The Leader

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When my father was a boy, he developed kidney disease and spent a year in bed. It was here that he witnessed the televised clash of roller skate clad men and women in roller derby bouts-popular nationwide since the early 1950s. Joanie Weston, the "Blonde Amazon," won his admiration.

"She was so big," he said, "and she just slammed people around."

In all-star portraits, Weston beams pleasantly beneath a voluminous mound of curls. By the early 1970s, the gas crisis had bankrupted her favorite sport.

Roller derby has experienced a rebirth in recent years, minus the men and money troubles and plus a predilection for rock 'n' roll, sisterhood and hard living. Milwaukee's Brewcity Bruisers formed last December in a flurry of flyers and underground chatter. They joined over 30 leagues nationwide, most born after Austin's Texas Rollergirls sparked the craze in 2001.

I met co-founder Talia Maltz at Bayview's Cafe Lulu on a Monday night, when the bar screens "Rollergirls," an A&E reality series that follows derby warfare in Texas. Numerous Bruisers and associates puffed cigarettes and chatted as Maltz strolled in from a January night to greet her teammates.

Maltz teaches ceramics at Pius XI high school in Milwaukee and lives in Bayview. She founded the Brewcity Bruisers with teammates Molly Cassidy, co-owner of Riverwest's Tool Shed, and Cris Siqueira, a UWM graduate student studying film.

Known as "Jesse Jameson" in derby circles, Maltz said, "We are an amazing group of diverse women brought together by derby."

The Bruisers' roster includes 80 women, roughly 21 to 50 years in age. They come from all walks of life; they are lawyers, teachers, accountants, students, and waitresses. Most live in the Milwaukee area, yet one woman commutes from Racine and another from Elkhart Lake to catch the hazardous derby thrills.

During a bout, a roller derby team follows a leader, called the Pivot. Three blockers battle the opposing team to create lanes for their jammer, the team's most aggressive skater. The jammer's job is to circle the track faster than the rolling melee and score points by passing opponents. Carnage then ensues.

"I love my knee-pads," Maltz said, who considers herself a blocker. "I love falling. It's fun."

The Bruisers began Sunday practices at Incredi-Roll in West Allis last December. They have endured countless contusions, crashes, and some bleeding.

Molly Malone, a UWM linguistics student, appeared to have broken her nose during an earlier bout, said Lindsey Heist, an ad sales representative for the Journal-Sentinel who is known as "Mae Killya" in the roller derby world. Heist wiggled her nose to demonstrate. "It moves," she said.

Heist's love of derby extends beyond the competition.

"I love the feeling of when we're done practicing," Heist said. "We can't get enough of skating, and we can't get enough of each other," she said.

For co-founder Siqueira, roller derby means community and preserving, "a part of yourself from when fun was very important."

Darcie Butterea, known as "Ching Ching Bow," serves as the team's athletic leader. A former figure skater, she traveled to Tucson to learn about derby skating techniques from established teams. In practice, the Bruisers do basketball drills on speed skates. Heist described sprints and drills where skaters must repeatedly fall and clamber back onto their skates.

They hope to split into four teams later this year and form a league led by four captains. Each team will determine its particular strategies and style. Punk rock themes drench the national scene in red and black themes, and accessories include spikes, fishnets, cartoon skulls, and pirate paraphernalia. Western and 1950s-inspired getups also litter the sewing tables of DIY derby-tailors, particularly in the Southwest.

Rollers will try out for the traveling team that will hit the US Rollergirls Association circuit to face menaces such as the Windy City Rollers of Chicago, the Lonestar Rollergirls of Austin, and the Mad Rollin' Dolls of Madison.

The Bruisers' greatest need remains a venue; preferably, a flat track with a liquor license and enough room for fans, roller bouts, and local bands at halftime. To date, they are following a handful of leads. WMSE will host a DJ showcase at Club Anything on Feb. 24 to help them raise funds for a home.

The Bruisers want to organize events that not only entertain but also benefit charities such as the Hunger Task Force. They are currently planning a blood drive for April, and member "Smasholina Jolie" has accepted the job of researching and contacting charities.

According to the Brewcity Bruisers' Myspace.com profile, "It is our goal to promote women's strength and self esteem and to create a sense of camaraderie and friendship among our members that will also be extended to the community through support to local businesses, arts and charities."

To learn more, visit Brewcitybruisers.com. To meet your local roller queens, try the open skate on Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Rollaero, 3764 S Kinnickinnic Ave., St. Francis. Don't even think about trying to watch them practice on Sundays. Practice is Bruiser business, not yours.

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