Roller derby hits Cape Town
IMAGINE rugby, but on roller skates.There’s no ball, and all the players are women, but it’s a full-contact sport that can be every bit as physical, aggressive and tactical as rugby.
Roller derby is the fastest growing women’s sport in the world, and Cape Town has just hosted its first major national bout. On Saturday, Cape Town Rollergirls took on the older, more experienced C-Max team from Joburg.
Unfortunately, it was the women from up north who outscored the Rollergirls 194-52.
It was love at first sight for Leigh Loffell-Dawson, 36, after she witnessed her first game
“I fell in love immediately,” she said. “It was awesome. The girls are so cool! I left running because it just wasn’t going to cut it for me anymore.”
Now, she’s better known as Leighthal Weapon.
“Once I found my skating legs, I found I was unexpectedly aggressive and I thought, I am actually a bit of a weapon,” she said. “Women are often supposed to be demure and gentle, whereas we bring the aggression – but do it legally, don’t land in the sin bin. It encourages women to be badass.”
Here’s how it works: two teams with five skaters compete in a “bout” on an oval track, playing 30 minutes each half. Four skaters on each team are called “blockers”, and it’s their job to be strong and physical players. One skater is called the “jammer”, and it’s her job to dodge and weave and plough her way past the opposing team’s blockers. For each blocker she thwarts, she gets a point for her team.
“There is no ball involved, but we’re chasing one another and hitting one another. We break one another’s bones sometimes,” Loffell-Dawson said. “It’s the only sport in the world where you play offensive and defensive at the same time. There’s a lot of strategy going on.”
They may play rough, but off the track the roller derby skaters are a tight-knit community.
To find out more, see the Cape Town Rollergirls facebook page at www.facebook.com/capetownrollergirls/
Story: Chelsea Geach / Pictures: Ashraf Hendricks
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