Taking names

Neon roller-skate wheels rocket across the hard floor, powered by women in fishnets and nylons, knee-high socks, short-shorts and the ambition to crash and burn their opponents.

These women are the Molly Roger Rollergirls, Brevard County's roller derby team.  And, as their slogan states, they will "beat your women and steal your beer."

The Florida-based roller derby team will play in New York in November, and their goal is to spread out to other states, said Tara Thorvaldson, team president.

The team practices twice a week and competes locally at the Sports Zone Athletic Complex in Rockledge. 

While some games are head-to-head against other teams, sometimes both teams combine players, and then split the players into groups. 

On Saturday, the Molly Roger Rollergirls mixed with girls from Gainesville Roller Rebels and played a game of Nerds versus Jocks.

Each player has an alias.

"When I'm home, I'm mom," Tara Thorvaldson, 26, said. "But here, I'm Buxom Basher."

Thorvaldson joined the team two and a half years ago when she saw a recruitment flyer. 

"I was going through a rough time in my life and needed something for me," Thorvaldson said. "So I decided I could hit some people and take the aggression out."  

But the game is not all about aggression. There are rules to follow and referees to enforce them.

Each game, or bout, is divided into three jams that last for 20 minutes each. Within these 20-minute periods are several two-minute jams. 

A team's jammer must shove her way through a pack of eight women in order to score a point; however, the jammer must skate around the track once, passing the pack, in order to be eligible to score.

Each team's pivot sets the pace for all the other skaters to follow. 

"The dedication of the girls is incredible," referee Mark Dykes, 31, said. "They're not getting paid, but they beat the crap out of each other."

Michelle Marshall, 28, who graduated from UCF in 2005, played as a pivot for the Nerds team.

"You get the best adrenaline rush," Marshall said. "Seeing all the fans here is great."

Marshall created her alias, Five Knuckle Bullet, based on an album name from her husband's band.

Before each jam, Marshall stood with her teammates, some wearing thick-framed glasses blinded with tape. 

Then the jam began, her electric-green wheels darting across the track, plaid shorts covering fishnets and her raven hair in braids.

However, wearing fishnets and nylons is not just about fashion.

"When you hit the floor, your skin will fall off [if you're not covered]," Thorvaldson said.

For combined-team games like Nerds versus Jocks, safety is emphasized even more because of new teammates.

"This is a fun, mixed scrimmage," said Heather Shultz, aka Ima Sinner, who played as a blocker for the Jocks. "It's good for new girls to get this experience. But it always sucks hitting your own teammates."

Even though it may have been difficult for Shultz, she looked past it, skating full speed.

Bodies fell, slid and skidded, pounding the floor hard and sometimes even landing in the crowd.

"I think I want to play with them," Beth Gifford of Fort Lauderdale, first-time derby spectator said.  Gifford traveled to Rockledge to watch her niece compete in the event. 

Other spectators cheered along with Gifford, some even holding up signs in support of their favorite derby girls.

"Garbage Pail Kid was my favorite," Lindsay Turnbull, 25, of Vero Beach said. "It was cool to watch them move through the crowd."

As the roller derby girls moved through the crowd, they collided and ricocheted off each others' bodies, resulting in a victory for the Jocks.

"Losses happen," said Turnbull, who was playing for the Nerds.  "You go out there and play your hardest, and you still have a beer and celebrate whoever won. It's all about playing the game. The small victories within the game are all part of it. It's a full contact sport that athletic and competitive girls are drawn to." 

Molly Roger Rollergirls are having their next recruitment night Thursday, June 4 at Galaxy Skateway in Melbourne.