The rough and tumble world of roller derby

EVERETT — If you’re thinking of joining the Jet City Rollergirls, there’s a few things you should know.

First, you’ll need a name. You can still be Heather, Amy, Shannon or Amanda by day, but when it’s time to skate you’ll want a name that cleverly evokes the rough-and-tumble world of roller derby. Something like Edith Mydust, Jude O’Chopp, Bess B. Ware or Phearless Diller.

Next, you can expect injuries, so keep the Ibuprofen handy and maybe the crutches, too. In roller derby, bruises and the occasional strain, dislocation and broken bone are as certain as the sunrise.

Lastly, forget about silly misnomers like “the weaker sex” and get ready for some of the most hard-hitting fun you’ll ever have.

“This is not the usual sport you’d see a woman doing,” said 35-year-old Kathy Holmes of Lake Stevens, who skates under the name of Angelica Della Morte, which is Italian for “Angel of Death.” “You typically see women in tennis or soccer or things that aren’t maybe as bloodlust (as roller derby).

“This is an aggressive, physical sport for women, but you can still be tough and sexy at the same time,” added Holmes, a stay-at-home mother who works part-time and has a degree in marine biology. “I’d never worn fishnets before roller derby and it’s fun to have this alter ego, this different persona.”

Flat-track roller derby for women caught on a few years ago and its popularity continues to grow, both here in the Puget Sound area and elsewhere in the United States. There are leagues in most major U.S. cities, including the Boston Derby Dames, Pittsburgh’s Steel City Derby Demons, Chicago’s Windy City Rollers, Milwaukee’s Brew City Bruisers and Tampa’s Tampa Bay Derby Darlins.

The sport has become international, too, with new leagues in Canada and England. In total, the World Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) has 89 leagues with another 52 “apprentice” leagues on the way.

“This is an amazing time to be playing roller derby,” said Kate Mossman of Everett, aka missu sunshine, a 37-year-old librarian at the Everett Public Library. “It’s really taking off.”

The Jet City Rollergirls are in their fourth year and are comprised of four teams — the Pink Pistols, Camaro Harem, Carnevil and Hula Honeys. League matches are held at the Edmonds Community College gymnasium, and with usual sellout crowds of close to 1,000 filling the stands. The spectators are mostly family and friends, but also the curious.

“If I was to say to one of my friends, ‘Hey, I’m playing softball. Do you want to come watch?’ Who’s going to be interested in that?” Mossman said. “But if I say, ‘I’m playing roller derby,’ people might actually be interested in coming to see us.”

“And once they come, they’re hooked,” said 30-year-old Michelle D’Angelo of Bellevue, who manages a tanning salon and is known in roller derby as Sierra Fist. “Some of these (skaters) have amazing skills and they’re fun to watch. … It’s a speedy game and there’s always something going on, so people stay entertained.”

On most nights the audience is largely women, but there are also plenty of men. And kids, too.

“The kids will come down to the floor to high-five you,” D’Angelo said. “And they ask us for autographs, so that’s pretty cool,” added Mossman.

The Jet City Rollergirls also have a league all-star team, the Bombers, which takes on all-star squads from other cities. In May the Bombers traveled to Milwaukee for a weekend tournament called the Midwest Brewhaha that included teams from across the country.

Washington has roller derby leagues in several cities, among them Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Bellingham and Olympia. The Rat City Rollergirls of Seattle skate at KeyArena, and in June a sellout crowd of close to 7,000 spectators jammed the arena’s lower bowl for the league’s championship match.

The Olympia league, the Oly Rollers, also has an all-star team called the Cosa Nostra Donnas, and a year ago they won the WFTDA national championship. And on Saturday night the Jet City Bombers will be in Olympia to take on the Cosa Nostra Donnas.

Although Jet City has completed its regular season, the Bombers are hoping for a spot in the October regional tournament in Sacramento, Calif. The team is waiting for the final rankings to be released, which will determine invitations to the regional tournament.

Holmes, Mossman and D’Angelo of Bellevue are all members of the Bombers, “and my dream as a Bomber would be to be at that regional level, and then to get through and make it to nationals,” D’Angelo said. “For all of us, that would be the dream.”

But if not this year, then maybe next year. Roller derby is growing and there’s no doubt about the Jet City Rollergirls returning for a fifth season.

“It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in the years we’ve been doing this,” Holmes said. “And it’s so cool to see. The growth of derby has been so rampant all over the country and the world as well, and I don’t see it going away anytime soon.”