The beauty of roller derby

Roller derby. I remember watching it with my mom as a kid. She would let me stay up way past my bed time and we'd watch just us.
Now I'm a mom and I have the pleasure of watching derby live with MY daughter.
For those of you who have never seen a bout, you have a chance. Get your self some tickets at www.rosecityrollers.com and come to the bout June 19Th 2010 at the Portland Oregon Expo center. You are guaranteed to have a fantastic night full of hard hitting nail biting action.
As a child I didn't see the beauty in derby that I see now as an adult.
I see roller derby as a very intricate ballet. The Jammer (prima ballerina) moves gracefully through the pack, avoiding the blockers (dance company) all the while staying on her feet, revving up the crowd and scoring points with the help of her team.
Roller derby is a very physical sport, but it is more than the physicality of hitting, bumping and body checking.
It's about stamina, strategy, skill, humor, self worth, respect, sisterhood, grace, beauty and empowerment.
I have enjoyed he opportunity to share roller derby with my daughter who is now hard core into derby. She LOVES being Sidelines Sarah the pint sized mascot for the most bitchin team in derby GNR! She wants skates. She wants a name for when she skates. She is counting down the days until she is a Rosebud. She has decided whether they want her or not, when she is 18 she WILL be a GNR. She has her favorite skaters and will NOT tolerate anyone talking poorly about them and will go toe to toe with you to convince you to like her favorite skaters. Her favorites are Cher the Pain because "She is awesome and I love her." Smack Ya Sideways because "she's really nice and she looks like she is floating when she skates." Cadillac "because she is really fast" and Blood Clottia "because she scores the most points" Each of these skaters have different styles to their skating but they have 1 thing in common that Sarah says is most important "they are all so so nice and I think they like me."
It makes her night when after a bout the ladies tell her that they couldn't have done it without her. Roller derby has increased her self esteem 10 fold and is showing her you can be a strong athlete and still be graceful, kind and great roll model for a young girl who idolizes them.
These ladies embody what being a woman should be about. As a fan I see all of this. I see the determination in their faces, the UN spoken fierce loyalty these ladies show each other. An not just the loyalty to their team. They are loyal to each other and support each other team mate or not. All of this is what I am trying to instill in my daughter.
Although they skate on different teams and rivalries are strong, these ladies are more than just GNR, Heartless Heathers, Break Neck Betties and High Rollers. They are the Rose City Rollers and they are some of the most amazing women I have had the pleasure of meeting.
Because of this I am a proud derby volunteer, supporter and hopefully one day a proud derby mom.