Last Saturday the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh hosted an event no different from any other celebration, except for the ladies in attendance. Adorned with both tattoos and tiaras, they were being honored for their ability to block punches and elbow their way through a sweaty pack of roller skaters.
The Carolina Rollergirls, an all-female roller derby team new to North Carolina, celebrated the end of its inaugural season with “The Blood-Spillin’ Cotillion,” an awards ceremony and dance party.
The team’s 30 players, ages 21 to 44, came out dressed to the nines in a mix of evening gowns and punk accessories.
Awards were presented for “Most Devoted Derby Bitch” and “Scrumptious Rumptious” — translating into best volunteer and nicest butt, respectively — as well as more traditional categories.
Roller derby is an extreme sport in which two teams skate in a pack while one player from each team tries to wrestle her way to the front. The sport reached its heyday in the ’60s and ’70s and is now experiencing a resurgence of interest with all-female leagues sprouting up all over the country.
The new generation of female players often adopts alter egos and revealing uniforms to complement their aggressive playing techniques.
Laura Weakland, known as Celia Fate on the rink, started the Carolina Rollergirls two years ago after seeing the first female league play in Austin, Texas. “It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen.”
Fate began skating with friends back in Raleigh, and soon the Carolina Rollergirls were born.
Divided into two teams, the Rollergirls played three bouts this year to sold-out crowds at the Skate Ranch in Raleigh.
