On most week nights in Jackson, you can be sure to find local residents Chelle Be Evil, Jack and Choke and Lita Floorher hanging out at the Jackson Roller Rink.  No, this isn’t some neo punk street gang or an online gaming convention, it’s the Jersey Shore Roller Girls, a league of approximately 70 women from Ocean and Monmouth County who tirelessly practice their newly resurging sport.    When they’re not playing their matches on their Asbury Park Convention Center home field or travelling around the Atlantic coast and even Montreal, Canada, they call the Jackson Roller Roller Rink their home away from home.

Roller Derby is once again becoming very popular, thanks in part to the efforts of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (http://www.wftda.com/),  an organization of leagues throughout America that has revived and revolutionized what was once a 1970’s hollywood spectacle into a thriving and flourishing sport.    All around the country, leagues are sprouting up just like the Jersey Shore Roller Girls with the ambition to be part of the WFTDA, which is a league of three teams including the Right Coast Rollers, Murder Beach Militia, Anchor Assassins and a newbie team called Fresh Meat, affectionately referred to as the Pork Rollers.  The league also boasts a traveling all-star team, led by team captain, Jackson’s own Chelle Be Evil, aka Michelle Scamparino.

Today’s incarnation of roller derby is different than what most of us remember from our childhood.  Gone are the inclined tracks, rails and Hollywood stunts of the old days.  Today’s game is a true sport that mixes roller skating with a bit of hockey and a football mentality according to Chesty McBruiser (aka Catherine) the league’s public relations manager.    The game is played with two teams of 5 on an oval flat track where one player from each team is designated as a Jammer, trailing the pack of 4 opponents.  Their goal is to try to pass their opponents.   Each opposing player the jammer passes counts as one point.    It sounds easy, but in one of the few sports where defense and offense are played simultaneously and the opposing blockers will block, check, push and do what it takes to prevent the jammer from passing them.

Just like any other contact sport, injuries can and do happen from minor bruising to sprained ankles and even a random tooth being knocked out.   Health insurance is a requirement for anyone who might be thinking of joining the Jersey Shore Roller Girls and joining is as easy as showing up at the Jackson Roller Rink on any practice night and a willingness to play.    You don’t even need to be a good skater as the Roller Girls will assign new players to their Fresh Meat team that will teach the basics of the game and work on improving essential basic skills.   Any woman 18 years of age from the Jersey Shore region is invited to stop by any Wednesday night after 9pm to watch scrimmages and meet the teams.    Ages of the women range currently from 19 to mid 40’s.

The Roller Girls next match at the Asbury Park Convention Center takes place next Saturday, June 20th at 7PM where the undefeated Right Coast Rollers take on the winless Anchor Assassins.   “It should be an energetic match as both teams have something to prove.  The Right Coast Rollers haven’t lost a match yet and they don’t want to and the Anchor Assassins haven’t won a match yet” explained Chesty McBruiser.     Their opening game in 2009 sold out the 3,000 seat capacity convention center.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at http://www.jerseyshorerollergirls.net and cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door.  Child tickets cost $5.    The next match is Teacher Appreciation Night, all guests are invited to bring a book and will be entered into a contest to win a prize.  The Jersey Shore Roller Girls are also a community service focused league as each game at the convention center will sponsor a charity and they can be found around the area with a table at different charitable events.

So if you’re interested in joining the Roller Girls, remember Wednesday nights at the Jackson Roller Rink. If you want to see them live and in action, visit www.jerseyshorerollergirls.net and buy tickets online for their upcoming June 20th game.