Wordless Wednesday: Roller Dames

 

Harbor City Roller Dames: Imagination + Athleticism = Entertainment

Skating has been a part of our national experience for as long as I can remember. Whether ice skates, roller skates or the now popular inline form of skates, there’s something to be said for gliding fast, unshielded, in a tuck close to the ground with your heart pounding, the whoosh of wind in your face. Though never an accomplished skater myself, I've enjoyed the experience and can appreciate the talents others display when they’re especially good at it.

Tonight, the Mississippi Valley Mayhem will be coming to the DECC for the big end-of-the-season showdown with our local stars, the Harbor City Roller Dames, in a meet titled Bruise Directors. Off the battlefield you can’t tell these ladies from artists, writers, accountants or administrators. But when they don their gear, look out Charley. You’re gonna get hit. And hard.

According to the About page on their website, “Harbor City Roller Dames (HCRD) is the Twin Ports’ and Northern Minnesota’s ORIGINAL women’s flat track roller derby league! HCRD provides an opportunity for all women ages 19+ to learn and play the sport of flat track roller derby and participate in the skater-run business aspects of the organization. HCRD strives to maintain a presence of athletic entertainment in the Duluth and Superior area, while using the efforts of the league to give back to the local community.”

I think this last part especially intrigued me. Through volunteer opportunities and bout proceeds the HCRD gave $4000 back to the community in their first season alone. And their giving back has grown continuously.

Jilly Willy

"We have worked to benefit organizations such as Animal Allies, Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA), The Emily Program, Safe Haven Shelter, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, Damiano Center Kids Cafe, Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse (CASDA), First Witness Child Abuse Resource Center, and the Lakes and Pines Girls Scouts Outreach to Girls at Risk Program.”

The popularity of Roller Derby as a sport – or serious form of entertainment – got legs in the early 1950s with the advent of television. We older citizens remember the name San Francisco Bay Bombers. I actually saw them live in a performance/competition at Ohio University in the early 1970s. But like many activities, the enthusiasm waxes and wanes.

In more recent years there has been a resurgence of the sport, primarily in small to mid-sized communities like ours here where our Harbor Cities Roller Dames were founded in 2007. They team became skater owned in 2009, becoming involved in the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association in 2011. The league is open to all women age 19 and up. According to Jilly Willly of the HCRD, “It's the fastest growing female sport in the country.”

I love the creative names the players assign themselves. Names like Bubonic Tonic, Ghost Whirl’d, Smackmeister and Thunder Bunz seem to reflect the characters at play. Here’s one with literary roots: Violent Baudelaire. (Baudelaire, a French poet and essayist who initiated the translation of Edgar Allen Poe’s dark works. His most famous collection of poems is translated Flowers of Evil.)

Even the refs in this league have hilariously dangerous names… like Dread Kennedy and Blue Screen of Death. Tonight they are winding up the season here at home, coming off a big win against the Northern Pains in April. Action starts at 7:00 p.m. at the DECC.

About Town
If jamming and two-fisted tango is not your thing, there's plenty more to see and do here this weekend, not the least of which is the Duluth Superior Film Festival . Get out and see what you can find.

Laura Gapske, Minerva and the Roller Dames

Laura Gapske is co-founder of the local feminist zine titled Minerva. Minerva is striking for its in-your-face approach and creative imagery, hence my interest in learning more about its creators. Gapske shared openly and without reservation.

EN: What’s the story behind Minerva? How did it begin? How long has it been in publication?
Laura Gapske: I researched zines for months via ordering independent publications from a Chicago comic store distributor. I also had an author/ professor from UWS share with me her collection of local feminist zines which were printed in the late 90’s. I realized the majority of fringe publishers were exiguous which gave them a laudable quality. This generated motivation to start my own after being inspired by stories and the heroine-like quality writing I consumed.

In 2007, I proposed an independent study course to create Minerva zine, to publish, curate, and organize student submissions for content. We published almost monthly the spring and fall semesters of 2008. I had more than ten student contributors and anonymous writers. Minerva had an academic focus from 2007-2008 with a university calendar of events and student polling on feminist issues.

After college, my friend and local artist, Lindsey Graskey and I decided to continue publishing Minerva. We printed two zines independently with three contributors. Unfortunately, I became preoccupied with life events and my career. I diverged as a single mother and it became a frivolous expense for my household. The zine was a project we both had a veneration to continue but lacked resources.

Lindsey and I were moxie to find the time and financial support to print Minerva again. Last year, with the help of Andy Perfetti at Goin’ Postal, we were able to afford to print small quantities of the zine again. We have consistently produced a zine every two or three months since establishing this relationship. Minerva had its first annual Minerva Zine Party with music by Christine Hoberg at Ochre Ghost Gallery in December. The party turned out a huge success and brought eminence to the zine. The show displayed a range of constituent art by new and old zine contributors. Last month, I published our fourteenth zine which is a manifestation of the longevity and triumph of Minerva.

EN: What is the mission of Minerva?
LG: The mission of Minerva is to empower women, educate others, and encourage consciousness-raising on issues relevant to us by the use of art, collage, images and words. If anyone is interested in more information about the zine or want to submit their work for publication, please check out www.minervazine.com.

EN: Do you consider yourself a writer first or an activist?
LG: I consider myself a writer and an activist due to the nature of works I publish. Typically, I write articles focused on social injustice against women and the criminal justice system or other feminist academic topics. I have contributed prose/collage pieces about relationships and my childhood experience with violence. This is where I find the zine the most advantageous in my personal life; it’s an open and accepting forum to tell one’s story. Numerous times throughout printing Minerva, I’ve been approached by readers who share they relate to the contributor’s writings. It’s a way to create a kinship with readers especially for women in our community. The zine material provokes empowering perspectives. I strongly believe our contributors mutually benefit from hearing readers are encouraged by them to speak up and become involved.

In her role as Killah Cletah

EN: How did you get involved in Roller Derby? That’s not a typical avocation.
LG: I found out about our local roller derby league through a mutual friend. She encouraged me to attend a Wednesday practice at the World of Wheels. I did. I used rental skates and borrowed equipment to do laps around the rink while I watched fierce women duke it out playing Queen of the Rink. I was instantly infused by their feminine wiles and tenacious personalities so I knew I had to come back. The next week, I had already purchased my own gear and had ordered skates. I figured out quickly I’m quite fast on roller skates. I have been roistered as a jammer and blocker for the Harbor City Roller Dames (HCRD) since that time. It’s been an incredible journey playing roller derby. I boldly claim that the women on our team are the most beautiful, talented, and intelligent group of women in town.

EN: Do the Derby girls receive any payment for the entertainment they bring?
LG: The Harbor City Roller Dames do not receive payment for playing roller derby. We pay out of pocket to play which includes skater’s dues for rental fees, equipment, jerseys, WFTDA insurance, and travel expenses. The league’s major expense is bout production at the DECC, where we host our visiting teams from around the Mid-West. HCRD’s have a Board of Directors which vote on business decisions and includes a sponsorship chair who actively seeks local sponsors to assist us with the expenses of operating a small business. I have served on the board for two years and am proud of the financial decisions we have made to augment our league’s financial situation. Our league’s mission is not only about playing roller derby, we also organize skater’s to volunteer their time at local charity events and donate proceeds from our bouts to local charities such as the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse, Habitat for Humanity, Polar Bear Plunge, Damiano Center’s Kid’s Café, and other agencies which benefit women and children. For more information about the Harbor City Roller Dames go to www.harborcityrollerdames.com