The following transcript was generated using automated transcription software for the accessibility and convenience of our audience. While we strive for accuracy, the automated process may introduce errors, omissions, or misinterpretations. This transcript is intended as a helpful companion to the original audio and should not be considered a verbatim record. For the most accurate representation, please refer to the audio recording.
MICHAEL DUNNE: I'm Michael Dunn4. There's been an explosion in interest for women's sports in the last few years. The WNBA is setting records, and women's softball appears nightly on ESPN but there's also another women's sport that continues to grow in popularity and participation, but it doesn't involve graceful shooting or passing like basketball, and it doesn't involve artful pitching and catching like softball. No, it involves hitting and slamming and jamming. It's roller derby, and right now in a community near you, scores of women are lacing up skates and doing battle today on the show, you'll hear from two local skaters of sick town roller derby of Corvallis about this full contact sport that also has a very kind and community building side to it. Captain Painway the sponsorship coordinator for sick town roller derby. Thanks so much for coming on and talking with us.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: My pleasure. Thanks for doing this.
MICHAEL DUNNE: I imagine many of our listeners have obviously heard of roller derby, but we may not know much about the rules and how it's played, how it's performed. So why don't you give us sort of the 30,000-foot view of what roller derby is.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: Roller derby is, as our clerk likes to say, a four-dimensional chest on skates, high impact and high speed. So, it's two teams of five on the track at a time with two jammers, and the two jammers are trying to get past all the blockers, okay? And then the first time they get through, you establish a lead jammer. Then every other time through, they score points for every blocker they pass, okay, and they're played in two-minute segments for 2, 30-minute halves.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Can you tackle? Talk about the impact level? I have seen it, and I know that there's a lot of physical contact, but talk about the rules and how the bout progresses.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: Yeah, we do take safety pretty seriously. So, it is full contact, full speed. You can hit someone basically from above the knee to the shoulder. You can't make contact with the head face. You cannot use your elbow or forearms to make contact, not meaningful contact, okay? And so outside of that, though, it is full. Throw your whole-body weight into it, hit people, move people, shove people out of the way, okay? Mostly a lot of our contact is made with hips and shoulders.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Like other sports, I imagine there's, there's, there's sort of a premium for different positions. So, I imagine blockers tend to be bigger and then the jammers tend to be faster and smaller. Is that a rough approximation?
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: It's sort of, I think, I think some of the iconic jammers and iconic blockers you're gonna find fit some of those physical profiles, but some of this, you know, I am five foot nine and 220 pounds, and there are people who are a foot shorter than me and 80 to 100 pounds lighter than me who can just knock me the heck out of the way, because it's far more strength plays a part, but it's also really about how well you position yourself and how well you move, and how will you make that contact and getting leverage on the other people. Because we're all on roller skates, we have eight wheels under our feet, and that changes the dynamic a little bit.
MICHAEL DUNNE: I imagine, sort of the, you know, the barrier of entry is, of course, being able to skate first. Is that how most people get into the sport? Is that they're very comfortable skating, and then they're like, Okay, this is another challenge I want to take on.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: Well, some yes, and some No. We run a skate camp every school term at OSU. Okay, not through OSU, but we rent the space for them so we align up with their school terms. And out of an average of 10 to 15 skaters per class, we have two to four who have either never skated before or aren't super comfortable on quad skates. Okay, and so we have to teach them. We have one member right now who is brand new to skating overall, and is just getting comfortable on moving and being in their skates.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Well, blade just joined us, and blade you were talking about you didn't really know how to skate when you started. Is that correct?
BLADE: Correct. I actually went through our boot camp back in the day, but skated three times. I. Before I had the skills enough to move up to our intermediate level, yeah, so I did not know how to skate before I joined. So, anyone can join.
MICHAEL DUNNE: What was it like? I mean, obviously, for someone such as myself who has trouble just skating in a circle. What's it like, you know, going from that learning how to skate, and then all of a sudden, oh, look, there's a bunch of people that want to either knock me down or block me. What's it like, kind of, you know, ramping up to that skill level.
BLADE: I mean, I'm not going to lie, it can be very scary for a lot of people. I mean, you finally get through skate camp and you feel like, okay, I've got some of these skills down, and we bump you into a level where suddenly there's contact. But I do think that we do a pretty good job of easing you into it, you know, modifying different skills in order to get people comfortable with contact. It also depends on when people, you know, join in. Sometimes people will take a bit of a break between skate camp and when they join intermediate. So sometimes there is a little bit of lapse in skills. But some people are really excited for that piece of it, and they, you know, look forward to the contact piece. Some people need a little bit more time. And we really attempt to, you know, figure out where you're at and work with each individual as best we can.,
MICHAEL DUNNE: Painway, I want to ask you, where did the name come from, Sick Town roller derby.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: So, as I understand it, Blade’s been with the organization for a lot longer than I have, but we actually just had this conversation recently, and some of the skaters who have been around for a lot longer, people who aren't even necessarily involved we're at that that get together and explain that. Apparently, we're the grass seed capital of the world here in Corvallis, lots of grass and things are grown. So, allergies are a major factor during spring and summer and then fall and winter. There's a lot of cold and flu that goes around here, also due to our transient population of students, they come in, they bring whatever they have from all over the country or all over the world, all their little Regional variants of flus and colds. So, everybody gets sick in fall and winter. Everyone has allergies in spring and summer - Sick Town.
MICHAEL DUNNE: I like that. I like that. That's not what I imagined. The name came from. That's really cool. Um blade. The other thing that I find fascinating is, you all have names. You know, in addition to your real names, you have your roller derby names. Can you explain why that is because I know in other leagues, I've certainly heard that as well. Why is it that you, that you have these, these names for your time in roller derby?
BLADE: It's sort of an alter ego, I guess it actually goes back to the history of roller derby and how it was reformed. So back in the early 2000s a group of women in in Texas sort of revamped the roller derby that we used to know back in the 70s, and they probably even had names back then, but it was, it's just sort of your alter ego gives you kind of that power to, you know, have that just generally, people will find A name that resonates something powerful or something to do with, you know, their hobbies or whatever, but it's, yeah, just a different way to kind of be recognized and just, you know, your alter ego. So it's fun.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Is there an element of performance? It's an athletic endeavor, obviously, but with the names, and sometimes, I know that sometimes it's a uniform, but it's almost a costume as well. Talk about that aspect of roller derby.
BLADE: Well, I think probably much more so in the past, that was bigger, again, you know, we're in the 2000s that was, you know, people put on the fish nets and a little bit more costume. I think the roller derby of today is definitely really trying to be more of an actual sport. I mean, not that it wasn't then, but a legitimate sport. So, while there are a number of people that love the costumes and the dress up and still put on the fish nets. I think some of that is going a little bit more by the wayside. It's still definitely part of the roller derby culture, but I think many of us also want to be recognized as athletes and this game as. You know, a legitimate sport,
MICHAEL DUNNE: I'll stay with you Painway. What do you love about roller derby? Explain what attracted you to the sport and what keeps you, keeps you rolling.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: Community, primarily. Actually, I, you know, I tell the story like I was in the army for Army Reserve for 15 years. I've tried a couple of sports in my life, in high school and stuff, and I have never enjoyed any sort of physical exercise for its own sake. Derby is the first thing that I like to get done with a two-hour practice and I'm sweating and I'm tired and I'm like, I could do 30 minutes more versus but, but I jumped in feet first. Here, I've been with sick town for almost two years now, and just dove into it because the community is supportive and inclusive and welcoming and positive, and especially in sick town and a lot of the leagues around us, you see it too, where It's just everyone wants the best for everyone else, and it and it infects everything, down to the ESO, just everything, how we communicate with each other, how we associate with each other, the expectations we do and don't put on each other is all built on that mutual support and trust.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Wow, which and I'll go to you Blade, you know, take off on what, on, what Painway just said about kind of building community and, and how, you know, but both the team aspect, but I imagine also with even your rivals, that idea that you're all kind of, you know, in this same, you know, community of roller derby together.
BLADE: Absolutely, We're, we're all, yeah, in this sport together, it's, I have played other sports in my lifetime, and I mirror exactly what pain, way said, and that I can play this sport and, you know, two hours and I'm like, I could still do more. If you know, we love it, but having played other sports, you know, they always used to be like my mortal enemy, and I hated them, but this is the only sport that I find. We play a game. We bash each other, and you get up, you hit someone, you hit you, they get up. You give each other a high five, like that was awesome. At the end of the game, we're hugging each other from the other team, we take, you know, a group photo, and there's just such camaraderie with the opposing team that you don't find in other sports, which it's very refreshing, to be honest.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: So, yeah, every single bout I've been to we've gone out with the other team afterwards for the after party and hung out and talked.
MICHAEL DUNNE: What do fans get out of it? Obviously, it's it. There's excitement and stuff. But it sounds like perhaps, that they might also feel sort of a kinship in that community.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: I think our fans, what I've seen of them so far, again, I'm still relatively new compared to some people, it feels like a cross between high school football and like something like NASCAR, where it's, you want to come out for your local community team, because that's what we are. You know, there's one in Eugene, there's one in Salem, there's multiple in the Portland metro area, there's us. And so you want to come out. And these are people who are in your community. These aren't, you know, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Francisco 49ers, these are the people who are your teachers and your doctors and everyone else around your community, your fellow students. And then also there's high impact, high speed, hard play. And you're watching for those big hits, those you know, the crowd reaction at a big hit, at a really good play, an epic, graceful Apex jump, if they're looking for those big moments, just like in a NASCAR race or in a football game, an American football game.
MICHAEL DUNNE: This is a question for both of you, actually, and you can take turns answering it. Describe moments, maybe when you've just been out, you know, in the community or something, and you strike up a conversation with someone, and you mentioned, oh, I play roller derby. What has been the reaction? Is it a shock? Is it Wow? That's great. You know, kind of take us through that, because obviously not everybody plays roller derby. It's, you know, what was it like the first time you maybe had a conversation where someone said, really?
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: Conversations where you don't talk about roller derby happen. I didn't know that was a thing. You instantly become more interesting to everyone. That's one thing I've noticed. I think, especially like Blade and I are both, you know, we have a lot of college age people, because they come through in going to school, sure, or in their early, mid 30s, like I'm 42 and I am by no means close to the oldest person on our team. And so that's when I get it, you know, I have a daughter who's 19, but and then. You play roller derby, you have, like, an adult child, yeah, I play roller derby, and it's awesome, and it's fun, and I'm always trying to recruit people when I'm having conversations in the community of, oh, have you considered roller derby?
BLADE: I think all of us just have such love and passion for this sport that it just emanates when we talk about it. And you know, if they have questions, you know, I have a shirt, you know, I'm introverted, but I will talk about roller derby. You know, we're just excited to talk about it. So, yes, injuries can happen, and it can be challenging to attempt something new. But you never know, unless you try. And we are a great community. So you know, why not? I started at 45 and here I am.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Where do you play? Where do you practice? And where are your home games or home bouts?
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: Right now, we are renting space from three different facilities, Ashbrook Independent School, the National Guard Armory in Albany and Langton Hall at OSU. Okay, we all rent out the Albany Expo Center for our home games, and then we travel for some bouts. Also,
yeah, that's, yeah, it's about it.
MICHAEL DUNNE: And then you talked earlier about sort of the league and stuff. So how far flung are some of your bouts? I mean, how far do you go? What are some of the teams you have a particular rival, you know a rival that's greater than others.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: Well, let's see we're actually traveling up to play South Sound roller derby next month. Or sorry, we're not in August yet. So in September, and then we have had, in a way, about in Boise last year or, yeah, late last year, and as well as in Reno, Nevada and in Bend, those are the places we've had most recently, I would say mostly we're on the West Coast. At this point, we've been traveling, and it's really just been in the last year or two that we've started back up with our away games. Okay, so that's been, yeah, and terminal city just came to play us in March. They're from Vancouver, BC.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Oh, wow, an international game. So, you know, I imagine, you know, obviously, to travel and stuff, there are costs associated that sort of, how do you fund your league? Is it mostly from, you know, ticket sales and that sort of a thing, or, how does it? How are you able to finance your league?
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: Through a mix of things. Hosting our bouts generally is relatively break-even for us, our members do pay dues. We are all volunteers. There are no paid positions. We pay for as little as possible. And so, the league does have a decent amount saved up from pre pandemic, and we try to be as responsible with money as possible. I am, as you mentioned at the beginning, the sponsorship coordinator. So, I work on getting our sponsors right now we have Deluxe brewing as our sponsor. We have Jamba Juice, the one in Corvallis. And we had sponsors in the past, and I'm working on more. So, if any of your listeners want to sponsor us, it's basically relatively cheap, annual tax deductible advertising.
MICHAEL DUNNE: I'm of an age where I grew up in the bay area around Oakland, California. Now, when I was a little kid, roller derby was very big in Oakland, California, but it was almost all teams made of men, and it seems like roller derby now is, you know, very much a woman's sport. Has that been kind of a big transition over the decades?
BLADE: Well, yes, I mean, there's a kind of a long history with roller derby, to be honest. It started back in the 1930s go way, way back, but yeah, the roller derby that you're familiar with there. There were actually women's teams as well, okay, but it revamped itself into the derby that we sort of know of today, in the early 2000s and that was by a women's team. Currently, there are, you know, the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, women's teams, there's the murder men's roller derby associations. There's open gender. There's really, you know, it's, it's very inclusive of all genders. So, you know, there's a place for everyone to play.
MICHAEL DUNNE: You know, my last question is this, you know, for folks who, who have never gone out, you know, to watch a live bout Give, give them kind of the, you know, the highlight of what they're going to see, and, what you know, they can experience for the first time.
BLADE: Well, if you have the opportunity to take someone along with you who knows how the game is played, that would be great, because they can explain some of the rules to you, if not, hopefully there's someone walking around who can explain the basic premise of the game. But generally speaking, you'll go, there'll be loud cheering crowd of skaters on a track going around and around, and hopefully someone can explain the rules to you, because the basic premise of the game is fairly simple, but the nuances are complex, so there's a lot of strategy to the game, so having someone explain that to you would be helpful. Yeah, not sure what else.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY: Yeah, there are, there are a ton of resources online. It is actually much higher pace than a lot of, like a lot of other American sports. This isn't strictly my sport. This is global, obviously, but since we're here in Oregon and discussing it in America. So, sports in the US tend to be a little start and stop, baseball, American football, but derby is when you play for two minutes, there's 30 seconds in between. You play for two minutes, there's 30 seconds in between. It is just constantly going. A jam can last a lot less than that. The person who gets the way I described the rules earlier was the jammers get out from what's called the initial pass their first time through, the first one to get out is called Lead hammer, and they can end the jam at any time. So usually they'll get out first, they'll come around and try to get some points. If the other jammer gets out and is coming around for points, they'll call off the jam. Okay. But as Blade said, a lot of strategy goes into that to decide whether or not you call it off and go in.
MICHAEL DUNNE: It's great to talk to you both. We've been talking with Blade and Captain Painway, who are with Sick Town roller derby up in Corvallis. I really appreciate you taking the time out to talk with us.
CAPTAIN PAINWAY/BLADE: Thank you so much. You're welcome. Thanks for having us.
MICHAEL DUNNE: That's the show for today. All episodes of Oregon On The Record are available as a podcast at KLCC.org. Monday on the show, you'll hear a conversation with the Oregon Prison Policy Initiative who wants to change what it calls prison gerrymandering that skews voting power in the state. I'm Michael Dunne, and this has been Oregon on the record from KLCC. Thanks for listening.
