NORTH OF WILSHIRE When Brooke Forsythe and her daughter Hazel moved to Santa Monica from San Francisco a little over four years ago, they found it difficult to meet new friends.
“I was a single mom working from home,so I didn’t get out much,” said the 35-year-old Forsythe. “Honestly, I hadn’t made a single friend within a year of being in L.A.It was pretty sad.”
Desperate, Forsythe checked out the online community of Craigslist looking for some activity partners. That’s where she stumbled upon something that has dramatically changed her life, something so empowering that even a pulled groin muscle can’t keep her away — roller derby.
Forsythe is a member of the Los Angeles Derby Dolls (www.derbydolls.com), the county’s only all-girl, banked-track roller derby league where more than 60 fearless women dressed in short skirts and tight tops fly around a makeshift track at breakneck speeds, sacrificing their bodies for sport and spectators. Players slam into one another to clear a path for their “jammers,” agile skaters who fight their way through the crowd in efforts to lap other skaters and score points.
There is no big pay off. In fact, skaters pay $80 per month in dues to get bruised. What keeps these raucous rollers coming back despite the broken collarbones and chipped teeth is sisterhood, a love for the sport and a sense of belonging to something greater than themselves, something which they have built together despite the hardships faced along the way.
“It’s totally addictive...the funnest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said Forsythe, a jammer for the Sirens whose alias in the rink is “Raggedy Anarchy.”“Because there’s no money, everyone does it for the love of the game. A lot of people enjoy the social aspect, the camaraderie. I enjoy being a part of an organization founded by women and completely run by women in a democratic fashion.
“I don’t think there is any better way for my daughter to learn about the power we can have as women”
Forsythe and the rest of her Derby Doll sisters are part of a roller derby revival that is growing across the nation. Over the last five years, more than 200 leagues have sprouted, including one in San Diego, where some of the L.A. ladies on wheels will be battling this weekend when they take on their counterparts from the south in a good, old-fashioned “Sibling Rivalry.”
Derby Dolls recently hosted Texas Roller Derby Lonestar Roller Girls out of Austin, a benchmark in the history of the league as it was the first time the Derby Dolls were able to bring them to Los Angeles.
Proof of the sport’s growing popularity could be seen on Feb. 10, when celebrities such as Patricia Arquette (“Medium”) and John C. Reilly (“Chicago”) were among the hundreds in attendance at the Downtown LA event.
“That actually blew me away,” said “Tara Armov,” a 38-year-old blocker from Mar Vista who skates for the Fight Crew, undefeated league champions last season. “It’s pretty cool to find out that we had some celebs attend and that gives me hope that we can sustain ourselves, which is the goal I think we have all set for ourselves. We would like for this to continue well after we stop playing.
“It would be cool of we got more exposure, but I like the underground aspect of it. If Paris Hilton shows up, we know it’s over.”
The Derby Dolls were formed in 2003 by Rebecca “Demolicious” Ninburg and Wendy “Thora Zeen” Templeton. The two artists met through work and immediately found that they had a mutual interest in roller derby that stemmed from their childhood. Ninburg and Templeton rounded up a bunch of their friends and family members,and over a year and a half began building the league from the ground up. They held practices anywhere they could, pulled together money to help buy skates, pads and helmets, even built a 100-foot, by 60-foot track.
They have gone from small events in odd locations, to continually selling out the former bowling alley that is now their home in Little Tokyo.
Located on the third floor of a mall just off First Street in downtown Los Angeles, the venue is reminiscent of an old Legion Hall where teens would throw punk rock shows. The vibe is very raw, but inviting. Most of the space is dark, with light shining brightly on the track as skaters practice and stretch in the moments leading up to the clash. Announcers keep the crowd pumped and rock bands bring it during intermission.
While having a permanent home for the league is an accomplishment, it is also very expensive. The Derby Dolls must carry a $5 million insurance policy,which works out to be around $1,800 a month,and pay rent of $9,460 a month.General admission tickets sell for $15, with VIP tickets going for $35. Most, if not all, events sell out. The venue holds only about 800 people, lending intimacy to the fans and players.
To make ends meet, all skaters must volunteer to help set up, clean up and perform other duties.
“This is totally do-it-yourself,” said Armov, an animator by day.“I know everyone loves to have fun strapping on their skates and hitting each other,but we also realize that this is a business and we have to take care of every aspect of it.
“It’s not just about cleaning up after ourselves, but dealing with the city bureaucracy, how to manage people, manage money, be a
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 22, 2007. Read the original PDF.