-
Jackie Bridgers “Ghetto Plum” holds back a jammer with her teammates on Smoky Mountain Roller Girls at a previous home bout. The team will host its next home game Saturday.
Larry Griffin
lgriffin@thesmokymountaintimes.com
At their regular practice on Sunday afternoon, April 16, the women of the Smoky Mountain Roller Girls team glide around the indoor Recreation Center, wheels rolling inside the makeshift tape lines they use as a practice rink.
They do laps for a while, stop and exchange ideas about how to prep for matches, and later, scrimmage a little.
The sport sees players adopting delightfully punk-sounding stage names, often riddled with puns. Bryson City has “Scarlet O’Scara,” “Natural Disaster,” “Snappin’ Turtle,” and others. They discuss drills called “Meat Grinder” and “Hell on Wheels” – exercises simulating situations for strategy and endurance respectively, which may happen in real games.
“I kind of like to hit people,” Jackie Bridgers, who goes by “Ghetto Plum” on the track, says. “Of course, with love and a smile.”
Roller derby is played between two opposing teams, with five skaters from each team on the track at one time. Jammers, who wear stars on their helmets, try to score points by getting past their opponents, while blockers try to prevent the opposing team’s jammer from scoring.
The Womens’ Flat Track Roller Derby Association notes that “Skaters cannot use their heads, elbows, forearms, hands, knees, lower legs, or feet to make contact to opponents. Skaters cannot make contact to opponents’ heads, backs, knees, lower legs, or feet.”
Bridgers, who joined the team in 2018, says she’s always loved to skate. Roller derby “has definitely challenged” her. The origins of her participation date back to taking her daughter to the junior team. She didn’t think she’d fall in love with the game herself.
“I’m looking forward to kicking butt and putting Bryson City on the map,” she says of upcoming games this year.
The members of the Bryson City team are happy to be around their teammates and to be part of a sport they say is a refreshing challenge for them. Some members were just starting out when the pandemic hit and sidelined all games for a long stretch of time in 2020 and the years after.
Mary Chauvin, who goes by the name “Snappin’ Turtle” on the track, says she started playing roller derby while living in Louisiana. Then, when she moved here, she continued with the team in this area.
“I enjoy playing something that is so very physical,” Chauvin says. “It makes you feel very powerful. It does wonders for your confidence and abilities.”
Going deeper into the game itself, Chauvin says there’s a lot of strategizing that goes on when playing roller derby.
“You have to play both offense and defense, all the time,” she says. “It changes from second to second. You have to predict what’s going to happen and react to that prediction.”
During practice, the team stands or sits around the center of the room and discusses strategy. They say they need to get on the same page “so we’re all doing the exact same thing,” and talk about how to navigate the field and get the best results while playing. Later, they talk defense and split off into groups to practice blocking.
Alana Booth, who goes by “Scarlet O’Scara,” is serving as a co-captain of the team. She joined the junior roller derby team in 2014, then left to go to college. When she came back to the area after that, she joined the adult team.
As captain, she says there’s more responsibility to deal with, including the logistics of setting up matches and then getting there early to make sure there are chairs and amenities ready. The team is completely grassroots, she says, which means they do everything themselves.
“We have to make our own track,” she says. “We don’t have a professional skating rink, so we have to make it as professional as we can.”
Chauvin says she “can’t imagine” her life without the team now – and the team has become friends with one another in ways a sports team doesn’t always.
“The support is not just when we’re playing the game,” Chauvin says. “They’ll show up when something horrible happens. Last May, I broke my leg. This will be my first game back since I fell. But the team was with me the entire time. They came to the hospital room with me. The entire group of teammates, and they were there at the drop of a hat. It’s basically like having a dozen and a half best friends.”
The team played on the road in 2022, though there were no home games. Their next game is this Saturday, April 22, when they’ll play against Easley-based Upstate Roller Girl Evolution (URGE). The match will take place at the recreation center at 6 p.m., with tickets costing $8.