By Stacee Sledge
Are you a roller derby newbie? No worries. The Roller Betties have brought the sport to Bellingham — and you are welcome to join in or simply take in several bouts a year.
The Betties were born in 2006, when a group of women decided it was time to bring roller derby to town, and the group shows no signs of slowing down. The sport is as popular as ever, with leagues in nearby Vancouver, Seattle and Olympia.
Four distinct teams make up Bellingham’s Roller Betties league: Blunt Force Trauma, The Cog Blockers, Team FLASH, and Tough Love.
Not familiar with how roller derby works? Here’s the rundown:
The Roller Betties play flat-track roller derby on an oval surface and follow rules set by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Each bout is broken up into two 30-minute halves, which include a series of shorter jams (up to two minutes long).
Two teams of five — made up of four blockers (the “pack”) and one point-scoring player (the “jammer”) — battle to see whose jammer can break through the opposing team’s pack first.
Blockers knock around the other team’s jammer, in hopes of hitting her out of bounds. Points are won when a jammer breaks through the opposing team’s blockers.
Injuries are a given in this sport — but no one’s complaining.
“You definitely get really beat up,” says Lana “Go-Go Gadget” Larson, with a laugh. “On average, there are probably four ankle brakes per season. It’s not really ‘if’ but ‘when.’ But we wear mouth guards and helmets — we’re really serious about wearing our pads.”
Larson is fairly new to the Roller Betties, as she gets set to start her third season with the Cog Blockers.
“I’m a newbie, but there are still some OG Betties who have been there since it began,” she says.
Larson had been to a couple bouts but didn’t realize roller derby was something anyone could do. “I didn’t know it was so accessible,” she says.
She ran into a couple Betties right before the annual Bootie Camp started, which is a training session for anyone who’s interested.
“I took the first step and went to the meet and greet, and then I decided to do the Bootie Camp, which starts at the end of August and goes into the end of October,” she says. “And then I was in!”
The Roller Betties practice at Lynden Skateway and would love to eventually get their own practice space in Bellingham. Summer practices can sometimes be seen taking place at Zuanich Park.
Bouts take place at Bellingham Sportsplex and Whatcom Community College’s arena.
“We have to set up our track and that takes some work,” Larson says, describing tiles that fit together like a puzzle atop a sports court. “We couldn’t do this without our volunteers who are there for every bout — early in the morning with the coffee and donuts, helping us carry plywood out and then put down the tile.”
Roller derby is far from easy, but Larson loves it.
“It’s such a great outlet if you need to get out aggression,” she says. “And it’s not as scary as people think. We scrimmage amongst ourselves in the league and you get to know everyone and become friends. You’re all trying to make each other better.”
Before joining the Roller Betties, Larson’s experience on wheels had been limited to middle school field trips to the nearest skating rink.
“Everyone starts at different skill levels, but anyone can do it,” she says. “It’s fun to be around — and be trained by — a really powerful, awesome group of ladies. We’re all there for each other.”
