Roller derby

is a lot of fun as a spectator sport.

Saturday night Mark and I went to the roller derby at the Brisbane Convention Centre. The bout was put on by the Northern Brisbane Rollers and was the name of the two teams were: Love Rockettes vs The Diner Might Dolls. But first, let’s talk about the crowd...

Hot. This is very much a crowd I do not feel uncomfortable with. I shall describe them as the subculture hipsters and rockabilly crowd. Sexy tattoos on people everywhere. Awkward teenagers who don’t fit in at school were there as well as kids. Yes, fun for the whole family. The crowd was huge too. Is this sport growing popularity or what!

Now, the teams. You have to have a roller derby name to play this game. Here are some of my faves from the night: Love Rockettes: Chastity BeltHer, Dreadly Diva, Thumpalina. And on the Diner Might Dolls: Dead Meat, Smackerina, Queen Slander. Mark and I decided we needed roller derby names too. Mark was Mark 'Em Down and I was The Muzzle.

On to the game. Don’t know the rules? Well, the teams gave a Roller Derby 101 quick lesson before the game started. You could watch the movie “Whip It” or here is a clip that will explain it to you:


The night was licensed and the cue for beer or food was long, but they moved quickly. Seating was a premium and you had to get there way early to bag a seat. You could stand at the back of the seating or sit on the floor in the suicide area. This area was reserved for 18+ and you had to be prepared to get run over by the players if they were pushed in your direction. There were no ringside barriers. This was where we sat.

My one gripe for the night was I was feeling very under the weather with my head cold and my patience was a little short. I would have loved to have been able to get into it a lot more. I felt better during the second half when I was at the back of the crowd, with a little more space. But all in all it was such a fun night.