The Gainesville Roller Rebels: "It's not just girls in fishnets"

With torn fishnets, bared muscles and nicknames like Suzie Bonebreaker and Grizzly Madams, the Gainesville Roller Rebels fit the image of roller derby and all that it entails. But while a GRR bout certainly has its share of butt-kicking, there is a bigger picture – one that stresses sisterhood, empowerment, and giving back to the community.

The GRR was started in November 2007 when Catherine “Ms. Rebel” Seemen posted fliers looking for women to join the squad. She got several replies and the squad had its first practice at Skate Station in early 2008.

Miriam “Stocky Balboa” Hill was among the five or six ladies at the start of it all. “I’m in my 30s so I’m old enough to have seen some roller derby on television back in the 80s, and I roller skated when I was a kid,” said Balboa, who had read about reincarnated leagues in Texas and Florida at the time. She decided to give it a try, and 2 ½ years later now serves as the GRR president.

Today the GRR has grown into an organization with almost 50 members. In their nine-month season the Roller Rebels compete in almost 20 contests, called bouts, culminating in the Sunshine Skate – Florida’s state roller derby championship in early December. The squad holds three-hour practices three evenings a week in a warehouse without climate control. It’s grueling on the body and the mind, but it gets the skaters in good shape and used to extreme conditions. “At a recent away bout, their air conditioning was having issues,” said Adrienne “Rage-rienne” Filardo, the GRR’s media relations manager. “The other team was vomiting and having a hard time, but we were just fine!”

While these ladies are known for their rough and tumble ways on the rink, they also serve a higher purpose. “We are a non-profit, so part of that means helping other non-profits,” said Filardo. “We do a lot of work with Girls’ Place, and we’ve also supported Peaceful Paths (Domestic Abuse Network). It’s definitely one of our primary functions is to give back to the community.” The GRR has raised money through car washes, raffles and other fundraisers, and this past year the group was able to send roughly 30 young women at Girls’ Place to camp. The team also has a highway cleanup area on North Main Street that they attend to regularly.
 

No experience is required to join the Roller Rebels – just a desire to try something new and help the community. Filardo had never played any team sport, but her lack of athletic experience didn’t stop her. “I had never even seen a bout before I joined,” she said. “I just knew a couple of people who did it, and the energy I felt from them when they spoke about it was enough to make me join. It’s not just girls in fishnets; it’s a lot more than that.”

Recruitment starts with a meeting where prospective members get to know the organization and learn about the league, the commitment involved and the type of equipment that you need to play. If a prospective member wants to learn more, she joins USA Roller Sports (the governing body of the sport), signs waivers and attends a practice. From that point the new member starts a three-month training period, during which she learns (or re-learns) how to skate, how to fall to avoid injury, and the rules of the sport. She will not compete in a bout until she has passed this period and the team feels she is ready to be on the track.

GRR team members and staff come from all walks of life, from stay-at-home moms to critical care nurses to grants assistants. Some skaters are as young as 18 while others are approaching 50. But regardless of age or occupation, the Roller Rebels’ mission is one of empowerment and opportunity.

“After high school and college there’s not a lot of organized sports for women, so we provide that,” said Hill. “I think roller derby is unique in that, regardless of your body type or age, there is a role for you on this team. And it’s really empowering to think of whatever you come with, you can develop that and harness whatever skills you have and become a really powerful and valuable member of the team.”

The Gainesville Roller Rebels’ next home bout is Saturday, August 7 at 9:00 p.m. at Skate Station in Gainesville. For more information visit www.gainesvillerollerrebels.com.