Roller Derby Lives!

Every once and a while I come across an event so strange and wonderful as to make my eyes tear up and to restore my belief in the vitality of Seattle's ever-changing social tapestry. Thus, I share with you the existence of Seattle's very own competitive Roller Derby. Yes, the sport does still exist and is, in fact, smack dab in the middle of a revival. Check out this page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_derby) to get caught up on the engrossing history of this sport which started in 1935 and originally involved 10,000 participants skating around a track for a distance of 3,000 miles till exhaustion or victory brought them to a relieved stop.

Today's Roller derby has a definite edge in comparison and involves ultra-competitive all-female teams with names like the Socket Wenches and the Throttle Rockets. Two weekends ago, I discovered that Roller derby is not a sport for the faint of heart as I watched the fearsome competitors race around the track trying to knock one another down (and in fact out of the ring entirely) whilst attired in small, and theme appropriate, costumes. Lucky for all you Roller enthusiasts, Seattle boasts our very own Roller derby league under the moniker of The Rat City Roller Girls (http://www.ratcityrollergirls.com/).

The next match is June 24th and will again be hosted at Magnuson Park in Hanger 27 (http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/magnuson/), its cavernous interior makes for a strangely appropriate setting for this burgeoning sport. Once there, you will have a choice of daring the roller gods and sitting in the front row on the cement floor or taking a more cautious route and making yourself comfortable a safe distance away in the bleachers. To wet your pallets you can load up on burgers and beer while the very clever announcers bring you up to speed on the rules of the game prior to the first jam. Buy tickets early - they sell out weeks in advance!