Minnesota Roller Girls

Roller derby as a competitive contact sport has been around since the 1930s—complete with sold-out crowds and radio broadcasts of bouts—but saw its popularity decline sharply in the 1970s. With the recent boom of retro-hip and tattoo-chic, however, the hard-skating, hard-hitting spectacle is back, booming in the Twin Cities especially through the colorful, loud, obnoxious, and glamorous Minnesota Rollergirls. Sporting stage names like Mary Tyler Roar, Flora Flipabitch, and Ann E. Briated, they glide and crash their way around the flat-track, trying to move their scoring skater (called the "jammer") into position to lap the pack while blocking the opposing team from scoring. With a 7-7 record this season, the All-Star team needs to pick up wins against their next opponents, the Arizona Tent City Terrors and Maryland's Charm City Rollergirls, on their way (as they say) to "playing—and defeating—every league in the nation!" In the halftime break, the Bratwurst Brothers will perform; show up early and you'll be treated to the St. Paul Bouncing Team, a group dedicated to the acrobatic performance of the blanket toss, hurling its "bouncing girls" high into the air.
Sat., Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m., 2007