As the Rollerama on 34th Street began to empty Thursday night and a group of women began to enter, a young onlooker excitedly said, “Oh cool, it’s those roller derby girls!”
The newly founded Bakersfield league began practicing in April and has not yet begun to compete, said league founder JoAnn Divers.
Right now, there are about 35 women on the league roster, and there will be a maximum of 14 women on each individual team. “We are definitely still recruiting,” said Divers.
No roller derby experience is necessary to join the league, but you do have to be 21 and over.
“A lot of the bouts are held at venues that serve alcohol, and it’s a lot of trouble to monitor underaged people,” said Bonnie Wilson, 24, psychology major at Bakersfield College and a member of the roller girls.
They also strongly suggest having health insurance if you plan to join, “You can’t be afraid to fall,” said Divers.
“It’s a necessity to have insurance because you will fall and you will get hurt,” said Wilson.
“I almost bit through my lip slamming into someone once,” said Denice Smith, 26, BC student and animal science major.
“My scariest injury was a head concussion,” said BC student Dezi Avila, 20, correctional administration major.
Even though they are constantly slamming into each other and sometimes causing some injuries to each other, you could see the friendship and support that these girls have for each other.
“There are really no hurt feelings with us,” said Wilson.
“We collided, and I got a concussion but she was the one bleeding so I wanted to check on her,” said Avila about a rough collision during a practice with one of the other members.
Despite getting hurt on occasion, the women all seem to enjoy being able to let out some built up aggression and to take advantage of the workout.
“I don’t like to fight, so it’s a good way to get out all my aggression, and it’s good exercise,” said Wilson.
Avila, who is a rather petite girl, said that she joined the team to prove to everyone that “Yeah, I may be small but I can do it. I love proving people wrong and being able to kick some ass.
“I come to get concussions, and I love it.”
Like many other sports, the teammates share a lot of camaraderie.
“We hang out and talk all the time. I’m always looking for them around campus,” said Smith.
“You should see our cell phone bills!” said Wilson. During the practices, you can hear them cheer each other on and shout out tips to help one another. And if one falls, they are all there to help them up and to see if they are OK.
The team currently holds practices at Rollerama, but they hope to obtain their own building some day.
They had a car wash in front of Brook Side Deli on Oct. 14 to help raise money for their upcoming season.
“The car wash went OK. We raised about half the money we planned,” said Wilson.
However, they have been fortunate in finding sponsors. “Businesses have been so eager to help us with whatever they can.
Some have donated money and others have helped with equipment and stuff,” said Smith.
The league is still in its early stages and games might not be scheduled until the new year, Divers said.