STATE COLLEGE — As a fan, watching a State College Area Roller Derby bout is an impressive experience. Strategies are set up on the fly, big hits are put on and acrobatic moves are on display, making roller derby a sporting experience unlike any other.
As in any other sport, derby plays known as “jams” involve a great deal of in-the-moment thinking, teamwork and skill. According to SCAR skater Little Foot (roller derby participants often use catch nicknames), it’s incredibly rewarding.
“When you’re actually out there playing you have such a sense of empowerment,” said Little Foot, “especially when you lay a good hit. That feels really good. It feels like clockwork when you play with people you’ve worked with before and work really well with.”
All of SCAR’s skaters believe the best thing about the league is the sense of community and the friendships they’ve made.
“The community is great,” said Letter Havoc, SCAR’s marketing director and a skater. “I’d do anything for my league mates.”
“(My favorite thing about SCAR is) the people and the community it gives me,” said Little Foot. “I love the sport and I love watching the sport, but, honestly, I can post on Facebook, ‘Does anyone want to grab lunch?’ and 10 minutes later we have a time and a place. They’ve quickly become some of my closest friends in State College.”
“My favorite thing is the comradery and community social aspect,” said Kyssing Kaos, a captain for the Happy Valley Dolls. “That, combined with the competitive aspect, is just a really unique experience to be a part of.”
Another consistent answer given by the skaters is what they would say to someone considering joining.
“Just try it,” said Little Foot. “Honestly, it’s $5 to join in on recruitment night. That’s one drink at Starbucks. Just come skate. It’s a lot of fun and you’ll have 45 new best friends.”
“Do it,” said Kyssing Kaos. “There’s nothing to regret, and if you decide that skating isn’t for you, there are still so many places that you can be a member of the community … everyone is vital to our success.”
Injuries are one of the most worrying factors in joining any sport. The difference with SCAR is that during every practice and every game, SCAR has volunteer EMTs from Centre LifeLink on-site.
The EMTs aren’t always necessary, either, as injuries aren’t all that common in derby. New recruits go through training courses to make sure everyone knows how to take a fall and prevent injury.
“When injuries do happen the community aspect is really important,” said Kyssing Kaos. “We have a whole hospitality team that, if somebody is out for a while, we set up gift baskets for them. We encourage people to still stay involved. Everything goes beyond just the time on the track.”
SCAR BACKGROUND
Since the league’s creation in October 2010 and the beginning of their membership with the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association in 2015, the A-team known as the Happy Valley Dolls has climbed the international rankings. At the moment, the Dolls are ranked 192 out of more than 400 teams, recently jumping 80 spots.
The Dolls travel to various tournaments and competitions through WFTDA, alongside the league’s competitive B-team known as Plan B.
Twice a year, the league of nearly 40 skaters splits in half and the two halves play each other. The two home teams are known as the Mount Nittany Mayhem and the Pennsyltucky Punishers.
The Dolls and Plan B both host home games at Penn Skates. Full season schedules are available at www.scarderby.com.
JOINING SCAR
SCAR Derby is incredibly inclusive to anyone who might be interested in becoming a skater or volunteer. SCAR always is looking for more bench coaches.
“We have a fantastic bench coach named Popp Rocks,” said Letter Havoc. “(Bench coaches) don’t skate, but they’re super dedicated and they really help the team with strategy.”
Each team in the league can only hold 20 skaters on its roster at a time, but SCAR plans to add more home teams as the league grows, giving everyone interested in derby a chance to compete and grow as an athlete and as part of the derby community.
Though only women are allowed to try out for the league as skaters, men are welcome to join as referees and officials. SCAR teaches the rules to anyone who is interested and no prior knowledge is necessary.
Even if you’ve never put on roller skates in your life, SCAR will teach you every single step of the game during its “Fresh Meat” course.
Nobody gets hit until they’ve learned how to take falls and feel they are ready.
Letter Havoc joined SCAR in September 2014 with no prior knowledge of roller derby, but now has a passion for the league and the sport.
“I get two things out of roller derby,” she said. “I gained a lot of confidence and I gained lifelong friends.
‘I went from never being on skates to playing on the top travel team. SCAR helped me through a lot and helped me to consider myself an athlete.”
The league is comprised of skaters ages 18 to 55, though there is no maximum age cutoff. Members hold a wide array of jobs and come from a variety of backgrounds. Some of the skaters are high school physical educations teachers, college students, cancer researchers, moms, artists and even a U.S. Navy captain.
Every skater chooses a derby name to go by during matches. SCAR is filled with great ones: Zombabe, Em Munition, Taylor so Swifty, Chew-ROCK-Ya, NanBearPig and Pinky Balboa are just a few.
Recruitment for SCAR happens at least once a month for skaters, but volunteers can join any time.
For more information about SCAR Derby, visit www.scarderby.com or the group Facebook page, or email scarderby@gmail.com.
