Derby Dragon. Tough Crumb. NightMares Starcrusher. Marian the Barbarian. What do all these names have in common? They were carefully and thoughtfully chosen by the young women of Gotham Girls Roller Derby, an all-female, amateur, flat-track, nonprofit roller derby league based in New York.
They accept girls as young as 8 years old to join their competitive and diverse teams in an effort to promote strength and resilience of spirit — and not necessarily physically, though that’s part of it, too.
While roller derby was invented in the mid-1930s, the sport rose to prominence again in the '90s thanks to women in Texas who were looking for “an empowering sport.” They certainly found it, and that’s what Gotham Girls intends to encourage!
Although the sport isn’t for everyone, it can be as healing as it is physically demanding. Athlete Bonnie Thunders takes her French bulldog, which she rescued, to derby practice. Karen Dolley, the victim of an at-home break-in, started her own league called the Naptown Roller Girls in order to empower other women.
"It makes me feel like I'm doing something that's important," says Eleanor Bolas, aka Marian the Barbarian.
Marlowe Ferrie agrees, or rather, Tough Crumb does: "I've learned that you can't always do everything by yourself. It's not bad to ask for help from a friend." Very well said!
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