Derby girls revel in sport they've made their own

I can't remember the last time I tried to roller skate.

Oh, sure, I've been on skates helping my girls get around the rink when they were toddlers. But I don't remember the last time I actually tried to skate.

So when my husband suggested I go skate with a derby girl — roller derby that is — I was reluctant.

Not that I'm above humiliating myself for a good story. I'm actually very willing to give whatever it is I'm covering the ol' uncoordinated-journalist try because I feel it helps me understand those I'm writing about. Driving a race car is what convinced me that motor sports are sports, requiring both mental skill and athletic agility.

I have numerous examples of this, but the most embarrassing and painful has to be the time I tried to do a flip off the water ramps in Park City on skis. Not my finest hour.

So roller skating with women who do it while pummeling each other, well, that seemed a little more than I wanted to experience.

But as I perused the Salt Lake Derby Girls' Web site, I changed my mind. These women were intriguing, and not just because they chose such an unusual hobby.

This was a league created by a group of women who wanted to push themselves and expand their opportunities. They wanted what every athlete wants — to see what they are capable of when competition pushes you past the limits of what you thought your potential was.

I drove to Hollywood Connection and plopped down my $5 fee to rent skates and then introduced myself to Brew HaHa, who got the whole derby thing in Utah started.

She skated with me for a while, explaining how the sport works and what it means to the women involved. I was feeling more comfortable and confident on my skates, but not bold enough to attempt some of the maneuvers being demonstrated to the other women who showed up to skate with a derby girl.

First of all, it is intimidating to skate after many years on the sideline. More to the point, it's intimidating to skate with women who are comfortable doing it in short skirts and fishnet stockings.

I wore khaki cargo pants and a T-shirt, which my husband advised might not be the right choice. I was looking to protect myself from a fall, which I found out later is why the girls wear helmets and pads. I definitely made myself conspicuous.

"At first you care more about looking sexy," said one woman.