“Patti Smithereens,” No. 86, fought her way through the pack of women as she was met with crushing shoulder shoves and hips knocking her every which way.
The moment she broke through the crowd of skaters she picked up her pace, speeding around the track only to endure it all over again.
The name of the game is roller derby. One track, eight women on roller skates and nothing but action.
On Saturday, the Gainesville Roller Rebels, Gainesville’s first and only competitive women’s flat-track roller derby league, battled the Fort Myers Derby Girls at the Alachua County Fairgrounds in the first home game of the summer.
Spectators paid $10 for a ticket and scoured around for the perfect spot to set up their camping chairs.
“These things get pretty intense,” said Veronica Almeida, a 23-year-old UF alumna. “Last game I went to, two girls broke their arms and just got back up and kept playing.”
There are rules against certain blocking techniques to protect players from major injuries, but essentially, being rough is the highlight of the game.
The stampede of women skaters in fishnet panty hose and bright, silver spandex blocked and shoved each other left and right for an hour and a half. The derby ended with the unofficial score of 109 to 274.
Although Gainesville lost by more than 100 points, the skaters didn’t let that get in their way of celebrating the game.
Rounding up both teams, the skaters picked up cups of beer and toasted to a good time when the game came to an end.
Christina Cates, the Gainesville Roller Rebels vice president, said bouts are intense, but players usually have no hard feelings in the end. They make jokes and have a good laugh up until that starting whistle blows, and then it’s game on, she said.
The team has six games scheduled for the rest of the year, and the next home derby is scheduled for Aug. 2.
The Gainesville Roller Rebels are also looking for more women to join their team and will hold a three-day boot camp for $30 starting July 13.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 6/19/2014 under the headline "Roller Rebels Roll On"]
