Friday, June 22, 2012

Talk Derby To Me

Image found via Cafe Press.
How's this for a silly whim - - blogging about Halloween costumes in June.  My last post about the Kentucky Derby got me thinking about the roller derby costume I wore a few years ago for Halloween.  I could never be a real derby girl - - although if I was my nickname would be Mad Dog Mary - - because I'm not athletic or aggressive. For example, I could never do this . . . 
Image found via RevGirl.com.
or this . . .
Image found via www.GetDerbyFit.com.
and certainly not this . . . 
Image found via Google Images.
Despite that, I tried to at least look like one. Here are some pics . . . 
This shirt from Cafe Press isn't available anymore, but you can find similar items on their website at http://shop.cafepress.com/roller-derby.
In hindsight, I should've added some cuts and bruises for effect.  Maybe smiled less too.   In case you were wondering, the tattoo is fake.
I wore this costume to a pub crawl in Chicago (hence the beer in the above photo).  I actually skated from bar to bar in skates that I purchased specifically for this costume (and then sold on Craigslist to a real derby girl).  I did pretty well with the exception of one minor collision with a fire hydrant.  The pub crawl was fun, but what I enjoyed most was skating alone in my apartment beforehand.  I played "Monster Mash" on repeat and spent a good 20 minutes skating back and forth across my hardwood floors.  No joke, it was one of the most fun times I ever had. Very silly whim-ish.

Something that is not so silly is a history lesson (snooze), but I was surprised to learn that roller derby has been around for more than 70 years.  I won't bore you with more details, but if you're interested in learning about the history of roller derby click here http://www.rollerderbyhalloffame.com/id3.html.  If you want to find a league in your area click here http://wftda.com/leagues.  You may also be interested in watching the flick Whip It with Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, and Kristen Wiig.  Here's a clip:

Well, that's all I got for this post.  Thanks for talking derby with me.

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