Gotham Girls Roller Derby, Fast & Wild
Roller derby made a comeback a couple of years ago, but I haven't heard much about it other than a flurry of news coverage when teams first started up. (Naturally, much of the coverage focused on the players' racy outfits, which featured skin-tight tops and miniskirts.)
Apparently roller derby is still around, despite its lower profile. Last night at the free Joan Jett concert I was handed a flyer promoting a match this Saturday between the Manhattan Mayhem and the Bronx Gridlock. (Just noticed that these are not called matches, but "bouts"--I guess to emphasize the rugged, rough-and-tumble nature of the competition.)
I remember watching roller derby on TV back in the 1970s, but am curious to know what this all-female, 21st-century league is all about. If you're curious too, you can check out the match --- um, I mean, bout --- at the City College gymnasium uptown. The flyer says doors open at 6:30 and the whistle is 8:30.
Tickets aren't exactly cheap --- $19.75 in advance, $23.00 at the door --- but you probably get a lot of action for your money. The Web site also mentions an after-party with drink specials at a nearby bar. Look at it this way: for less than the cost of catching two action movies at the cinema, you'll get to see live action right in front of you, not on a screen.
And for me, live women banging into each other while zipping around on skates sounds a lot more fun than watching Bruce Willis fake his way through car crashes and exploding helicopters.
Manhattan Mayhem and the Bronx Gridlock
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
City College of New York, Nat Holman Gymnasium
138 St. & Convent Ave. (directions to gym on Web site)
