Photograph by Jack Schad
Since 2006, competitive full-contact skaters have taken to the flat track as team members of Cincinnati Roller Derby. (Changed this year from Cincinnati Rollergirls to better reflect the sport’s diversity in gender expression.) In its 20 years of existence, the local roller derby team has become a fixture of the city—former Mayor Mark Mallory even declared June 19, 2010, the team’s official day. However, once the athletes hit the track, their high-speed, high-impact competitive natures are unleashed.
“It’s a very psychological and tactical game because it’s one of those sports where you’re simultaneously playing offense and defense,” says Kelley McCollum-Uyeno, who serves as co-new skater and coordinator of the team. She’s also known by her derby name, “Shocka, When the Walls Fell.” Skaters compete in multiple “jams” during a match, consisting of one jammer, three blockers, and one pivot from each team. Jammers score points by getting past opposing blockers, and the pivot becomes the new jammer by receiving the helmet cover passed from the original jammer. Each jam ends after two minutes or when the first jammer to get past the blockers calls it off.
Photograph by Jack Schad
Although there are many rules and safeguards in place, derby’s full-contact force and impact often leads to injuries. “A skater’s tooth has gone through their lip. And I’ve had four concussions, then I broke my ankle,” says Shocka. “The worst injury I’ve witnessed is an arm breaking in half.… I was blocking with my teammate and the opposing jammer who was very strong broke a seam which included an arm.… One of my old coaches [at Sacramento Roller Derby] re-broke her ankle in a scrimmage. She knew that it was clicking in her skate but decided to keep skating.”
Photograph by Jack Schad
The gameplay itself can get intense, but for Shocka and many other skaters, the extreme and even radical aspect of derby comes from the freedom and release it offers its primarily female athletes. “We’re aggressive but it’s not a mean aggression. It’s a space where whoever you are, whatever you are, you just get to be that unapologetically. For women in most spaces it’s, You’re being too loud! Don’t take up space! And physically on the track, you need to take up space. This is my space, I’m holding it, and I’ve got your back.”
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