Roller derby tryouts about competition, camaraderie, skaters say

By ELIZABETH ZAVALA

ezavala@star-telegram.com

IRVING — Some are professionals, others are students. Many are mothers. But to the Dallas Derby Devils, they’re all just "fresh meat," rookies wanting to call themselves roller girls.

Women across North Texas have packed Mid-Cities Skateland in Irving in recent weeks to try out for a spot on one of the five teams that make up the Dallas Derby Devils roller derby league.

Although the league bears the Dallas name, skaters with the Derby Devils hang their helmets in Tarrant County, having skated at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills since 2008.

This week, they interviewed, skated, practiced their falls and nursed their bruises. Tonight, they’ll learn whether they’ll make one of the league’s five teams: Slaughterers, Wrecking Crew, High Seas Hotties, Suicide Shifters and Death Row Rumblers.Make no mistake, league leaders say: The rink is a tough place, and roller derby is no show.

"This is a sport," said Siouxsie B. Sassy, co-captain of the Wrecking Crew and media director for the Dallas Derby Devils. "To those who don’t believe it, we weed them out incredibly fast."

With the recent release of the Drew Barrymore-directed roller derby movie Whip It, area interest in the sport has spiked, with more than 50 women — ranging in age from 18 to the mid-40s — signing up.

"This is the biggest one of the tryouts we’ve had," said Homewrecker, co-captain of the Slaughterers, who when not skating is Whitney Harding, 40, a mother of two and a former PTA president in the Birdville school district.

The rookie and veteran skaters at the rink ran the gamut this week: accountant, cosmetics consultant, dessert caterer, former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, school secretary, chiropractor, college students and stay-at-home moms.

Dawn Jarvis, 40, of Fort Worth said she hadn’t been on skates in 20 years until trying out this week.

"It’s time for me," said the secretary at Texas Wesleyan University. All of her kids are out of the house and she wants a shot at being a roller girl.

Kat Markum of Burleson put skates on for the first time two weeks ago, she said. The homemaker and mother of three said her two teenage daughters are considering trying out for a junior league team.

Markum, 31, who also has a 7-year-old son, said the tryouts have been great fun.

"These are the nicest women I have ever met," she said of her potential teammates. "They push you and want you to get better."

Although her husband was terrified at first, he has warmed to the idea, she said.

"He’s been very supportive and a great cheerleader," Markum said.

If she makes a team, Markum wants to be Mean-Eyed Kat, a tribute to a Johnny Cash song.

For many skaters, it isn’t just the physical challenge that lures them to the sport. It’s the fellowship and the sisterhood.

"Not many people can say they did it," Homewrecker said. "It’s a great way to have camaraderie."

Sassy, who is Susan Mokski, a mother of four from Justin, said "roller derby has saved my soul," recalling a mantra that she and her teammates have uttered many times. "It makes me feel empowered," she said. "It has totally changed my life."

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