Nashville Rollergirls Host Honky Tonk Stomp This Weekend [Guest Posts]

(The legit ladies, photo courtesy of Chris Wage)

I’m not entirely sure what came over me. Maybe it was all those ads for Whip It, but somehow I found myself on a mission to to drop in on and participate in a Roller Derby practice.

Somewhere on 65 it hit me: not only am I about to humiliate myself, but I’m about to do it on skates. Roller skates, and I haven’t worn roller skates in roughly 20 years. As visions of Amazonian women on wheels kicking my ass flowed through my mind I considered the option of just watching practice instead.

As I pulled into the fairgrounds I was soon surrounded by a crowd of women. As I began to look around I suddenly realized that these were normal women (with extraordinary talents). They were teachers, mothers, biologists at Vanderbilt, bartenders and everything in between. Not only that, but they were nice (till they started practicing!) and welcoming. I can’t count the number of times someone told me I should come back and actually try out.

In no time we were up and skating (or in my case, flailing). 45 minutes later as I gasped for air and choked down water I came to the conclusion that Zumba has nothing on a roller girl practice.

(Myself attempting not to die. photo courtesy of Chris Wage)

While I’d encourage anyone who is interested in being a Roller Girl to attend their next round of try-outs starting July 18th, be warned: being a Rollergirl is not just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. They practice for at least 10 hours a week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday), they pay insurance dues, they raise a lot of money for equipment and space rental, and since the league is 100% self run, they basically maintain and do it all.

The Nashville Rollergirls are hosting the Honky Tonk Stomp, also known as the Tennessee State Championship between Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis here this weekend, and if you can scrounge up a ticket to this weekends event, do it! Not only will it be a fun way to spend an afternoon, but it’s also the Roller Girls last weekend at the fairgrounds, because yes, the rumors are true, starting July 10th you can catch them in the Municipal Auditorium.

Doors open for the Honky Tonk Stomp this Saturday, June 12 at 4PM with the Memphis Hustlin’ Rollers playing the Hard Knox All Stars first. Music City All Stars will play the Hard Knox All Stars after that, followed by Music City All Stars playing Memphis Hustlin’ Rollers. Each game has it’s own ticket, so go for 1,2 or 3! You can grab your tickets online here.

Editor’s Note: Guest author Danica Mercer is a proud eastsider and works as a nonprofit consultant by day (you should hire her) and a baker/writer/singer by night. You can find her online at The Days In Between.