The Era of Roller Derby has Arrived

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Wielding thighs of steel and a thirst for competition, the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls are a full contact, all female, flat-track roller derby league consisting of three teams: The San Francisco ShEvil Dead, The Oakland Outlaws, and The Richmond Wrecking Belles. The B.A.D. Girls pursue a mission to provide amateur athletic entertainment, and to skate competitively on a regional and national level. Driven by a passionate love for the sport, and aided by a national sisterhood of like-minded and dedicated women, the B.A.D. Girls are a skater owned and operated 501 (c)(3) non-profit league with a commitment to helping other grassroots organizations in the Bay Area.

Short Skirts, Shorter Fuses
3524512496_8e6a08c6e8The B.A.D. Girls were founded in August of 2004 by a couple of girls with delusions of grandeur after one too many late-night cocktails. Inspired by dozens of burgeoning neo-derby leagues in cities like Austin, Phoenix, Seattle, Los Angeles and New York, these ladies decided the Bay Area had to be next on the roster.

BAD Gang Currently, the B.A.D. Girls have 70+ full-time league members and continue to grow by the season. As members of the national Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), a skater-run organization of flat-track female derby leagues, they have participated as a Division 1 league in multiple tournaments and intra-league bouts, placing fifth in the Western Region.

Notice that in the picture to the right, the woman with the star on her helmet (the "Jammer") is airborne after a booty whack.  That is not a foul.  You have to use a leg, an elbow or a forearm to get a foul.  After getting caught for fouling 4 times, you have to sit out for 60 seconds.  It's a really fun game to watch and I have rarely been in the presence of so many empowered, backslapping,  bawdy women.  This was last Saturday night, and there were about 2500 people at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.  The entrance fee was $10.  Beer on tap with a shot of whiskey was going for $5. There were enough of kids, dogs and people showing off their bruises to forever change the meaning of "Bad Ass" in my mind.

If this is what the future looks like, if this is the new ethic/aesthetic of American hotness-- then martial arts teachers are going to benefit big time.

There is a lot of funny and exiting stuff on their website.  Feel the freedom.