News 8 Eye Piece: Camaraderie and Collisions

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — Roller Derby is known for tough hits and tough women.

In this week’s Eye Piece, photographer Greg White shows us the connections that go along with the collisions.

“It is anything but lady-like, but there’s something that redefines ladies or women in sport,” said Jen ‘South Side Snookie’ Snook.

“It’s pretty much NASCAR times fishnets plus aggressive women plus amazing attitudes, and you have a jammer and four blockers on the team.  Jammers trying to get through the pack to score points,” said Melissa ‘Twitch’ Engen.

“Very early in your derby life, you learn how to fall in the safest way possible.  So I think we fall so often that it does not, it’s not longer a big deal,” said South Side Snookie.

Twitch says, “OK, well, there’s the whole ‘what can I do to avoid it?’ and then if you know you can’t avoid it, then brace yourself because this is probably going to leave a really good scar.”

She goes on to say, “I’m a mom, I’m married, I’ve got kids, all that stuff.  Go to my forty hour a week job, then I have derby and that is my outlet.  Some people pay a therapist millions of dollars, I play roller derby.”

“But the people that do it are just so welcoming and inclusive of everyone that does it at any level, anywhere in the world. And that’s very unique, I think,” said South Side Snookie.

The Mississippi Valley Mayhem wraps up its season August 15th.