Chicago roller derby on a roll

By Mario Lekovic and Noel Tijerina

Roller derby is stereotyped as butch women who love to hit each other while skating around on old-fashioned skates; but the women of Windy City Rollers – the Chicago roller derby league – are much more than what meets the eye.

Not only are these women strong athletes, but they don’t practice all day like many athletes are expected to. They have careers, families and other issues to deal with, on top of professional roller derby.

These unpaid athletes use sarcasm on overwhelming days to make it through. Michelle “Mickey Finn-isher Off” Balogn proved this by stating that, “some days are just a treat,” of the skaters juggling full-time jobs, and sometimes kids in addition to other responsibilities with roller derby.  

Mickey Finn-isher Off skated for Hell’s Belles in 2010.
           
“It’s nice to be able to come to derby and let out all the bullshit of the office,” said Mickey Finn-isher Off. “You get to switch it up and be a completely different person.”

On the outside, the ladies may look like all they like to do is beat people up, but if you get to know them, they all lead very normal lives.

Erica “Hoosier Mama” Jones is much different outside the rink. When she’s not basking opponents into the wall, she is an administrative assistant in the jewelry business. Jones also holds a bachelors degree in Sociology with a focus in Criminal Justice. This is not what one would think when they see Jones skate.

The personal life is a bit easier on Jones because she is single, but she has a huge family in Indiana, which she doesn’t get to see to often because of roller derby.

“Derby pretty much became priority,” said Hoosier Mama. “It requires so much time and effort. You really don’t want to slack off because it'll show and you don’t want to miss relatives birthdays, weddings, etc. but it does happen when there is a bout.”
To balance these responsibilities most practices take place at night and the skaters have to attend at least 75 percent of them.

Not only do the players not make money off the sport, they have to pay for everything themselves. Some of the equipment they have to buy includes: pads, helmets, mouth guards, skates, wheels and bearings, not including travel expenses if they are on a traveling team.

Photos by Noel Tijerina
Shocka Conduit far ahead of her teammates on Hell's Belles and their opponents on The Fury.

“You don’t have to worry about scheduling difficulties because we rent out a warehouse, and we own the rink,” explained Hoosier Mama.

Owning the rink helps the Windy City Rollers because they don’t have to worry about when to practice and who can potentially kick them out.

“We take it apart and put it back together before and after each bout,” said Hoosier Mama.

Regardless of juggling work life and derby life these women have fun.

“You can be competing against girls and after the bout be like, ‘Hey! Buy me a drink,’” said Mickey Finn-isher Off.

When asked her favorite thing about being on skates, Hoosier Mama quickly replied, “just hitting people.”
Hoosier Mama, whose been skating for the Windy City Rollers since 2006, stated that, “eventually you don’t remember you’re on skates because they are a part of you.”

 Hoosier Mama is currently #219 on the traveling Windy City Roller All-Stars Team, and has been since 2007. She also skated for the WCR home team, Double Crossers from 2006 to 2009, and for Second Wind, the second WCR traveling team in 2009.

Not only do the WCR derby women have fun skating, but also they don’t expect anything from it but fun. While they enjoy and appreciate the fans and people who come out to the bouts, they aren’t making any money on it.

Hoosier Mama explained that the ticket sales go to the UIC Pavilion and to keep the Windy City Rollers running, though it is most definitely a future goal to make a profit.

“It can definitely become difficult,” said Hoosier Mama. “Good thing the gear doesn’t all need changing at the same time. It helps to have to only purchase one set at a time to sort of spread out the cost. We try to hold fundraisers to help pay for travel and uniform costs but for the most part it comes out of our own pockets.

“No one complains, we come into it knowing the cost is on our shoulders and it’s a price - among others - that we are willing to pay.”