Bath City Roller Girls Open Their 2012-13 Season With Fast Skating, Hard Hits

Mt. Clemen’s own Bath City Roller Girls are starting the school year right with their hard-hitting home opener beginning at 8 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Gibraltar Trade Center.

The Bath City Roller are a local, skater-owned roller derby league based out of Mt. Clemens and featuring skaters from around Macomb County and Metro Detroit. Now entering its third year, the league continues to grow and attract fans of all ages.

Never seen roller derby before? Well, what are you waiting for? Here’s a quick primer before you walk in the door:

• First, roller derby games are called “bouts.” Lady skaters (it’s girls only though the guys do coach and ref) wearing quad roller skates compete on a flat track.
• At any a given time, a team puts five players on the floor for “jams” — which can be as long as two minutes. One player from each team is the jammer, and it’s their job to break through the pack of blockers to score points.
• The hits are hard, real and may result in a roller girl sliding into the audience.
• Confused as to who “Dixie DestroyHer” is? All skaters adopt a derby name upon joining the league, and they often personify their alternate egos.
• Derby girls don’t fit any stereotypes. The Bath City Roller Girls skates with hair dressers, journalists, students, PTA moms, wedding planners, teachers and even aerospace engineers.
• This isn’t your grandma’s roller derby. According to the sport’s governing body, the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the flat track version of the sport evolved in 2001, with more than 400 leagues worldwide.

The ladies skating with Bath City Roller Girls skate because they love it; they’re true athletes who work hard to create a sporting and entertainment experience like no other. The ladies of roller derby encompass the true DIY spirit — taking leadership roles in the league, organizing bouts and tournaments and coaching each other.

Combined with the dozens of small roller derby leagues across Michigan, it’s no wonder roller derby is the fastest-growing sport in America.

On Saturday, the Bath City Roller Girls open their 2012-13 season at the Gibraltar Trade Center, pitting the Bathtub Betties against the Devil Duckies. Tickets are $10 each, though you can find $8 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/276628. Parking at GTC is $2.

For more information on Bath City Roller Girls, visit www.bathcityrollergirls.com. 

More dates during Bath City’s 2012-13 season:

• Oct. 13: Home bout
• Nov. 17: Home bout
• Jan. 19:  Home bout