“Hey, Babe, guess what… I scored us passes to the roller derby bout this weekend!”
“Awesome! I love roller derby!”
“Yeah, it’s at the same place we saw the girls, but it’s the men’s team. The Race City Rebels.”
“Uh, wait, guys’ roller derby?”
This is the conversation my husband and I had before the Rebels’ first home bout on May 3rd. We’ve been to a few bouts, and always enjoy it, but never a men’s bout. We’re used to seeing women out there kicking booty and looking cool. Sure, men can do those things too, but I dunno…. It just seemed weird. And to be honest, I don’t think either of us even knew there was a men’s team.
We were skeptical.
The home bouts take place at the Forum at Fishers, the same ice skating facility that hosts the Circle City Derby Girls. If you haven’t been there, it’s located right behind the Fishers’ YMCA, so pretty easy to find. There’s plenty of parking, too.
The thing I love most about derby is the culture. Going to a bout feels like walking into Cheers or something. Everyone is really friendly and seems to know each other. But don’t worry if you don’t know anyone, they are all super nice and will make you feel welcome. And this is why it is one of the sporting events we enjoy most as a family. Even though most people there have a tattoo or two, some have hair that is colors you will never find in nature, and most people will have a quality beer in their hand, everyone is NICE. We cheer when our team is winning and sigh when they’re not, but I didn’t experience any yelling, fighting, or general rudeness. I never felt like my kids were unwelcome or in any kind of negative situation. As a matter of fact, they seem to really love having kids there. I saw many high-fives from players, and was told if you stick around after the bout they are always happy to sign autographs. Also, it’s affordable. Tickets for a Rebels bout are $10 in advance (you can purchase them on Brown Paper Tickets), $12 at the door, and kids 10 and under are free.
I love women’s derby, I really do. But after seeing the Rebels, I have to admit, I think I might be a convert. Men’s roller derby is more intense. I was blown away by some of the stuff I saw these guys doing. I was on the edge of my seat. It was so fast and physical, and I just loved the excitement of it. In Big Boy’s words, “a sport where you get to roll around and push people out of the way? This is awesome!” I couldn’t agree more.
The Race City Rebels have home bouts coming up on June 7, July 12, and August 9. You can buy tickets here, or check out their schedule and more information on their website here.
Don’t know much about roller derby? Don’t worry, me neither. It can be kind of confusing at first, basically all you’ll see when they first start going is a bunch of people on roller skates skating around a circle. But you quickly figure out it by watching the players, listening to the announcers, and watching the refs. If you’re like me and need to know everything before you go in to a new situation, check out this YouTube video made by the Texas Rollergirls. It will tell you everything you need to know in less than two minutes.
