Derby skaters knock down, build each other up

By Dawn Anderson
Posted 4/27/17

Not donning a pair of skates since childhood didn’t stop Cranston resident Anne Marie Horne from joining the high-intensity, contact sport of roller derby. “It was amazing!” she says, upon …

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Derby skaters knock down, build each other up

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Not donning a pair of skates since childhood didn’t stop Cranston resident Anne Marie Horne from joining the high-intensity, contact sport of roller derby. “It was amazing!” she says, upon discovering and trying the fast-paced, physical game. 

Horne, who uses the derby name Citizen Toxie, was running – well, skating – blockage at Thayer Arena last weekend in a series of bouts between skaters from North Carolina and Washington, D.C.

A graphic designer by day, Horne has now been playing seven years and is a valued member and blocker for the team Mob Squad. While weekly practices, scrimmages, and games may have added to her athleticism and boldness, she speaks of other added benefits gained since joining the league. “You become part of the community, it changes your life,” she says. “We knock each other down, and we build each other up.”

Getting knocked down is par for the course in this action-packed sport. What matters most, says Johnston resident and Killah Bees co-captain Heather Reynolds, is “Getting back up and trying again, don’t be afraid to try and fail,” she advises. Now a five-year veteran, she began playing while living on a military base in Japan and jumped at the chance to help start a team. Her focus and dedication are apparent while she discusses what she likes most about the sport. “My favorite thing about roller derby is that it pushes you to work harder and push yourself further than you thought possible,” she says. When not ‘mixing it up’ on the track, she works as an orthodontist assistant in addition taking tender, loving care of what she is most proud of: her 3-year-old daughter, Cecelia.

Revived in 2001 after a hiatus of several years, the celebrated pastime now boasts thousands of leagues worldwide. Played on a flat, oval track, Roller Derby is described as “a cross between hockey, rugby and speed skating.” The game consists of two 30-minute periods (broken down into “jams”) and one 15-minute intermission. As the game begins, the five players per team, one jammer and four blockers, take their places on the track. Blockers line up behind the pivot line, and jammers behind the jammer line. As the whistle blows, the jam begins. Wearing a star on her helmet, the jammer tries to pass players of the opposing team. Each lap around earns one point for each opposing player, with each jam lasting up to two minutes.

Providence Roller Derby, a member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, is composed of about 40 skaters ranging in ages from 18 to 50, and has five teams. Three are ‘home’ teams, which play each other: the Mob Squad, the Sakonnet River Roller Rats and the Old Money Honeys. The two travel teams, the internationally ranked (#102 out of 319) All-Stars, the Rhody Riveters, and their farm team, the Killah Bees, were at Thayer Arena April 22 and 23 hosting the two-day Rhodey Robin Tournament.  

The crowd cheered and welcomed its home team, which returned last month after traveling to Dallas, Texas to play in the Clover Cup. This time, they were facing teams from both North Carolina and Washington, D.C. Michelle Ryan, an elementary school art teacher, is playing her second season for our nation’s capital. Like her Rhode Island competitors, she’s fallen in love with the sport.

“It’s part of me,” says the Wizard of Oz fan. Her teammate, Davinia Forgy, says the sport has not only helped her to mentally focus, but keeps her more physically active than she’s ever been. “You don’t play roller derby to work out,” she says. “You work out to play roller derby.”  

Today’s roller derby, while fast-paced and exciting, is very different from the sport of old. According to RI Riveter Emily Greagori, an events and sales manager with Sail Newport who also serves as league president, it is now a more “slow, controlled, athletic roller derby.” Although there is physical contact, actions such as elbowing, tripping or fighting are not allowed. Safety is a primary concern for the league, and after new-comers engage in a 20-week “Boot Camp,” they will learn how to skate, give and take hits, and fall in a way to lessen the chance of injury. They will also receive proper instruction on required safety gear such as helmets, mouth guards, kneepads, and elbow pads. By the time an athlete skates in their first official practice, they will be well versed in proper protocol.  

If you missed the action this past weekend, fans are welcome to come watch at Thayer Arena on May 13, when the Riveters face off against Quebec, Canada’s Les Duchesses, and the Killah Bees lace up the skates against Massachusetts’ own Boston Common. On June 10, you can catch another double-header as the ladies from Rhode Island take to the track when Lehigh Valley’s two travel teams make the trek from Pennsylvania.

One of eight sports being considered for the 2020 Olympics, Roller Derby will host its International Championships November 3-5 in Philadelphia with the action being televised on ESPN3. Winners receive the Hydra Trophy, which is awarded annually to the #1 women’s flat track roller derby team in the world.

Providence Roller Derby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization and players are not paid for their appearances. The group teams with the Amos House, organizes donation drives and volunteers throughout the Providence area.

The ladies of PRD, who play local games at Thayer Arena and the West Warwick Civic Center, are looking for a permanent home to skate. If you’re interested in hosting them, or would like more information on Roller Derby, please visit them on the web at providencerollerderby.com.  

For more information on Providence Roller Derby, visit them on the web at www.providencerollerderby.com.  

If you interested in any of the events at Thayer Arena, call 738-2019 or email warwick-rec@warwickri.com.

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