Route 66 Roller Derby gets ready to rumble

First home game to take place May 4

By: Rachel Nelson
http://www.amarilloscene.com/

Tickets to the first home Route 66 Roller Derby bout went on sale April 1. The event will be held on May 4 in the Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum.

"It's about to blow up," said Heather "H-Bomb" Hoffsteader, vice president of the Route 66 Roller Derby."This is the fastest growing sport in the nation right now."

According to Hoffsteader, there are more than 10,000 names registered on the roller derby national registration site.

The Route 66 Roller Derby, originally named the Rotor City Rollers, was formed in 2006 and is comprised of two teams. When they spoke with The Scene last August, the girls were anxious to start bouting with other teams but were postponing the action because they were in search of a place to hold their events. Hoffsteader said Amarillo Mayor Debra McCartt helped to connect the girls with the Civic Center and make it their home venue.

"She was very excited to see a sport that is female driven and the girls are the stars. We don't see that very much," Hoffsteader said.

The league did not expect to see themselves in such a large arena, but they are optimistic about the potential the Civic Center could bring to the sport.

"The Civic Center is making all of this possible," Hoffsteader said. "It's a bit out of our comfort zone, but we're excited that our sport is going to be able to compete at this level. We can fit 3,000 people in that arena, and we want to pack it out every time."

Besides a local family and friends event, the derby held its first competitive bout this season against the West Texas Roller Dollz in Lubbock. Since each game has a theme, this event was named "The Rookie Rumble."

"Lubbock is a new team as well," Hoffsteader said. "We did not win, but it was a very close battle."

The derby will kick off its series of home games by having the two local teams, The Bonzai Brawlers and the Deadly Dames, compete in what will be called the "Derby Invasion."

"Although we're all on the same league, I don't think we're going to be holding anything back," said Amber "Fyrebones" Phillips, a skater for the Bonzai Brawlers.

Phillips said she is looking forward to the bout.

"Roller Derby is a challenge to rely not on my own energy, but on God's strength, and he always comes through," she said.

The rest of the games will be with teams from from New Mexico, Oklahoma and other parts of Texas, Hoffsteader said. The official schedule has not been released, but it will be available on the Panhandle Tickets Web site as well as the derby's MySpace page as soon as it is set in stone.

Originally, the Route 66 Roller Derby consisted of three teams, but they reorganized so that they would have a full roster on each team and be able to provide plenty of back up. When the roller girls start taking on teams from other areas, they will pull players from each of the two teams.

Since its formation nearly a year and a half ago, the local roller derby league has become actively involved in the community. This month they will participate in the MS walk on the 12th at John Stiff Park. They will also be set up at the car show on the 27th at Hillside and Bell providing concessions, face painting and information about the derby. That event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets to the game are available through Panhandle Tickets and will cost $10 if purchased in advance. Prices will rise to $15 at the door and cost $5 for children under the age of 10. Season passes can be obtained for $60. Floor seats, or "suicide seating," also is available for $20 per person. Persons under 18 must be accompanied by an adult to sit in this section.

"It's very possible that someone will land on you three rows back," Hoffsteader said. Everyone who purchases a ticket for suicide seating will be asked to sign a waiver before the game starts.

Partial proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit local charities.

"Nik Vicious," president of the derby, said she believes that the roller derby is going to be a great thing for Amarillo."It's wild," she said. "It's like sometimes I don't realize how big this has the potential of being, but we have been working so hard for the past year and a half and all of our hard work is finally about to pay off."

ROLLER DERBY: The Basics
** Roller blades are not allowed. All participants must wear quad skates.
** Two teams with 5 girls on each team skate in a formation around the track.
** One girl from each team called a "jammer" races around the track trying to make her way through the other team's girls.
** The girls use blocks, hits and pushes to stop the other team's jammer.