A look of concentration falls over the face of Amy Terpening, known on the Tahoe Derby Dames as "Sister Slayer," as she lines up for a pack drill during roller-derby practice at St. Theresa's Catholic Church. Jonah M. Kessel / Tahoe Daily Tribune
Adam Jensen,ajensen@tahoedailytribune.com May 4, 2008 PrintEmail The rhythmic whir of polyurethane wheels on a hardwood floor starts with one set of roller skates and builds to more than a dozen as a group of women take to the court at St. Theresa Catholic Church's gym.
Many of them sport tattoos, wear fishnet stockings or have clothes decorated with skulls.
All of them have amusingly unusual nicknames, such as "Maddy Pistolwhip," "Lepra C," "Eden Brains" and "Ghostface Kill Her."
Meet the Tahoe Derby Dames, Lake Tahoe's only flat-track roller-derby team, created about three months ago in South Lake Tahoe.
"We're women empowering women," Derby Dame organizer Victoria "Hillacious" Stanfill says with a slight smile on her face.
Between the camaraderie of playing a physically demanding team sport and the persistent encouragement of teammates, there certainly was some empowerment going on during Wednesday night's practice.
In the middle of the pack, acting jammer Brianne Price, aka "Rodeo Ho Down," takes an elbow in the face from Michelle Corea, known as "Her Meechness." Jonah M. Kessel / Tahoe Daily Tribune
But "women slamming into other women on roller skates" probably is a more accurate description of the outward appearance of the sport, which has gone through a variety of incarnations since the mid-1930s and now is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, according to the Web site of Bay Area-based roller-derby team The Bay City Bombers.
Roller-derby bouts pit two teams of five against each other on a flat or banked oval-shaped course. One member from each team - known as a "jammer" - scores points by lapping members of the opposing team, who do their best - or very worst - to block the jammer's progress.
Even though there were some truly epic hits during the Derby Dames' most recent practice, it's not all brute force. The team's founder, Amy "Sister Slayer" Terpening, said the sport has its share of strategies.
There now are roller-derby teams in every U.S. state except Montana, Terpening added.
Val White, known to the team as "Valigator," takes a turn at full speed during warm-up in the gym at St. Theresa's Catholic Church. Jonah M. Kessel / Tahoe Daily Tribune
The Dames' 22 members hope to build their skating skills to the point where they can be certified by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association and compete in interleague play.
Certification likely is more than a year off, but Stanfill hopes to begin scrimmages with regional teams such as Reno's Battle Born Derby Demons or Sacramento's Sacred City Derby Girls late this summer.
It's just a matter of getting the relatively new team - known as "fresh meat" in the derby world - up to speed.
"Most of the girls who started skating with us didn't have any experience except for maybe a handful," Stanfill said. "I have to say, in three months, they've come a long way."
There's also the matter of finding a permanent home.
In exchange for helping with the Bread and Broth program to feed needy families, the Dames get use of the St. Theresa gym twice a week.
Stanfill is grateful for use of the space but hopes to find somewhere big enough for a regulation-sized track with room for an audience - because if the Dames are anything, they're entertaining.
The Tahoe Derby Dames host open recruitment for women with roller-skating experience the second Wednesday of every month at 8 p.m. in the St. Theresa gym.
They'll also host a Pabst Blue Ribbon- and Turn 3-sponsored "White Trash Party" on Saturday to raise money for uniforms.
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