The Long and Surprising History of Roller Derby - The New York Times
From the beginning, roller derby offered an equal playing field for men and women: same rules, same track, same helter-skelter rush. March 28, 1971. Credit... Barton Silverman/The New York Times Supported by By Jennifer Harlan It sounds like a human freight train: wheels clattering around the turns, bodies thumping against each other, toe stops shrieking against the track. A rainbow of hair and wheels goes by in a blur, shouts and grunts punctuating the din. It’s part endurance race, part wrestling match, combining strategy, athleticism and camp. And it’s all done on roller skates. At first glance, roller derby seems like a feminist punk fever dream. It is unapologetic and aggressive, a full-contact whirlwind populated by characters with names like Carnage Electra, Miss U.S. Slay and Bleeda Kahlo. But the blood, sweat and mascara that seem so essential to the modern sport have roots stretching back nearly a century. “For women to have been playing a contact sport back in the 1930s was
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