Roll Rage: Windy City Rollers offers derby dames double lives

Women in neon spandex, patterned tights and knee-high socks skated around the track, dancing to the sound of Franz Ferdinand blaring through the speakers. Names such as "Val Capone" and "Beaster Bunny" were emblazoned on the back of their blue leotards, while the other team's orange shorts made them easy to pick out among the jumbled pack of skaters fighting each other to escape. It was just another night on the track for the Windy City Rollers, the Chicago women's roller derby league.

"It wasn't something I ever thought I'd do, but it's a great aggression release," said Sonya MouthShut, who prefers to be known by her stage name.

Although roller derby has been around since the 1930s, the Windy City Rollers league formed in 2005 in the midst of a nationwide resurgence of the sport, according to Lisa Dadabo, Windy City Rollers media liaison. Roller derby has experienced waves of popularity throughout its 80-year history, but this is the first time women have become the main athletes. There are currently about 300 Women's Flat Track Derby Association teams across the country, but the number is constantly changing.

In real life, MouthShut is a 27-year old school teacher. She said she likes teaching students in kindergarten through eighth grade on Chicago's south side how to use computers, but has been assuming a new persona during Saturday night bouts since she was 21.

"I couldn't just teach kids, they're driving me nuts," she said.

Many women in the Windy City Rollers lead double lives like MouthShut does, Dadabo said.

Although the minimum age to play in the league is 21, most of the athletes are around 30 with full-time jobs.

The Chicago league has four home teams — the undefeated Fury, the Manic Attackers, Hell's Belles and the Double Crossers —  each with about 20 members. Four players from each team form a "pack" that whizzes around the ovular track, while one player from each team, the tiny "jammer," tries to fight her way through the pack. After the first time she makes it through, she scores a point for each person on the other team she passes.

"There's definitely a big rush you get from it," Dadabo said. "It's a lot of fun if you don't get hurt, and even if you do, people keep coming back."

The four teams in the Windy City Rollers League play each other in bouts about once a month. Two teams play at a time, competing for the top two rankings in order to advance to the Ivy King Cup.

The Fury (5-0) and the Manic Attackers (3-2) are the favorites for the Jun. 18 championship. The Fury have won the Ivy King Cup three times in their five-year history.

Despite the changing nature of the sport, injuries have always been widespread. Broken bones, dislocated shoulders and concussions are fairly common, Dadabo said. In 2007, the league experienced its most serious injury by far when Tequila Mockingbird was paralyzed in a crash. She eventually recovered some ability to walk.

At Saturday night's bout, Mama and Papa Doc Vendetta, two of the trainers, had their hands full with minor injuries. Collisions were common as skaters raced at top speeds around the curves, pushing and elbowing each other the entire time as the raucous crowd egged them on.

"At the beginning, the coach put me in once in a while until I finally gained confidence in myself," the veteran MouthShut said. "You have to have confidence in yourself to do this."

sarahfreishtat2013@u.northwestern.edu