By
Stephanie Amerena
The year 2006. The sport, Women’s Roller Derby. The place is El Paso, Texas. This is where a group of women wanted to build a derby league by El Paso women for El Paso women, since the closest derby league was in Austin, Texas. The owner, China Tu Madre, was one of the original members and plays an active role in the League today. “They wanted to bring something fun and exciting to El Paso,” said General Manager Miss Prettie Poison. Once established, the league quickly bigger with more women flocking to join.
The League made an even bigger impact in 2013 when it switched from flat track skating to bank track with the addition of its track, La Llorona. This placed them in the unique position of being one of only eleven established bank track leagues in the United States. The original name, Sun City Roller Girls, then changed to Borderland Roller Derby in 2018 when it converted from a non-profit to an LLC. Even though BRD is an LLC, it still operates like a non-profit where the league has regular board meetings with its team captains. This way, each skater’s concerns and ideas are heard, and everyone is on the same page.
The League is established in this way to ensure all current and new skaters receive the treatment and respect they deserve while also having a good time.
Skaters come in all shapes and sizes as well as from a variety of professions; demonstrating just how anyone can be a derby girl.
Miss Prettie Poison shared that she has been with BRD for 15 years, a journey that began after she took her little sister to the movies and saw skaters showing off their skills outside the theater for their “Fresh Meat” recruitment booth. Then, despite those telling Miss Prettie Poison that she was too shy, timid, or weak, she showed up to her first Fresh Meat practice. It was intense since she didn’t know how to skate, but she loved every minute of it. “I still learn something new every time. We teach each other things,” she says. “I think I’m louder now more than ever. I feel like it’s changed my personality in a sense. It’s made me a better person.”
Rookie skaters Stone Cold Eve Austin and Count Smackula have similar stories of being introduced to BRD by a close friend who was currently in the league. Both were hesitant at first.
“I kept coming back to derby because I became friends with everyone in the league,” says Stone Cold. “I found a sense of community that I didn’t think I would find.”
Count Smackula agrees, but also adds, “I feel like women in El Paso can be a little scary, but everyone here is really nice.” Smackula also says another benefit was, “I didn’t think my body was capable of doing what it does now. It’s very rewarding and also looking back it’s like ‘Wow, I can do that.’”
Ten-year veteran, Skatey Perry, who was also introduced to derby by a friend says, “What keeps me coming back is my team and the league because it’s a beautiful hobby to have. It’s both a workout and fun. But it doesn’t feel like a workout, because I’m having fun with my friends.”
Long-time veteran skater and trainer, Mazzy Scar, said she joined out of sheer curiosity, but also adds, “What keeps me here is the intensity, the athleticism, the fun. I’m given the chance to be a different person and I love it. It’s a community; a sisterhood. It’s an escape from the rest of life. It’s fun, fast and fierce.”
When asked what tips want-to-be skaters should remember when they sign up for BRD, Miss Prettie Poison says, “One. We have perfectly good trainers who are going to train you from the ground up. And two. Never be intimidated by the track because this track is less intimidating than it seems. It’s like a wrestling ring. It’s better to fall on the track than on cement.”
That’s not to say injuries are not possible in a contact sport like derby, but if injuries happen a skater would not feel alone in the healing process. “I see how it brings people together. Girls start making get-well baskets and deliver it to the skater.” Prettie also said, “Injuries happen in life. It’s how you deal with it that matters,” Miss Prettie Poison says.
However, if anyone wants to be a part of the league, skating is not the only option. New members can be officials, volunteers, or even referees. Anything is possible with BRD.
“People come here, and they discover that they have abilities that they thought they couldn’t do,” Miss Prettie Poison says. “Roller derby generally brings that out in people.”
Realistically, life doesn’t always work with the derby schedule. Skaters come and go because life happens, and some find themselves unable to skate regularly. “When that happens it’s like, ‘Okay…Derby will always be here,’” says Miss Prettie Poison “It shows that this sport has brought so much into people’s lives, that they can’t stop coming back.”
For those who have never seen a derby bout, here is how the game works.
Each round is called the Jam, and each Jam is a minute long. At the beginning of each Jam, four skaters from each team go up on the track to form the Pack. Then, one skater from each team goes up on the track behind the Pack, these are the Jammers. They score the points, and you can tell who they are from the big stars on the side of their helmets. The first whistle blows, and the Pack takes off, the Jammers take off when the second whistle blows. Once the Jammer breaks through the Pack she races around the track a second time to score. For every opposing skater, the Jammer passes is a point.
Along with the non-stop action from the skaters, spectators can participate in voting for “Fan Favorites,” or purchasing raffle tickets for the prizes provided by each team. Some of these prizes include high-value items like gift cards for tattoos, restaurants, or other local attractions.
On special occasions, BRD will host charity events to raise money for local charities and other major groups such as Toys for Tots. Then, at the end of the bouts, the audience can watch which skaters win Fan Favorite as well as MVP Blocker and MVP Jammer.
Through many changes that occurred over the years, the biggest hurdle that BRD had to overcome was being a contact sport during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unable to practice, let alone host bouts, many of the established bank track leagues diminished – or even dissolved– since they could not keep their venues or their tracks. However, BRD is still alive and well with all of the new skaters who come in each year, as well as previous veterans returning.
“We have been very fortunate to be one of the very few leagues that had made it through COVID,” Miss Prettie Poison says.
One of the key factors that helped BRD sustain itself is its community and how it helps each other. This can be seen during the bouts where local vendors set up to sell a variety of items, as well as booking local bands to play during their halftime. “They come here, and we post them where we find a fit and they thrive,” says Miss Prettie Poison.
A big contribution to this success with the vendors is the hard work Miss Prettie Poison does for the league by networking and talking with other local businesses for collaborations or sponsorships, especially if they haven’t heard of roller derby before.
“It makes me proud to be in the position I am in and proud to be a skater for this league,” Miss Prettie Poison says.
BRD continues to grow itself back up with new members and collaborations, but they are always looking for more regarding community outreach and even sponsorships for future seasons. The big dream is to have their own space, as well as a new track to host bigger bouts and events to give more back to their community. “That’s the common goal and the common focus,” says Miss Prettie Poison. “We’re not just doing something for ourselves, but we’re also doing something for our community.”
For those who would like to watch these derby girls skate, the current home is at the El Paso Coliseum’s Judging Arena. It’s here BRD hosts their practices and their bouts. While they have themed bouts where they divide the league into two teams, they also have three main teams on their roster: Las Viudas Negras, Las Diablas, and The Sexecutioners.
Whether watching these women fly on the track or take down other skaters twice their size, it’s hard not to be swept up in the action. It might even make a spectator or two think about whether those Barbie skates in their closet at home still fit.
