Like A 'Violent Ballet': Roller Derby Making A Comeback

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CHESWICK (KDKA) -- Roller derby is an aggressive, physical sport with ties to the early 1900s, and it's making a comeback.

It's a body-slamming, elbow-throwing, knee-pad-needing sport that requires a whole lot of safety gear.

"I love when you have that really good hit or you get right through the pack and you do something amazing and your teammates just high five you," Maryanne Kimbler said.

Kimbler, whose derby name is "Riley Rinkrash," feels at home on the track.

"I've never really had a lot of really close female friends in one way, so this is a community like I've never been able to have before," she said.

That team atmosphere, the aggression, that full body contact gets the heart rate up. It's an outlet to forget the 9 to 5 grind, lace up and skate on eight wheels.

"I'm a dental technician, and I digitally sculpt crowns and bridges on the computer," Kimbler said.

"It's kind of cathartic sort of thing, being able to come to practice after a hard day at work and hit the crap out of people," roller derby team member Kate Malongowski said.

The derby girls spin once a week in practice to give the spins to one unlucky opponent.

A Saturday night showdown delights the dedicated fans. In fact, the facility that hosted the bout ran out of bleacher seats for all the fans.

"My daughter describes it as violent ballet," fan Jeanne Zoellner said.

"I love it, it makes me want to do it," Alexis Zorn, who was attending a bout for the first time, said. "I think I'm going to ask them if they have a spot."

The girls say the risk of injury is worth taking the hit.

"My skate just slipped right out from underneath me, so I have a tib/fib fracture," injured member Donna Dodd said. "There's a lot of injuries, a lot of different injuries. This one is pretty common, but I think I'm the only one in the league who's, like... broken right now."

In a league filled with dozens of players with three competing strings, those odds seem pretty good.

Try outs are in the fall, so if you're interested in joining, they suggest you buy a pair of roller skates now and get comfortable on eight wheels.