SPLICED LIFE /
ISSUE 05
FEATURE / ROLLER DERBY
oller Derby shot into the
spotlight with the movie
Whip It, starring Drew Barrymore and
Ellen Page, the latter of which plays a
childhood beauty queen turned roller
derby girl in an effort to rebel against her
controlling mother.
Although Whip It brought the sport
into the pop culture limelight, it certainly
wasn’t the birth of the sport, which
has in fact been around in one form or
another since the 1930’s. Now in the 21st
century however, roller derby is becoming
increasingly popular, even down here at the
tip of Africa. A sport that is now so popular
that it is actually under consideration for
the 2020 Olympics.
There is something both beautiful and
brutal about roller derby. Oftentimes
tattooed, pinup style girls skate around
a track in “old school” (before you
mistakenly take offense, I don’t mean
this in a derogatory manner at all!) roller
skates, mostly clad in skimpy fishnets and
hot pants, whacking the bejesus out of
each other in a full on contact sport while
tho usands of fans cheer them on.
Think it sounds improbable? Attend just
one match and you’ll see I’m not making
this up. What started out as a small, niche
sport in South Africa has graduated to a
sport that is surging in popularity, bringing
with it a substantial growth in leagues and
teams around the country.
So without further ado, we present to you,
Roller Derby. Round One: FIGHT!
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Photo by Tim Hulme