She may be the bank teller you see every Friday afternoon when you deposit your paycheck. She may be the barista at your local Starbucks. She may even be the mild mannered girl who shares the cube next to you. You may not know it, but she could be spending her nights in a sweaty competition resulting in bruises, scars and broken bones. She may be a Gotham Girl.
I’m sure you already have some pre-conceived notions about roller derby. Is it theater? Is it camp? Is it sport? You may only remember the campy version of roller derby from the 70’s. Believe it or not there is a growing subculture of skaters and fans across the entire country. It’s very possible that your local rink or auditorium is packed weekly with screaming fans as they cheer on the girl who normally bags your groceries. This is not your grandpa’s roller derby. Queen of Pain Suzy Hotrod says, “People must see new roller derby to get it. They’ll have to see it to believe it.” Bonnie Thunders of the Bronx Gridlock shares the same sentiment. When asked how she responds to skeptics she simply suggests, “Come out and see it for yourself.”
What inspires someone to become a Gotham Girl? Everyone gets involved for a different reason. Suzy Hotrod describes herself as a poor self-motivator but a great team leader making her an excellent candidate for roller derby. She was only looking for a more exciting work out but found something more. She explains, “I played in a band with CC Bullets and she was skating, so I figured I would start skating to keep in shape. I work better in group activities and it’s a lot more fun than going to the gym.” Bonnie Thunders on the other hand was a synchronized skater before she started roller derby. Bonnie came to the league with previous skating experience yet Suzy learned while in training and now they are both among the top skaters in the league proving that anyone with drive and a sense of independence and adventure can become a Gotham Girl.
The skaters take this sport very seriously. Training is usually 4-5 days a week and skaters are also responsible for organizing, promoting and producing the events. When not skating, your average Gotham Girl is updating the website, trying to get press about the league, ripping tickets and selling t-shirts. All aspects of running the league falls into the hands of the skaters. “There are committees for events, for production of the bouts, for sponsorships, for coaching. There’s a design committee. There’s a committee for every aspect of it,” explains Bonnie Thunders who in her civilian life works for the Wildlife Conservation Society. So, while working full time trying to save the planet these heroines of the rink are simultaneously running and participating in a full-fledged business.
The business of roller derby can get tough at times. This past season the Gotham Girls lost their home rink. Skate Key, the place where the ladies trained and held their bouts, closed only weeks before the season started due to community pressure. “We were training there all winter and we were less than a month away from our first bout.” Bonnie recalls, “We show up to practice and they told us we had to have our stuff out of there by the next night because they had to close down.”
“It changed the dynamic of the entire season. The organization was off. It was hard on morale, but we are fucking survivors and we’re going to do it anyway,” proclaims Suzy Hotrod. Since the closing of Skate Key, the Gotham Girls have had to scramble to find a place to train and a place to hold bouts. The tenacity and drive to keep this season going has resulted in relationships with Long Island University in Brooklyn and Hunter College in New York City which will hopefully lead to a steady schedule and a home for next season. Thunders says, “We envision keeping those spaces and lining up our bouts in the fall so we have a full schedule for the year.” On not having a consistent space to skate, “It’s been a really rough season for everyone. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of stress.” As far as training is concerned the girls are still left out in the cold. They’ve been given permits to train in a few city parks but Suzy puts it best, “We’re tough but falling on concrete gets old after a while. We need an indoor space with heat and locker rooms, but we will keep training and working out during the off season.”
So, what does the future hold for roller derby? Many of the ladies see the derby growing to larger rinks and hopefully national exposure. The exponential rate of popularity just judging from the Gotham Girls mere three year existence suggests that roller derby is about ready to blow up. “Roller Derby is gaining respect as an alternative sport.” Hotrod continues, “If dodgeball is on ESPN then why can’t we? If snowboarding is an Olympic sport, why can’t roller derby? Kids used to get arrested for skateboarding and now it’s considered a legitimate sport with sponsorships behind it.”
So, will you be seeing roller derby on ESPN or as part of the X Games anytime soon? As an avid fan, I certainly hope so. The athleticism, spunk and sportsmanship of roller derby is exhilarating and would be a welcomed addition to the consistently male oriented world of sports – even alternative sports. For a taste of what I’m talking about definitely check out this clip of Suzy Hotrod as she wins the semi final bout for the Queens of Pain by one point…ONE POINT! “All I remember is hearing the sound of skates. Everything else was blocked out. I didn’t even know how many points I needed to win. I just skated.” – Suzy Hotrod
If you live in the NYC area you can check out the Gotham Girls Roller Derby’s final bout on November 18th. I will be there cheering on my girls! To find a roller derby league near you, visit the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association website. Go out and support the ladies who may very well change the face of female sports. 
(Current Standing ~ 3 out of 5)
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November 22nd, 2006 at 6:06 pm
Great story, Melissa. In spite of their lack of a home base, the Gotham Girls have sold out every bout they’ve held in New York City, and have had strong contingents of fans present for bouts in Long Island, Rhode Island, and Philadelphia. Your YouTube video clip shows the Queens of Pain edging out the Bronx Gridlock in the semifinal bout held in October. In the other semifinal bout on November 3rd, the Manhattan Mayhem also edged their way past the Brooklyn Bombshells by a skatelace-thin one point margin. Queens, posing with the golden skate in the photo, won the final handily last Saturday. Viva la derby!