Memphis Roller Derby – Memphis Flyer

The Memphis Roller Derby A-Tracks are about to face the Springfield (Missouri) Roller Derby in their season closer this Saturday.

Memphis’ recreational home teams, the Ghost River Ghouls and the Memphis Minions, are also set to play in their final bout of the season. In between bouts will be a costume contest, chuck-a-duck, and a demonstration by the Memphis Armored Fight Club. There will also be tabling local vendors, a bake sale, and beers provided by Memphis Made Brewing.

“Memphis shows up for us,” says Kendall Oli, the league’s marketing director. “It’s really fun. When the crowd is super loud and really into it, we can feel that. We take that, we harness it, and do our thing out there. And the home teams, even though it’s recreational, they’ve both developed their fan bases as well — the Minions and the Ghouls.”

Oli, for her part, is on both the Memphis Minions and on the travel team, having joined the league in 2017 after the Memphis Roller Derby hosted one of its Skate Schools, or boot camps. “I’ve always been sporty, and I’ve always liked team sports, so I was kind of looking for something in adulthood to fill that,” she says. “It’s not only an outlet for me to exercise and be fit, but also I get to hang out with my friends, with a nice competitive edge to it.”

Out on the rink and with her derby friends, Oli goes by Choke — a “derby name.” “It started out as Diet Choke, instead of Diet Coke,” she says. “It got abbreviated [over time]. I’m just an avid Diet Coke drinker.”

Though the game this Saturday is the last of the season, the Memphis Roller Derby plans to continue to engage with Memphis outside of the season. On December 14th, 8 p.m., the league will have its Ho Ho Ho Burlesque Show. “We do it every year,” Oli says. “It’s one of our biggest fundraisers, and it’s a lot of fun. League members will do the performances, and they’re usually really unique, eclectic, just super fun. And then we also have around 100 different donated items up for auction.”

“We are always looking for new fans,” she adds, “and we’re also always looking for new members. We hold our boot camps, or we call it Skate School [a few times a year]. We’re always trying to grow. We teach down to the very basics. Like, I didn’t know how to roller skate when I started in 2017 and now I travel to play with other teams. There’s just so many opportunities for not only growing your skills, but also personal growth and joining a community that has something for everyone — even for non-skaters.”

Keep up with the Memphis Roller Derby at memphisrollerderby.com and on social (@memphisrollerderby).

Springfield Roller Derby vs. Memphis A-Tracks, the Agricenter, 7777 Walnut Grove, Saturday, November 2, 2 p.m.,$15/adult, $5/kids (5-13), free/kids under 5.

The traditionally all-female Memphis Roller Derby will now accept men into their growing grassroots league. While they won’t compete in public bouts, guys will skate at open league practices and scrimmage weekly with league members.

The roller derby is looking to grow its membership and compete for national attention after a recent year-long restructuring period.

The Flyer spoke with Naudia Vanelli (who becomes Vanelli Ice when she straps on her skates) about the new male rec league and how the men’s team could eventually take on a competitive life of its own. Vanelli joined Memphis Roller Derby in 2014 after refereeing for a team in South Bend, Indiana. — Joshua Cannon

Naudia Vanelli

Flyer: For those who don’t know (I’m raising my hand), how is roller derby played?

Naudia Vanelli: Roller derby is played by two teams who field up to five players at a time. The game is broken up into two-minute “jams” of play. Each team has a scoring player, the jammer, and four blockers. It’s the blocker’s job to get their jammer through the pack and stop the opposing jammer from getting through. For each opposing blocker a jammer passes, he or she scores a point. It’s a unique game in that players are playing both offense and defense at the same time.

Why did the league decide to include men?

The decision to include men was two-fold: We’re working on growing our member base as a league after a year of restructuring, and we really want to provide a space where both women and men in the Mid-South can learn how to play roller derby in a safe, inclusive environment. This was something that the league as a whole voted on.

How many men is the Derby looking for?

As many as we can get. We’re hoping that eventually we can start a men’s league that will branch off from — but work closely with — Memphis Roller Derby.

Men will play as rec league skaters but not in public bouts. What does the rec league encompass?

Rec league could be classified as “derby lite.” Players in our rec league can skate at all practices that are not closed to specific teams, and they can scrimmage weekly with the league. Active, team-placed players have to make minimum skate and service hours each month to be eligible to bout, but that’s not something rec league skaters have to worry about. Not only is rec league for men, it’s for women who want to learn how to play roller derby but can’t make the time commitment that being an active skater requires.

What steps would it take to form a competitive men’s team?

Memphis Roller Derby has traditionally been a women’s league, and we’re currently in our 10th season. There have been attempts made in the past to form a men’s team in Memphis, but due to numbers, it never took off. Once we get enough men in our rec league and they get ready to compete, they can start scheduling bouts with other co-ed or men’s teams.

Are there any pros and cons of forming a co-ed team or having men and women play together?

We had a co-ed mashup earlier this season with a team from Clarksville [the Red River Sirens], and the majority of our skaters had previously skated with men before we voted to allow men to join the league as rec skaters. The physicality of play between men and women is a little different, but the more different players we go up against, the more tools we have in our skater toolkits.