Fishnets, Rink Burn, and Attitude: The Hudson Valley Horrors
by Molly Jones
Naughtia Knives, Candy Skull Cracker, Rxy Ramalotte, Crash Corpse.
These are just a few of the women I met up with one cold February evening
at the Hyde Park Roller Magic to talk about the rough and tumble game
that is one of the fastest growing sports in America: roller derby.
Rxy, Naughtia, Candy, and Crash, along with many others, have checked
their real names at the door and are putting themselves through a hard-core,
punk rock tinged workout that leaves you out of breath just watching.
Meet the Hudson Valley Horrors, our very own local roller derby league.
What a minute. Roller derby? Isn’t that where tough women vie
with kicks and punches to try and beat each other up, all while rolling
on wheels at high speeds on a crazy banked rink? Actually, that was
your mother’s roller derby.
Today’s roller derby is quite a bit different from the not–too–distant
past incarnation, though many of the less savory elements of the former
have been turned into campy fun for the newer devotees, such as the
use of fear–inspiring alter ego names and the mock–gruesome
posturing. But don’t mistake the camp and fun with lack of substance.
These ladies are here to rumble, in a highly intense, but sportswoman–like
way.
As Puffy Bangs explains, “What you saw in the ‘70s was
what I call the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) of roller derby. It
was entertaining, but not very empowering to women. The new wave of
roller derby is really pushing the athleticism of these women and the
sport. What you see now, yes, it can be campy and it can be fun, but
what it boils down to is sport. What we are trying to do is come together
across the nation to show people that this is an extremely competitive,
extremely vibrant sport.”CONTINUE...
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