what was going on. The longer we watched the more we understood and enjoyed the games. I was bummed that the one skater I'd heard of, Estee Slaughter, wasn't playing, but we did enjoy watching Dominant Jean, Billie Club, Ruth Canal, Annie Maul, and the rest of the ladies checking, blocking, fouling and scoring.

Each match up plays their first half and then it's half time. The KC School of Rock band, the rockingest 12 to 14 year-old band you've ever seen played the half time show. Then each match plays its second half and it's all over.

We sat in the balcony and enjoyed ourselves, but next time I want to get their earlier as its all general admission and I think it would be even more fun to sit on the floor. The crowd was a big cross-section of people, those you might expect to see, and those you might not. If you're reading from somewhere other than KC, check around for leagues in your area. I think this was the first time I'd paid money to see a women's sporting event, but it certainly won't be the last.