When University alumna Mary Koehler stumbled across a picture on the Internet of a roller derby team, she couldn’t have imagined she’d become a member of a league that sells out tickets and packs arenas. But she and her roller derby teammates are now selling more than 1,000 tickets per bout. Koehler — who graduated from the University in 2009 — founded Red Stick Roller Derby in July 2007, but it took time for the group to take off. “It took a year and a half before we had our first bout,” Koehler said. “But at our [most recent bout in January], we had a packed house.” Red Stick Roller Derby will dominate again Saturday as they return to the Baton Rouge River Center for their second home bout this year,but the ladies of RSRD are adding an interesting twist to this month’s match. Saturday’s bout will be an “intra-league matchup,” according to the team’s Facebook event page. The team members will divide into two teams — the Blackhearts and the Heartbreakers — and battle each other. It’s a charity match that will benefit the American Heart Association in honor of American Heart Month. Koehler, whose skater name is “Zarathrustya” — a take on the name of an ancient Iranian prophet — said the team is amazed at how much attention they’ve caught. “It’s such a new and foreign thing to people in this town,” Koehler said. “But we feed off the football mania here. It’s just as competitive.”
HEADSTRONG PLAYING Roller derby consists of 10 players on the court at a time. A player referred to as the jammer acts as the point-scorer for the team. A “jam” is a two-minute period in which the players work together to help the jammer through the opposing team’s pack to the front to score points. Brad Smulyan, University theater professor and head referee under the derby name “Skunkrolla,” said roller derby is fast-paced and hard-hitting. “I have yet to see one girl get hurt during a bout and not get back up and keep playing,” Smulyan said. Nicole Staudenmaier, known to her derby teammates as “Panda Scare,” said the sport is for strong women who know who they want to be. “People think it’s like it was in the ’70s when roller derby was staged and people threw punches,” Staudenmaier said. “It’s not. It’s a real sport, not just entertainment.”
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS In addition to strong bonds within the team, the Red Stick Roller Derby members are proud of the way their group has grown since its inception in 2007. January’s sell-out bout was a surprising turnout, said Amie Hargrave, an experienced roller derby player known as “ZoomTang.” “It’s not just us,” Hargrave said. “I’ve heard from many other teams that say they’ve never seen as big of a derby bout.” Staudenmaier said the number of Red Stick players has also grown as roller derby becomes more mainstream. “We started out at six girls,” Staudenmaier said. “Now we have about 40.”
WHIP IT And roller derby has gained national significance thanks to the media’s portrayal of the sport’s comeback. A&E ran a series in 2006 that helped jumpstart the revival of roller derby’s stature. “Rollergirls” was a 13-episode series that depicted the lives of an Austin, Texas-based roller derby league. Last year, Drew Barrymore directed and starred in “Whip It,” a critically-acclaimed film with Ellen Page as a small-town teenager who joins a roller derby team.Staudenmaier said “Whip It” refocused people’s attention to the roller derby scene. “Our team definitely doubled after ‘Whip It,'” Staudenmaier said. “The movie showed what roller derby’s all about. It’s about being a badass, but not an asshole.”
BOUTS OF FUN The ladies of Red Stick Roller Derby may put on their competitive game faces during bouts, but they say they enjoy themselves on and off the roller derby court. Staudenmaier said the opportunity to know her teammates is the best part of being involved. “Knowing these girls is the most amazing part of roller derby,” Staudenmaier said. “Everyone wants each other to learn and succeed.” Hargrave said she values the bonds she has formed with her derby sisters. “I haven’t been this close to this many people at one time in a long time,” Hargrave said. “And I love that.” The ladies also are able to express their personalities with eclectic uniforms that consist of brightly colored tights and bold accessories.
A FAMILY AFFAIR The women credit the sport as a high-energy contact sport, but they take pride in the fact that bouts are fun events for spectators of all ages. Staudenmaier said it appeals to adults, college students and children alike. “If you’re older, you can go, have a beer, enjoy the bands at halftime,” Staudenmaier said. “But you can also bring your little brother, and he’ll have a ball.” And the $12 ticket prices provide an inexpensive, fun way for people to find something new to do in Baton Rouge, Staudenmaier said. “That’s about the price of a [movie],” Staudenmaier said. “This is something different, out of the ordinary, new and fun.”
 
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Contact Matthew Jacobs at [email protected]