Mahaska Mayhem rolls into victory

Mahaska Mayhem in action at Spinn' Wheels

Last night at the Spinnin’ Wheels Skate Center, here in Oskaloosa, the Roller Derby girls Mahaska Mayhem won their final bout of their season 126-99 against the Eastern Iowa Outlaws of Dubuque. With about 12 minutes to go in the game Mahaska Mayhem was slightly behind but managed to come back strong and pull off the win. A great way to end the season.

The Mahaska Mayhem Roller Derby team was established in October 2009 when Jason and Lori Glasgow, owners of Spinnin Wheels Skate Center, went to a couple of Roller Derby bouts that included one out-of-state and one of the MIR’s (Mid Iowa Rollers) bouts in Des Moines. With the fact that women’s Roller Derby has been once again growing as a sport and being owners of a skate center they discussed the idea of forming a team. They knew a lot of people that liked to skate and talked about the idea to them. There was enough interest and excitement about it that they decided to start the team.

Some of the reasons for joining the team players mentioned are the following: exercise, competition, socialization, and anger management. Most of the team is made up of working moms that spend most of their time on the job and taking care of their families so they enjoy a few hours a week to socialize with other people.

In order to become a member of the team you must first pass a skills “try-out” test which is required by the WFTDA (Womens Flat Track Derby Association). A few of the skills include being able to jump over a 3 inch obstacle, being able to speed skate, and being able to stop quickly.

At this time, there are about 18 girls on the team spanning from 21 through 40-ish years of age. This number includes those that are side-lined with injuries.The team practices about 4 hours a week in 2- 2 hour sessions. The team informed me that the practices can get just as physical, if not more, as the bouts against other teams. They don’t hold anything back.Injuries that occur on a regular basis are bruised ribs, knees, and elbows, scratches and, of course, rink rash.

The team members that have been on the Mahaska Mayhem team the longest are Insane Loraine, Loco Landshark (co-captain), and Brickyard. When asked who the wildest, most daring skater on the team is, everyone pointed to BAMF (captain).Each girl on the team decides their own skating name and number. The names they choose can be just as intimidating as the skaters themselves.

What do the families of the players think of them being on a roller derby team? The girls said that their families love that they are on the team and are very proud of them. They also told me that this is a family oriented sport and that their whole families come out and support them and cheer them on.

The season for Roller Derby is from March til August. The season usually includes about 8 bouts plus a few mixers and scrimmages. This year, with it being the Mahaska Mayhems first season, they skated 7 bouts against 5 different teams. The way the teams set up a bout is to call another team and challenge them to a bout. There are play-offs for a championship but Mahaska Mayhem did not include themselves this season since it was their first.

Roller Derby teams can play against teams from other states though Mahaska Mayhem hasn’t yet. They have talked about the possibility of playing out-of-state, perhaps in Minnesota or Nebraska, in the future.

I asked the girls which of the teams they skated against was the toughest. The first answer was MIR (Mid Iowa Rollers) out of Des Moines, which went undefeated this season. Another team mentioned was Clinton. Overall, each team is tough in their own way whether it be physically or mentally, each seem to have their own tactics. It was also mentioned that, with the sport growing in such popularity, a lot of teams are recruiting college athletes or girls that have been very athletic and are in good shape physically.

With this being such a physical and mental sport the question arose whether or not any of the bouts had gotten out of control and broken out into and argument. They informed me that  “No, not yet”. Anita Spankins also included that “We are so new that it is like the first day of school each time”. It was also said that ” We take out our aggressions on the track then we are friends off the track”.

The Mahaska Mayhem Roller Derby Girls ended their season with a win bringing their record to  2 wins and 4 losses. They won their last 2 bouts which shows they are improving greatly.

My daughter and I found the Roller Derby great fun and very exciting. If you are looking for something to do with your Saturday nights starting next March, come on out to the Roller Derby at Spinnin Wheels Skate Center.

Start of a new Jam

Back into the Jam