Roller Derby Bout - Birmingham VS London

BIRMINGHAM - Mum, Bee Bentley, 37, isn't your ordinary mum. Twice a week she straps on eight wheels, pads, helmet and mouthguard and her alter ego "Iva Issues" to train hard - taking the bumps and bruises that go along with the full contact team skating sport of roller derby with her league the Birmingham Blitz Derby Dames.

 

"Bruises are a badge of honour in our sport. Also, unique to this game is what we call rink rash: when you fall in fishnet tights and it leaves a burned out pattern on your body - rink rash is sexy." says Bentley, or known by her teammates as "Issues" feared power blocker for the league.

 

Roller Derby is an American sport which first created during the Great Depression of the 1930's by an entrepreneuer when dance marathons were all the craze.

 

Since it's inception roller derby has lived many incarnations through the 50's where it was syndicated on US national television to millions every week - or in the 1970's where sex symbols like Rachel Welch portrayed hard-hitting roller derby mama in "Kansas City Bombers".

 

Since 2004, roller derby is an all-female sport which has grown from a few grassroot leagues in Texas to over 260 leagues worldwide! The leagues are run by women for women. It's sassy meets high camp driven with a strong DIY ethic and determination to have a league all of their own. There are currently six leagues in England and Scotland joining the ranks of thousands of women USA, Cananda, New Zealand, Germany, and Switzerland.

 

Bee founded the league in October 2006. Since it's inception, the league has been training local women to compete in national and international competition and have recently participated in a International Bouting Challenge in Las Vegas, Nevada where members of the Birmingham Blitz Derby Dames represented Team World winning 46-23 over Team USA!

 

The game is played on an oval track where two teams of five skaters are made up of four blockers who play defense and offence simultaneously and one jammer - who scores the points. The objective is to help your own jammer, whilst stopping the opposing jammer from breaking through the pack of blockers as each successful, legal pass is worth one point.

 

Commenting Bee says, "It's fast, furious and you have to be fearless - and it's like nothing people in the West Midlands have ever seen!"

 

The Dames are gearing up to take on the London Rockin' Rollers in the UK's first ever interleague bouting competition on the 27th October 2007. The bout will take place at Cocks Moor Wood Leisure Centre, Alcester Road, Kings Heath. Doors 2pm - bout begins 3pm. Tickets are £6 in advance or £7 on the door. Tickets available at www.blitzdames.com