Twin City Knockers bring roller derby to the city 

A cracked skull, the Joker and a Batman symbol are painted on some the faces of power, strength and the local roller derby team, the Twin City Knockers, as they battle against opponents from surrounding areas.

At their fourth bout, a roller derby term for a game, the team is in its fifth season playing as the local Shreveport- Bossier City team against the Backwoods Bombshells from Longview, Texas.

The all-female roller derby team has players ranging in age from 18 to their late 40s from all walks of life. The players are strapping on their skates and not only showing their athletic prowess, but also sharing a common goal of promoting athleticism, leadership and sportsmanship while helping women in the community through charitable work.

The First Bout

The genesis story of the Twin City Knockers comes down to one event.

“A man named Glitch organized a bout at the [Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium] back in 2009. From there he had a sign up list, and a bunch of us put down our names and emails. We got together and talked about starting a league. It really was serendipity,” said Amanda Barrett, aka FUDS (all the players have derby names – most with tongue planted firmly in cheek). Barrett is one of the founding players for the team. From there, the Twin City Knockers began recruiting players.

“I saw [an open call for players] on Facebook and I went,” said team member and league President Jennifer Hamer, aka Dr. Krakenstine.

Hamer said she liked the athleticism and strategy of the team.

“During the games it’s pretty intense. It’s very involved because you have to be athletic and you have to have skills and be smart at the same time. You have to think more than anything. You have to have killer endurance and also agility. You’re not getting punched in the face or anything – it’s more body checks and being able to get knocked down and get back up pretty quick.”

Roller derby got it’s start back in 1935 in Chicago as a “skating marathon,” and has morphed into a contact sport that is entertaining, but also takes some skill.

“Each team has five skaters on the track – one of those skaters has a helmet with a star on it and they’re called the jammer,” Hamer said. “The other four are blockers, and their job is to stop the other team’s jammer. The jammer’s job is to go as fast as they can and lap the blockers, and for every person they pass on the opposing team they get a point.”

There are two, 30 minute halves that have two-minute “jams” that are individual plays like in football.

‘Fresh Meat’

Sarah Lakey, aka Angst Muffin, has been with the team for over four years and now serves as coach as well as regional announcer.

“Before any skater can engage in the full contact components of roller derby, you have to learn how to fall down safely, you have to learn how to have the wheels of your skates hit by other skates and not stumble or sprawl on the floor when that happens,” she said. “You’ve got to be able to keep your balance, and you have to be able to make contact with other skaters in a way that’s safe and legal.

We actually have a division of our practices called, ‘fresh meat practice’ – that’s what we refer to our new skaters as.

They go through fresh meat training to the point where they are going to be safe not only for themselves but for the other skaters. Then once you graduate and you get to play with the derby girls after that point. We still focus on safety. We focus on agility and speed, and we spend a lot of time talking about strategies we can use during game play,” Lakey said. “We don’t have a tryout per se.

Once you’ve passed the minimum skills test, which is a test to show you can do all of the safe things, you are roster eligible.”

Lakey joined the team as an alternative to the regular grind of the gym. “I never played sports – this was the first athletic endeavor of my life. By the time I joined I had lost about 80 pounds and I was looking for a way to get more active and do more things to stay healthy. And that looked a lot more interesting than a treadmill.”

The Knock-outs

Into their fifth season, the Twin City Knockers continue to play hard at each bout.

Heather Smart, aka Vindictive Vixen, is the captain of the Knockers, and she brings the heat to the track, and a big intimidation factor. She paints her face to look like a cracked skull before every bout.

“I love skating. I love competition and being competitive, but also with roller derby it’s about giving back to the community and working together as a team to fulfill a single goal of serving our community and provide entertainment, but also help them where they need assistance,” Smart said.

She said she loves the camaraderie of the team. “It’s a good group of girls. If there’s anything personal going on in their lives or they need something they can always rely on someone on the team to help them through it – with talking about it or working out some aggression on the track,” Smart said.

Roller Community

The Twin City Knockers brings an exciting, fast-paced sport to the track during their bouts, but they are also very centered on doing work for the community.

“We are a fully fledged charity association. We work with a lot of girls charities and do as much as we can to engender some girl power,” Hamer said. “Our charity that we are giving to this year is the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse of Northwest Louisiana. A portion of all our proceeds goes to them,” she said. “I went to an open house they hosted at one of their facilities that talked about the work that they do. They are one of the only facilities with and inpatient program for women with children and they accept pregnant women where the other ones won’t.”

Hamer said roller derby is not only a game, it’s a mission.

“One of the things that [the team] wants is to not only encourage young girls and women of all ages to get athletic and be active, it’s also getting yourself identified with a community that’s good for you. Whether it’s your sports club or something else, everyone needs that kind of familial feeling of family they built for themselves,” Lakey said. “We recently did some great work with the Girl Scouts where we had them come out and have roller derby practice and learn about the sport. One of the troop leaders said that the level of teamwork amongst her troop through the course of that one practice seemed to grow a lot because roller derby is a sport that you absolutely, positively cannot do by yourself. You can be the best skater in the world but alone nothing is going to happen for you,” she said.

The group also recently volunteered at the Girls on the Run 5K, cheering on participants and occasionally taking pictures with fans.

Be a Derby Girl

The Knockers are always looking for new skaters who want to be a part of more than just a team.

“It’s empowering – the Twin City Knockers – and I can’t speak for any other teams – when I joined the league, I think the youngest participant was 18 or 19 and there were a couple of ladies in their late 40s that were playing – and everything in between. There were people from bikers to school teachers to a chiropractor, military women and housewives – it was just this big mixed up sorority of strong alpha women,” Lakey said. “It was kind of like identifying your tribe.”

Want to go?

The Twin City Knockers’ next home bout is 7 p.m. May 30 at the Bossier Civic Center against the DFW Derby Demolition. Spectators of all ages are welcome. For more information about the team, including their schedule and how to become a Knocker, visit www.twincityknockers.org.