Four years ago, Sue McFarland never thought she鈥檇 be on a roller derby team. She was 51 years old and hadn鈥檛 skated for over 20 years. But she played rugby in college, so she thought she鈥檇 give it a try.
鈥淭he rest is history,鈥� McFarland said, as she worked the ticket booth at the Hartford Area Roller Derby鈥檚 home opener in April. It was the start of the group鈥檚 first full season since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
McFarland now skates with the Hartford Banshees. It鈥檚 one of the league's two teams. Hartford Area Roller Derby, or H.A.R.D., is one of three roller derby leagues in 海角换妻. The others are in southeastern 海角换妻 and the Waterbury area.
Before she put her skates on, McFarland had to get fans through the door. The whole operation is a DIY, volunteer effort. McFarland handed out programs and warned newcomers there 鈥渕ight be contact鈥� with players if they sit in the first row 鈥� a line of folding chairs in a gymnasium at Nomads Adventure Quest in South Windsor. Across the room, officials carefully placed tape on the floor to create boundaries for a track.
At the beginning of the first game 鈥� or 鈥渂out鈥� in roller derby terms 鈥� players from the Hartford Wailers and Roller Derby Qu茅bec line up on the track. Each team has one player with a star on their helmet called the 鈥渏ammer鈥� who is positioned behind the other players, who are called blockers.
The goal is for the jammers to get through the blockers and score points by skating laps around the track. The whistle blows, the blockers maneuver, and the jammers do their best to break free. Once the first jammer gets by, a two-minute period begins where both jammers can score points.
After the first few jams, the Qu茅bec team took the lead. McFarland noted how fast their jammer was. 鈥淭he people who have been skating a lot of seasons, the skates are just an extension of their bodies,鈥� she said.
But she wasn鈥檛 surprised. 鈥淲e intentionally booked teams to play this year to challenge ourselves,鈥� McFarland said.
Roller derby has had different waves of popularity since its origin in the 1930s. In the 鈥�70s and 鈥�80s, the sport shifted to be more a form of entertainment. It often had predetermined games and staged theatrics both on TV and in large arenas. But in the early 2000s, dozens of self-organized roller derby leagues started to form, touting a more inclusive, DIY culture.
McFarland said players on the team come from a variety of backgrounds. 鈥淥ur team is made up of teachers, physical therapists, executives at publicly traded jobs,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 cool about derby is that you can come and do something completely different here 鈥� I guess we all have a Clark Kent,鈥� she said.
Alicia Bray's day job is at a nonprofit. But after work, she鈥檚 known as Karma鈥檏az E. Killer on the track. That night she picked up the jammer鈥檚 star to score a few points.
鈥溾�業鈥檓 fairly fast, I'm decent on my feet,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 enjoy blocking more, but I do what I gotta do for the team.鈥�
Jess Couture, a player in training, sometimes makes a two-hour round trip drive to practice from Massachusetts. She first started playing in another league just a few minutes from her house, but said she didn鈥檛 feel accepted.
鈥淏ecause I was a lesbian 鈥� I was kind of an outcast in it. Every time I wore rainbow stuff, I just didn鈥檛 feel welcome there,鈥� Couture said.
In Hartford, Couture said she feels a sense of belonging. 鈥淭he camaraderie that I feel with these women is something that I only felt in the military,鈥� she said.
The next step in Couture鈥檚 training was to pass a skills test, after which she could pick her official name. She has a few ideas in the running 鈥� Pam Beastly, Thunder Mifflin, Luna Shovegood, to name a few 鈥� mostly inspired by characters of TV shows and movies she likes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like building your own family you feel safe with 鈥� you get to be yourself without any questions,鈥� said Rumblebee, a.k.a. Nikki Simonelli, as she propped up her leg in a cast on the sidelines of the bout. She broke it while playing the week before. Despite that, Simonelli said, there鈥檚 a misconception that roller derby is violent.
鈥淎 lot of people think roller derby is punching and elbowing and stuff, and it鈥檚 actually not,鈥� she said. The league plays by the official rules of the Women鈥檚 Flat Track Derby Association. Those rules forbid skaters from using their heads, elbows, forearms, hands, knees, lower legs, or feet to make contact with opponents.
During the bout, the gym was filled with a cacophony of whistles, skates (and people) hitting the floor. There were coaches yelling and penalty calls from the referees. About 17 officials 鈥� seven on skates 鈥� roamed the floors, keeping the game moving.
Cassidy Weatherington, a.k.a. 鈥淢averick,鈥� head coach of the Wailers, said it鈥檚 important to maintain a careful focus. After every jam, a new group of players subbed in.
鈥淚n those new lineups, there are additional strategies you can utilize based on the strengths and the opportunities of your players,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut the other team is doing the same thing, so you鈥檙e always adjusting. So that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 always an amoeba of focus.鈥�
Weatherington said flat track roller derby makes the sport more accessible to different communities.
鈥淭he banked track is definitely the history of roller derby. But not every community can purchase a banked track, or get a space that can house a banked track permanently,鈥� she said.
Although the Wailers ended up losing to Qu茅bec, morale was still high when the game ended. After the final jam, the team huddled up and led a group cheer thanking the refs and the other team.
As volunteers broke down the track after the second bout, Caitlin Breen of the Hartford Banshees reflected how much roller derby meant to her.
鈥淩ealizing that I am an athlete, treating myself like an athlete, is kind of new to me. It鈥檚 something that鈥檚 really special that I did not expect in my life,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t taught me a lot of stuff about myself I didn鈥檛 know.鈥�
Hartford Area Roller Derby's next bout is on Saturday, June 10, against teams from New York and New Jersey.
