Roller Derby Rumble
All-female league begins at local skating rink
Fawn Rich
Issue date: 3/8/10 Section: Sports
If you love to roller skate, enjoy a
physically demanding sport, the camaraderie of an all--women team and, maybe, wearing fishnets, then Roller Derby could be just what you've been looking for.
Coeur d'Alene has its very own league at Skate Plaza. the rink where many locals grew up skating.
"It's just fun; everything's better on wheels," said Amanda Abrahms, 26, engineering student and member of the North Idaho Roller Derby. The NIRDS, as they call themselves, restarted up after their efforts to be the Coeur d'Alene Derby Dames fizzled.
The team, which restarted in November, consists of 25 due-paying members. The monthly fee of $30 gets a gal the right to vote at meetings and be involved in the practices 5-8 p.m. Sunday and 6-7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays.
"This group of girls is just amazing," Abrams said, "You've got single mommies, nurses- just a wide breath of awesome women who get along great with each other.
"The NIRDS are working on the technical aspects such as pack-skating and getting the hang of skating together. They plan to join the Flat Track Derby Association once they've got the skills mastered. They are being helped out by a couple girls from Spokane's League, the Lilac City Roller Girls.
The LCRGs started in 2006 and have three derby teams-Toothless Annies, She Wolves and Pretty Deadly. The bouts are held at Pattison's North Skate Rink in Spokane.
The LCRGs is a nonprofit organization with a list of charities it helps when it can, including the Shriners Hospital and the Humane Society.
Roller Derby bouts are drawing fans into skating rink venues across America with a vengeance. The question of whether Roller Derby is an actual sport or a form of entertainment, like wrestling, is a hotly debated issue.
While some purists feel that the in the '60s the game was as real as it gets, others feel the new era of "RollerJam," popularized by the cable television show, is just a new expression of the original sport.
physically demanding sport, the camaraderie of an all--women team and, maybe, wearing fishnets, then Roller Derby could be just what you've been looking for.
Coeur d'Alene has its very own league at Skate Plaza. the rink where many locals grew up skating.
"It's just fun; everything's better on wheels," said Amanda Abrahms, 26, engineering student and member of the North Idaho Roller Derby. The NIRDS, as they call themselves, restarted up after their efforts to be the Coeur d'Alene Derby Dames fizzled.
The team, which restarted in November, consists of 25 due-paying members. The monthly fee of $30 gets a gal the right to vote at meetings and be involved in the practices 5-8 p.m. Sunday and 6-7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays.
"This group of girls is just amazing," Abrams said, "You've got single mommies, nurses- just a wide breath of awesome women who get along great with each other.
"The NIRDS are working on the technical aspects such as pack-skating and getting the hang of skating together. They plan to join the Flat Track Derby Association once they've got the skills mastered. They are being helped out by a couple girls from Spokane's League, the Lilac City Roller Girls.
The LCRGs started in 2006 and have three derby teams-Toothless Annies, She Wolves and Pretty Deadly. The bouts are held at Pattison's North Skate Rink in Spokane.
The LCRGs is a nonprofit organization with a list of charities it helps when it can, including the Shriners Hospital and the Humane Society.
Roller Derby bouts are drawing fans into skating rink venues across America with a vengeance. The question of whether Roller Derby is an actual sport or a form of entertainment, like wrestling, is a hotly debated issue.
While some purists feel that the in the '60s the game was as real as it gets, others feel the new era of "RollerJam," popularized by the cable television show, is just a new expression of the original sport.
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