LI Roller Rebels Sure are Tough Ladies

They're sweet and they sweat. Tattooed, yet tender. They have kids, and have names like Carnage Electra and Breakneck Brie. On the job, they've broken their legs. Off the clock, they break bread – with each other. 

They are the women of the Long Island Roller Rebels. Since 2005, they've competed with and against one another in the tough, fast paced sport of roller derby, which has made a comeback in recent years on a national level. The Roller Rebels are governed by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), and are one of many all-female roller derby leagues across the country.

"It's awesome, the minute I tried out I fell in love with it.  It's consumed my life, I don't remember what I did before," says first year member Marcy Langston.

A Sport That's Evolved

Roller derby has been around in one form or another for decades. For a time, bouts were televised in the 70's and 80's. While it's common knowledge that these shows were 'sports entertainment' a la pro wrestling, Roller Rebel competitors insist that WFTDA leagues are legit; that this is a real contact sport full of rules and regulations.

 "The number one question I get asked is 'Is it staged?" says Joy Schultz (a.k.a. Cyanide Kisses) of Lynbrook. "This is a sport, we're very competitive."

The recent film Whip It dealt with women's roller derby. Roller Rebels say while the film took 'Hollywood liberties' in depicting the sport, it did a great job of showing the camaraderie of its competitors.

"When we step on the track, we are different teams, we are out for blood, but as soon as we're off the track, we're friends again," Schultz says.

The Roller Rebels consist of three teams: the East End Ladies of Laceration, the Wicked Wheelers of the West, and the Mid Island Rolling Thundercats. The teams square off against each other, and the best players from all three squads make up the travel team, which takes on teams from around the country.

Bouts take place on a flat track, as opposed to the banked tracks of years ago.  Each bout consists of two, 30-minute periods, and each period has a series of 'jams.'

Five players per team compete at once: the jammer, which scores points for her team, a pivot, who handles strategy and dictates speed, and three blockers, who try and prevent the opposing jammer from scoring points, while clearing a path for their own jammer to score.  Jammers score one point for each opposing team member she passes.

And to win? You have to be physical. You can check your opponent, with your hip, your shoulder, your rear. It's rough, yet regulated. No elbowing, no punching. Break a rule, and you can be tossed out of the game, or the league.

"It's not a whole bunch of girls banging into each other, there's a lot of strategy because we do play offense and defense at the same time," says Jaime Mendicino, who handles public relations for the Rebels - and handles herself on the track as Chest Blockwell.

The Lure of the Sport

Combatants have a variety of reasons for joining the league. Joy/Cyanide was looking to get in shape after having her son. 

"[My son's] been watching this since he was a peanut, he knows if I get hit down, I get right back up...he thinks it's cool," Joy says.

The Rebels' season runs from March to December. In the offseason, tryouts are held, where prospective Rebels take physical and written skills tests to try and make the cut. Players must be at least 21 years old, and at most ... well, there's no age limit, really.

Marcy Langston grew up in south Bellmore, and is one of the older members of the league. No age given, but she does remember the televised bouts of the 70's, if that helps. When she's not a Rebel, she's an import manager for a watch company, and a musician. She created her 'Whiskey Lullabye' persona after the Brad Paisley/Allison Kraus song. She says the adrenaline rush that hits when it's game time is a healthy release from the daily grind.

"Life is stressful, and going out there skating, it releases that stress ... there's something about skating hard, hitting girls, getting hit that relieves all the stress in my life," she says.

Jennifer Steinle of Farmingdale joined last November, her kid sister urging her on after they saw Whip It.  She recalls her first bout, and her transformation into Jenny Bangs! (exclamation point included)

"It's nervewracking the first time you're out there, you completely forget the crowd is there, and you really want to do a good job for your teammates," she says.

Ouch!

Steinle happens to be married to the league's EMT. That comes in handy, because as any Roller Rebel will tell you, it's not a matter of if you get hurt, but when.  There are bumps and bruises - and more.

"He's seen it all," Steinle says of her husband. "Girls falling and breaking legs is the lesser of the things he sees; he's used to gunshots and stabbings and childbirth, that kind of stuff."

Mendicino broke her fibia and tibia a couple months ago, and still walks with a limp. Schultz broke her fibula.  Cory 'Hardcory' Casella of Miller Place remains on the sidelines after breaking her fibula, requiring surgery to insert a plate and six screws. The WNBA it's not, for more reasons than one.

Of all the reasons Roller Rebels give for participating, the one they don't – and can't – give, is money.  The league sustains itself through ticket sales, fundraisers, and player dues. Roller Rebels don't get paid like pro athletes, but do feel they are role models for their fans, which include aspiring future Roller Rebels.

"It's good for young girls to see that you can go out and play really hard, and it's ok to do that," Langston says.

Fun For All

League members say bouts don't just appeal to the young male demographic.  For the low price, and the athleticism displayed, it's attractive to families as well.

"I think it's important to see women being athletic," Steinle says. "If you're a family with athletic children, it's important for them to see that girls don't have to be on the sideline cheering, they can be cheered for."

Joy Schultz, I mean, Cyanide Kisses, takes an old school approach to promoting the Roller Rebels.

"It's a bunch of pretty cool girls on roller skates in fish nets and knee high socks beating the crap out of each other."

The Thundercats take on the Ladies of Laceration Saturday Aug. 14 at Skate Safe in Old Bethpage at 8pm.  Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. For more information go to www.longislandrollerrebels.com.