Dozens of roller derby skaters descended upon the Johnson City Family Skate Center for Sunday morning practice.While strapping on skates, kneepads, elbow pads and helmets, skaters traded stories of past combat wounds. Jen Larsen, president of the Little City Roller Girls, sat on the side of the skate center’s glowing purple floor with an injured heel from an earlier practice.

“There are not many practices where a bag of ice isn’t brought out,” said Larsen. “It’s mostly bruises. There have not been many broken bones – maybe three in the past two years. We have people trained in sports medicine, but we would love to find a team doctor to donate their time.”

New recruits, dubbed “fresh meat,” must complete a three-month, two-day-a-week training course before joining the team. Practice included around 20 roller derby hopefuls performing maneuvers on the far side of the track. Those women who want to find out if they have enough chutzpah to roll for the team can borrow all the gear needed to try out, except mouth guards.

“About 25 girls showed up after our big promo at Blue Plum (Festival), and about five made it,” said Larsen, also known as The Jenerator.

According to the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, the origins of the sport date back to the 1920s, when the term roller derby described roller skate races. In the 1930s, Leo Seltzer upped the ante with his touring Transcontinental Roller Derby. Skater impacts and falls added a new dimension to the sport. Leo Seltzer’s son Jerry shut down the roller derby organization in 1973 when popularity of roller derby waned in the early 1970s.

Modern roller derby picked up steam in the early 2000s starting in Austin, Texas with the Texas Rollergirls. In 2010, the number of leagues swelled to more than 450 worldwide. Little City Rollers Girls is an apprentice team with the WFTDA.

Playing roller derby on a flat track allows the sport to be played at a multitude of venues, because there is no need for a raised track with banking.

The Little City Roller Girls opening bout is at the Appalachian Fairgrounds in Gray Saturday, Feb. 26 against the Rocktown Rollers.

Two lucky fans each half of the game will get to experience “the best seat in the house,” which consists of a couch and a cooler flush with snacks and cold drinks on the sideline.

“We are trying to class it up a bit,” said Jenny Safay, who skates under the name SyFy Chanel. At the season opener, the couch will rest on what team announcer Big Daddy Voodoo called the “suicide line.” He went on to explain that only fans over the age of 18 could occupy the couch due to risk of injury.

“If a roller girl gets out of control, she’s coming that way,” said Big Daddy Voodoo.

This year’s season consists of 11 bouts, including five home games. For schedule and ticket information, fans can visit the team Website, www.littlecityrollergirls.com.

The team chooses a different charity to support for each game. Saturday’s game will benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

“It’s totally community based,” said Big Daddy Voodoo. “We are doing this for local people. We’re locals.”

People can get involved with the Little City Roller Girls even if they are not on the team. Volunteers can join the “street team” through the website and hang posters that advertise upcoming games in local businesses. Local businesses can purchase advertising with the team as well. Safay is currently working on a Website for the ETSU Little City Roller Girls fan club, ETSU Big Army.

“I like derby,” said Big Daddy Voodoo. “I’m trying to do all this so other people can like it, too.

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