The Cupertino Courier
Cover Story
Back on Track
Roller derby is making a comeback
By Tiffany Carney
She may be Lauren Hulten by day, but after lacing up her skates at night, this San Jose resident becomes Lindsay LoHanded 1.0 Kilo--her alter ego on the Silicon Valley Roller Girls roller derby league that Hulten helped launch in San Jose this season.
Hulten, whose derby name is a spin-off from celebrity Lindsay Lohan that evolved from Hulten's love of gossip magazines, isn't the only one in the league with a dual identity. Since its debut, the league has continued to attract a variety of players, including teachers, secretaries and mothers from throughout San Jose and the Peninsula who have taken on such identities as Terribelle Demise, Angel of Mourning, Bandita and Lady Kiss-off.
Like Hulten, most women in the league were looking to play a game of skill, speed and attitude--something different from their daytime routines.
"It sounded like fun, so I thought I'd check it out," said Ana Zavala, who had never played roller derby before joining the league last September.
"Everyone has a good, positive attitude," she said, which made it easy to assimilate.
Each practice has brought a few more interested in the emerging sport, and no prior derby experience is necessary.
"We really just look for heart," said Erin Gay, who didn't know how to skate when she joined the league. "The skills can be learned if a skater is willing to devote time to the sport and build their endurance in and out of practice."
Hulten said many misconstrue roller derby as a sport for those with uncontrollable behaviors and little athletic ability, but it is actually a game of skill that includes offense and defense.
"It is not how hard you can hit, how big you are or how fast you are; it is all about strategy," Hulten said, adding that the object of the game is to find the opportunity to break through the pack and gain the lead.
"I like the contact, I like the aggressiveness and definitely the skating," she added.
Hulten said she got hooked on the sport last year after watching the A&E series Rollergirls.
All she could think about was getting in the rink and learning how to skate, Hulten said.
When she discovered that a local league, the Bay Area Derby Girls league, also known as BAD Girls, was holding tryouts, Hulten didn't think twice about trying to secure a place. After attending 10 p.m. to midnight practices, she got a taste of the game, but wasn't thrilled about the commute to Oakland and Alameda.
Hulten teamed up with Michell "Bandita" Guerrero to form a league closer to their homes in the Rose Garden.
The owner of San Jose Skate at 397 Blossom Hill Road took an interest in the league and offered them practice time at the rink for a discounted price.
Figure skating instructor Edrick Stewart has stepped up to help the women with basic skating techniques, such as how to skate forward and backward and how start and stop while on wheels. The women spend at least three hours twice a week on the rink.
The most important lesson, Stewart says, is learning how to fall and get back up again.
Like the women, Stewart says he is learning the sport. Although he has skated since age 6, Stewart says he wasn't familiar with roller derby.
Every player is responsible for learning the basic skills and rules and taking her turn rotating to every position.
"We have four players from one team and four players from another team, which form the pack," Hulten said. Pack members are also known as blockers.
Behind that pack are two jammers, one member from each team, whose goal is to break through the pack.
The object of the game is for the jammer to get ahead of the blockers, pass the opposing jammer and score a point by lapping the other team.
"Being a jammer is probably the most tiring," Hulten said from personal experience.
With blocking, passing and speed all key components of the game, Hulten said injuries do happen.
"It can be dangerous, but no more dangerous than walking across the street," Stewart says. Helmets, mouth guards, elbow pads, knee pads and wrist guards are required in the rink, she added.
Even though Hulten has attracted enough interested players, the women haven't held any official bouts yet. The league is still working toward certification from the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. WFTDA is an organization that promotes national competition between leagues and creates safety and standardized rules for the game. The Silicon Valley Roller Girls expects to hold its first bout this fall.
Each team must apply and then be reviewed by the association. Skaters must demonstrate basic skating skills, falling, balance, agility and the ability to skate with others; each skater must also be familiar with the rules of the game.
Gay says it will take at least another year or two before they become WFTDA-certified. They plan to get one season of bouts under their belt before they apply for WFTDA certification.
"There was not a book written on how to start a derby league," Gay said and the women have realized that is does take work in order to build one.
In the meantime, Hulten and her teammates have been holding fundraisers to supplement costs that the group's dues don't cover.
Hulten said the BAD Girls league has been key in guiding them throughout the process, giving them pointers about the game and how to gain certification. BAD has three teams that have held bouts regularly in San Jose this season.
The league is still looking for players. For more information on how to join, send an e-mail to siliconvalleyrollergirls@hotmail.com or visit www.myspace.com/svrollergirls.