When the Appalachian Hell Betties are at their day jobs — ranging from secretary to school counselor — they might seem harmless. After they don fishnets and festive knee socks, though, they are Hell on wheels.
Since 2004, the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association has grown from a handful of teams to 147 worldwide and, after two years of training, The Appalachian Hell Betties are finally ready to play.
April 1 marks the first of at least four bouts that will qualify the Hell Betties for the association’s apprenticeship program this year. The Apprenticeship Membership Program is the team’s final step in joining 35 other teams as full member in the association’s North Central division, including five Ohio teams.
The all-female sport has caught on enough that it is one of eight being considered by the International Olympic Committee for the 2020 Olympics.
There are now about 11,000 skaters in the United States, said Juliana Gonzales, executive director of communications for the association. That does not include members of the 200 or more unaffiliated junior, amateur and co-ed leagues.
Women of all ages and occupations are strapping on their skates to get physical in the rink. Judith Winner, a 48-year-old independent web developer known to her teammates as Dame von Pain, said she feels empowered by the sport.
“It doesn’t matter how pretty you are or how your body looks,” she said. “If you can skate, you can be a part of this team.”
Jessica Beckford, an Athens resident, started the roller derby team in 2010 with about 10 members. Last year, Philadelphia-born Ohio University graduate student Erika Guthrie — also known as Daizey Lovedirt — became the Hell Betties’ head coach.
“(Roller derby) gives women a chance to be somebody different,” Guthrie said. “I feel like I can be brave here when in other parts of my life, I’m not.”
And though there are a few Hell Betties who are, like Winner, older than 40, roller derby is anything but a gentle sport, Guthrie said.
Heather “The Hell Blazer” Blazer has been sidelined for three weeks after tearing a ligament in her ankle during practice. But Blazer, who is a secretary at Holzer Clinic in Gallipolis, Ohio, said she can’t wait to get back on her skates.
“I feel kickass when I’m skating,” she said. “It’s like our alter egos. We get to dress up and be sexy and confident.”
The players’ satirical pseudonyms reflect their derby alter egos. From pop culture references to sexual innuendos, skaters are asked to check their chosen derby names against an international roster so that no two players end up with the same alias.
The Hell Betties’ aptly named skaters are looking forward to many milestones this season.
In addition to taking on the Cincinnati Flock Ewes in their inaugural bout, the 30 skaters are also preparing for the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association’s skills test, which they must pass in order to compete in the league.
In the skills test, skaters are judged on their posture, stride, stopping and speed, as well as their efficiency in whips and checks. Skaters must also be able to hop, weave and demonstrate that they can fall safely by performing baseball slides and knee falls.
“We are starting to take ourselves seriously,” Guthrie said. “Every woman on the track has a place and is a part of something that’s bigger than herself.”
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