Categories
Arts & CultureBlogCulture Briefs

Classic City Rollergirls Host Atlanta Men’s Roller Derby Saturday

We didn’t learn much from the No. 148 Classic City Rollergirls‘ recent 226-54 demolition of the visiting No. 137 Tragic City Rollers in the Akins Arena at the Classic Center on Apr. 16. The 007-themed high school prom being held in the facilities atrium provided more tension and drama. 

There was the emergence of Rumbalina at the jammer position. Her elastic athleticism gave the opposition fits. Additionally, the continued promising development of Skateoven—the bout’s MVP blocker—makes her the early fave to win the most-improved skater award in 2016. And we learned that the WFTDA ranking system is at the very least a deeply flawed imperfect science, or at worst completely unnecessary outside of perhaps ranking the top 20–30 teams in the world. When you have more than 240 to rate and evaluate with limited resources, you have too many.

Up next, CCRG will be hosting an interesting, if not unprecedented, exhibition bout May 14. Fans will witness something pretty rare for organized team contact sports: men versus women.

Some of you have hazy black-and-white TV memories of vintage professional roller derby. Teams were co-ed, but the men skated in lineups with men, the women with women. Oh, and it was scripted. Perish the thought. CCRG will look to beat Atlanta Men’s Roller Derby, straight up.

This isn’t a 55-year-old Bobby Riggs being taken down by Billie Jean King in three sets in 1973. This is a true battle of the sexes, where the third wave of feminism and the fluid notion of gender make sports history. Or maybe the men’s team, in this derby world created and dominated by women, couldn’t find anyone else to play. Who knows? 

As usual, there is the theme of attrition. CCRG will be without premier blocker Super Smash Fro, who sustained a broken leg during practice just prior to the Tragic City contest. Team captain Louis Strongarm is questionable for the bout as she battles a nagging foot injury, and the versatile Bon Eva has moved to New Mexico.

A portion of the bout’s ticket proceeds will benefit the Boybutante AIDS Foundation, which, since its birth in 1989, has raised more than half a million dollars for AIDS service organizations.

RELATED ARTICLES BY AUTHOR