Double-Header Derby

Why aren’t roller derbies more popular in America. They’ve got everything we crave in our sports. Strength, speed, power, on-the-fly strategizing. The idea is this: A bunch of people on teams A and B skate around a track, with a designated member of each trying to lap the other team...

By Brandon K. Thorp

February 16, 2012

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Why aren’t roller derbies more popular in America. They’ve got everything we crave in our sports. Strength, speed, power, on-the-fly strategizing. The idea is this: A bunch of people on teams A and B skate around a track, with a designated member of each trying to lap the other team. Everyone else on the track attempts to help his own scorer lap freely or inhibit the other team’s scorer from doing so. They’re given a lot of leeway in accomplishing this; body blocks are common. It can get brutal. And it is likely to get brutal Saturday, as the South Florida Men’s Derby, in its first match, takes on the Tampa Bay Men’s Derby. And that’s the warm-up! The main event features the Gold Coast Derby GRRLS All-Stars versus the Jacksonville Roller Girls. That’s right — the main event is women competing in an athletic event! (Did I just ask why roller derbies aren’t popular in America? Here’s a theory: Y’all are sexist.) Tickets cost $10 to $20, and you can get ’em at Ticketmaster. Derbying begins at 6 p.m. at War Memorial Auditorium (800 NE Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale), and the main event is at 8:30. Visit Gold Coast Derby GRRLS on Facebook for more info.
Sat., Feb. 18, 6 p.m., 2012

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