Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Rolling thunder

Tucson hosts the first national flat-track roller derby championship this weekend

CHUCK GRAHAM

Tucson Citizen

If an enthusiastic young woman goes scooting by you on roller skates this weekend, don't be surprised.

The world's first national flat-track roller derby tournament is in town, with 260 female skaters flying to Tucson from all parts of the United States. These are the best skaters representing 20 different roller derby leagues, competing in the Dust Devil Flat Track Derby Tournament.

"We'll be skating all over town to attract attention to the tournament," said Kim Sin, who founded the Tucson Roller Derby league in 2003. "We'll be downtown skating to breakfast at Grill. Skating over to Fourth Avenue. Skating around in Reid Park."

Teams are coming from such major markets as New York City; Atlanta; Houston; Dallas; Kansas City, Mo.; Chicago; Minneapolis; Denver; Phoenix; Seattle; and San Francisco, as well as the smaller metro areas of Providence, R.I.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Madison, Wisc.; Portland, Ore.; Las Vegas; and Austin, Texas.

Baked Apple fans of the sport, famous for its rough-and-tumble image of independent women, have given our city's four roller derby teams a full embrace. Intimidating tattoos, fishnet stockings and short, short skirts are all a part of the aggressive attitude flaunted by the roller derby competitors.

For two seasons, the TRD bouts have filled Bladeworld to capacity with cheering, jeering fans that rival wrestling crowd for noisy enthusiasm. Now the league is ready to host the sport's first national tournament.

"It's like the NFL's Pro Bowl, with all-star teams representing each league," said Sin.

The Dust Devil event has been in the planning stages since July when 55 women representing all the leagues met in Chicago to establish the Women's Flat Track Derby Association and to define the rules of competition.

"I immediately stood up and volunteered Tucson for the first national tournament," Sin said. "I wasn't sure how we'd do it, but I figured we could work that out later."

So far, it is working out well. All the skaters have their registration money in. Tickets are selling so fast Sin is expecting a capacity crowd of 1,500 each night at Bladeworld Indoor Sports Center, 1065 W. Grant Road.

"We sold 500 weekend passes out of state," she said last week. "These aren't necessarily fans of the teams. They are just people who love roller derby and heard about the tournament."

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