--- advertisement ---

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Local Sports

Local sports in the Panhandle are not just a game, they are a lifestyle. Our community eats, sleeps and breathes cheering on our local athletes.
News13 is On Your “Sidelines” bringing you more than the score.
News13’s Stephen Gunter is committed to giving you stories of the Panhandle’s top athletes, intriguing match-ups and unusual sports you may not even know exist.
sgunter@wmbb.com

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Panama City Roller Derby

PANAMA CITY - Roller derby is making a comeback.  There’s a group of women who get together twice a week to spend some quality time together.  They’re not scrapbooking or quilting.  No, the Panama City Derby Girls prepare for a few bruises.

The blocker, the jammer and the whip are back!  Roller derby emphasizes speed, agility and damsel destruction.

“We have a rule,” derby girl Laura Hartog said.  “You can’t say sorry to anybody.”

The ladies compete on a flat track, that’s not banked and play is based on a points system.

“Once the jammer’s hips pass each individual girl in bounds,” derby girl Janis Carmichael said.  “For each opposing team member they pass they get a point.”

More than a dozen house wives, professionals and students make up the Panama City Derby Girls.  Complete with stage names like “Liquorty-Spit” and “Festina Aguilera”.  You can’t forget the outrageous outfits!

“We wear skirts, fish nets, tank tops,” Hartog said.  “Anything you can feel comfortable in, but still be sexy and tough!”

Now the girls can’t just pull hair or poke each other in the eyes while they’re “jamming”.

“There are rules and guidelines but if the ref’s not looking, you don’t have to follow them,” added Hartog.  “You’re not supposed to throw elbows, but some girls do.”

“I’ve seen a shattered wrist, get fingers run over, tons of bruises, and rink rash,” derby girl Kelly Wyatt said.

So you get the point.  These chicks are tough.

To catch the ladies in action, their first bout will be on Jan. 20 at The Skate Factory in Panama City.

For more information, you can visit their website at http://www.pcrollerderby.com.

(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Page 1 of 1 pages