Skaters insist their sport is more than just a cat-fight on wheels. But these women on skates shove each other... Try to push each other down... It's a no holds barred sport. Their coach even says it's like wrestling for women. And the name of this game is being tough.
Sarah Fergal--otherwise known as "Ivanna Smackdavitch," explains. "It's definitely got a rock and roll feel to it - without a doubt"
These women are strapping on padding to revive roller derby in Milwaukee. "It was a true sport and in the 70's it kind of lost that a little bit and became a bit more staged. But what you're seeing now has been started has been started by the do-it yourself-punk movement," Ivanna says.
Here's the basic idea... There is a pack of skaters... Then a person called a jammer follows behind. The jammer wants to get through the pack and lap them around the track. When the jammer starts trying to break through the pack for a second time, the points start to add up. The pack does whatever it can to keep the jammer from passing.
Crazy Janie says it's not too painful... yet. "Well I haven't seen any broken bones yet - but you have to - that's going to come with the sport. I've seen some black eyes and some pretty bad bruises"
A lot of these girls have never even been on roller skates before - so the point of these practices is to get used to skating - then they'll actually try having matches."
"They came around really fast - I mean we started skating in december and by the end of january, I could tell a major difference already," says "Ching Ching Pow."
More than eighty women are in the brew city bruisers club... And they've got almost fifty women on the waiting list wanting to take their turn throwing elbows.
"We've got girls that are covered in tattoos - but then during the day they've got executive jobs and things like that. Everybody I've met - you're tough on the rink - sweetheart outside"
Eventually the Milwaukee women want to have a traveling team... They would go all over the country.. they even hope to have public matches and sell tickets.
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