Lesbian Fantasy and Roller Derby - The Backlash!!! Part One

Right so last month I drew your attention to a questionable article by Jeremy Clyman, on Psychology Today.  The blog was titled 'Lesbian Fantasy, Disguised', and discussed the film Whip It! as a film really about lesbians and the pressures of coming out in the Deep South, and in doing so, branded Roller Derby as little more than a euphemism for lesbian sex.
Whilst he later published an apology - Lesbian Fantasy, Reconsidered - he still failed to be missing the point!

I'm gonna do this in three parts .....

First of all, here's what he had to say

Let's back up before we get into conspiracy theories. "Whip It" is directed by a female (Barrymore), its protagonist is female (Page), and the story is about a girl who becomes a woman in a female dominated world. There isn't a serious male character to be seen. Oddly enough, the film is also about sports and the Deep South. I know what you're thinking. I, as a heterosexual man, am incapable of watching an exclusively female story without conflating its straightforward coming-of-age purpose with some sort of secret, subversive sexual agenda. Why can't I just appreciate this movie as the female version of adolescent identity growth and discovery? Why force meaning in-between the lines and covertly degrade this story as only interesting if satisfying some half-cocked interpretation?




So, where is lesbian fantasy to be found in this film? Let's back up even further for a minute. What is the primary function that films serve? Escape. Specifically, escape into a desirable fantasy world from an undesirable reality. Let's imagine for a moment that you are a closeted lesbian in a suppressively heterosexual environment like Bovine, Texas. You are not coming out. You would probably rather die then come out. Thus, you are walking around with unmet needs. You have a desire to be truly known, sexually gratified and socially accepted, but society relentlessly disappoints. There is a convincing pile of emerging research that examines the specifics of this kind of misery. It is real. It is profound. If you are a filmmaker then you have the opportunity to, at least temporarily, assuage this kind of misery. But you have to be careful. If you make the story about something that is almost as "bad" as being a lesbian, and you tell a tale of adversity overcome, of strength, growth and freedom then you can indulge this fantasy of lesbian actualization without activating the anxiety of reality, that is, the shame of feeling different and the fear of being different in a prejudice society.


(T)here needs to be a wink-and-nod to the lesbian-in-hiding audience that sexuality is the real issue. A couple points here:
A. "Whip It" is about roller blading, which this movie defines as a group of half-drunk women, in tight athletic gear and rollerblades muscling each other for inside positioning, as a few key teammates weave in and out of the pack. Those that have finesse are chased by those that have strength, somewhat akin to the cat and mouse pursuit of a top and bottom sexual power dynamic (there's a reason the standard sexual position is missionary). In short, this game is a metaphor for sex.
B. The protagonist, Bliss (Page), behaves in the way that a lesbian might behave before she knows she's a lesbian. We meet her just as she's playfully dying her hair blue for a beauty pageant. Her inexplicable love for roller derby is incited by the image of three women pushing each other on rollerblades. She dumps her boyfriend with suspicious ease and celerity. She's an adolescent who likes to be different, is experimental and puts a boyfriend second to roller derby. Now, obviously none of these things makes her a suppressed lesbian, but as a lesbian in the audience you might be cued into the possibility of an alternative,unconscious sexual agenda.
C. A character named "Jaba the Slut" is definitely a lesbian. She winks at girls and offers them drinks and come-on lines. This is never made explicit, which signals to the audience that lesbianism is both present and not really present


Even copying an pasting this I have to stop myself screaming out at the many blatant mistakes ... but just quickly, before I start on my real argument .... Jaba the Slut only appeared once in the version of the movie that I saw, and that was simply to tell someone her skater name, and there are a heap of strong male roles in the film ....

ok .... enough of this .... lets see what you guys thought ......


Jet xxx

Drew Barrymore to join Roller Derby - Ruff & Tumble?!

Here at the Round-Up Bout I've noticed a number of you are members of 'Ruff & Tumble' a special Facebook group to document your 'best' derby injuries!

I'm actually currently sporting a black eye and swollen cheek ... though nothing to do with derby I'm afraid!!! (Damn it ... there goes my anonymity! ;) )

Anyway, El Toupee just spotted this article about Drew Barrymore injuring herself during the filming of Whip It!  Wonder if she'll be joining the club?

And speaking of which .... how about we have a little competition on The Round-Up Bout???
Post a picture of your best/worst Roller Derby injury (Darmonatrix, the paper cut doesn't count ;) ) in the comments at the bottom of this blogpost (on Blogger, not on Facebook - you need to click through to the original link if you're reading this on Facebook).

Then here at The Round-Up Bout we'll decide whose is the most gory!!

Derby Love,
Jet Stepper xxx

CLOSED BOUT - Middlesbrough Milk Rollers vs Sheffield Steel

INVITE ONLY .... so get sucking up!!

When? Saturday November 7th, 3pm - 5pm

Where? Rainbow Leisure Centre, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough

The time has come for two of the North's leagues, from places built on steel, to come and knock each other on the track....behind closed doors.

Middlesbrough Milk Rollers are the North East's first league and have been rolling since 2007. With a couple bouts under their belts, they have guests from Leeds Roller Dolls and Rebellion Roller Girls making up the team.

Sheffield Steel made their debut against Leeds this summer , and have a couple of Leeds Dolls joining them to take on MMR. Sheffield are a bunch of gutsy girls who are as nasty on track as they are nice off it.

This is a one-off bout away from public view, so each member can invite people to cheer them on.

It should be a good game as both teams are similarly matched, as tenacious as each other and play to win! Grr!

War of the Roses

Who? Rainy City Roller Girls vs Leeds Roller Dolls

When? Saturday November 28th,  3pm - 5.30pm

Where?   Armitage Sports Centre, Moseley Road, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 6HE

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!

Manchester’s Rainy City Roller Girls take on Leeds Roller Dolls in their first ever home bout!
The bout will take place just out side of Manchester City Centre in Fallowfield, and is one not to be missed!!

'On a Roll with the Girls' - ARRG in the News

Auld Reekie hit the Scottish headlines today with a lengthy article in the Comment section of Scotland on Sunday.

To read the article, which contains quotes from Daisy Disease, Haberbashery, Armalite Angie, Skate Tastrophy, Ciderella, Juicy Lucy and Cherry Fury,  CLICK HERE!

Carrie on Skating!

This weekend Glasgow Roller 'Ghouls' hosted - a special Hallowe'en frenzy full of tricks and treats!

Here's what El Toupee had to say about the event ....

In their debut bout, Maiden Grrders took on the Romsey Town Rollerbillies in what I can only presume was an officially 'unofficial' bout - two twenty-minute periods instead of the usual thirty-minute halves. That confusion aside, it was possibly the most exciting bout I've seen yet. The Grrders and Rollerbillies fought tooth and nail to a time-limit draw. Big Cat Merv did a sterling job of play-by-play commentary  and the crowd, were simply loving it, and not shy to let it be known! Following a Zebra Huddle ("Erm, what do we do?!") the bout went to an Overtime Jam, with Romsey eeking out by 3 points!

Special congratulations to Darmonatrix (Rollerbillies), who bagged Best Blocker and Best Take Down awards.

Oh, and did I mention there was ref on in-lines skates? For Shame!

I then settled in for the first half of the main event: Glasgow Roller Girls’ Irn Bruisers vs. the Rainy City Rollergirls. The Bruisers ranked third at Roll Britannia, and so it quickly became apparent that Rainy City were in for a hard time. I'm not going to sell them short: they fought hard, and pulled off some pretty neat stuff on track, but even when the Bruisers down to two players on track they couldn't quite get their groove on.

There was a lot of penalty box action - GRG regularly seemed to be playing short on track. Everyone must have racked up more than their fair share of Minors, but there was nothing (that the Zebras saw, at least) that suggested anyone was taking unfair advantages.

Rainy City were in with a chance when the bout re-started, having chipped away at their opponent's score with a series of powerplays, but the Bruisers stepped it up a notch. Rainy City's Mookchops and Dee-Mise deserve special mention, as does Feral Fairy, for gutting it out against the Bruisers' defense and putting more points on the board, but when you're skating up to Evel Von Detta (who's skating backwards whilst smack-talking you) and you've got Dreaded Dragon simply gliding around the track like she's on rails, then maybe it's too steep a mountain to climb.

The Irn Bruisers won convincingly, but Rainy City definitely punched above their weight for the first half. I'm sure the Leeds Roller Dolls were paying attention too - LRD travel to RCRG on November 28th.

Derby Owned ....

Need some skate gear and want to buy from someone in the know?
Or, got your own derby-related shop and want to advertise to the world roller derby community?


Check out 'Derby Owned' - an free online directory of Roller Derby businesses run by Roller Derby folk.


As the site explains, 'Buying from a derby owned business is a great way to support derby girls and roller derby in general'

Special Discount at TUK Shoes

Royal Windsor Rollergirls'  sponsor TUK Shoes are offering ALL ROLLER DERBY PLAYERS & FANS a 20% discount on their website.
The promo expires this Saturday (October 31st), and you need to enter the code 'ILOVEROLLERGIRLS09' when asked for a promotion code.

Scottish Leagues Hit the Headlines

Glasgow Rollergirls and Auld Reekie bathed in the post-Whip It! attention of the media on Roller Derby, and hit the headlines of the Sunday Herald this weekend.
Check out the article HERE! 

Short & Girly

Online accessory store  Short & Girly have just released a new range of Derby-inspired jewellery and accessories.  The girls are currently offering free UK delivery, so now might be time to do some early Christmas shopping for the Derby Girls in your life!

Merby (Men's Derby!) Official Pics

For all of you keen for some snaps of yesterday's historic action - the UK's first ever Men's Derby Bout, feast your eyes on THIS!  In-Depth Photos , the official photographer to the Central City Rollergirls , has just posted the official photos from the closed bout, run by M.U.R.D.A.  in Birmingham on Saturday.

Wakey Wheeled Cats - On a Roll

CLICK HERE to see the first video to accompany Linda Lumardy's online diary of life in the Wakey Wheeled Cats.   


Here's what she has to say so far ....


Welcome to On a Roll my online diary on life in the Wakey Wheeled Cats. I joined the league in August, after being sent to write a feature on the Cats for the Express women’s magazine.  From the first tentative roll I was hooked, and luckily they let me join! It took a while for me to get my skates and I’ve only been to a few practices so far, so you’ll be with me right from the beginning.  Hopefully it will be a good read, but if anything it should be a laugh, as I’ve already had some spectacular bruises, and there will be many more to come.  Rather than bombard you with a huge first blog, over the next few weeks I’ll keep uploading snippets about roller derby life to get you all up to date. But for the first day of  On a Roll, we have something very special for Wakey Wheeled Cats fans – our first ever training blog! Luckily for those of you who don’t like car-crash-telly, it doesn’t feature me, as I’m behind the camera, but instead Cats co-founder and coach Kirsty Quinn will be taking you through the basics of a roller derby game, and fellow co-founder Stephanie Sellers will be showing you a few beginners moves.
 I hope you enjoy it!  


Subscribe to the blog HERE , and if you have any comments for Linda, EMAIL her HERE .

M.U.R.D.A. make history!

Yesterday marked an important step in UK Roller Derby history ... the first ever Men's Roller Derby Bout on UK soil.  M.U.R.D.A  - the Men's UK Roller Derby Association, an amalgamation of refs from the various women's leagues across the country, split into two teams - Black Ice & Vanilla Ice -  for the closed bout at Great Barr Leisure Centre.


The first public display of Men's Derby will take place (ironically!) at Carnival of the Strange , a Lincolnshire Bombers event in Newark on November 21st.


Congratulations lads, if any of you fancy writing a few words about the bout for The Round-Up Bout, I'm sure our readers would love to hear how things went.


Jet xxx

It's A Bomber ... It's A Bomber

Introducing a brand new blog, penned by The Round-Up Bout's very own Jetspun May-Q Dizzy.


Dizzy will be keeping you updated on all the Lincolnshire Bombers news at 'It's a Bomber .... It's a Bomber', so sign up to follow the blog ... and while you're at it, join up to The Round-Up Bout too!!

Bout Announcement - LRG v Texas Rollergirls - Hustlers

Photo by Bill Smotrilla

The London Rollergirls have finally announced the identity of their secret opponents!  On March 20th, LRG will be hosting the Texas Rollergirls' Hustlers 

The Texas Rollergirls are widely regarded as the godmothers of women’s flat track roller derby being the original league that got it all going back in 2002. The Hustlers feature several members of the fearsome Texecutioners, the TXRG all-star team (ranked #1 in the WFTDA South Central region and heading to Nationals in November as one of the top four seeds) as well as a couple of girls who have been playing derby right since the start.  In fact, 'Babe Ruthless' the namesake of Ellen Page's character in the recent roller derby film Whip It! now skates for the Hustlers!

LRG are incredibly proud and excited to host them in London, and acknowledge this will be their toughest test yet.

More info to come soon regarding venue, ticket info and other exciting derby events happening that weekend, but for now, save the date… if you’re in the UK and you love derby, London is where you want to be that weekend

Derby Networking Sites ...

Hopefully by now you're all member of Roller Derby Everywhere - the UK Roller Derby network on Ning .  


If RDE, UK Derby News and The Round-Up Bout aren't fulfilling your craving for online Derby fodder, then look no further than Derby Nation , another Roller Derby virtual world on Ning.


Derby Nation founder, Lizbeth Von Lush, welcomes you to the site ...


Derby Nation got its start when a few derby addicts decided it was time to have an internet community specifically for bringing all of us derby fiends together!!! Derby Nation's creators hope this site will become the place on the net where anyone interested in derby can look up events, bouts, bout results, leagues, teams and players - nationwide!

If you're not a player, coach, official or volunteer you are still very welcome! Because if you're not a fan yet, watch out! Derby is very addictive - and most who come in contact with it never are quite the same again!

So derby guys and girls, post your bout and event dates. Share pictures. Create groups for your league or team. Chat on the message boards. Blog about derby life.

She Did What To Who?!

Check out this blog El Toupee just discovered on Myspace, it's a Glossary of Derby Plays!


The blog comes from the page of Busta Armov , the retired Head Ref for the LA Derby Dolls , and a contributor to the amazing Derby News Network


Some of my particular favourites from the glossary include ...


The Inverse Bowling Ball - Blocker does a power slide or hockey stop and takes out the pack


Vee-gina Sandwich - Two blockers hit any other skater frpm both sides simultaneously


Tittie Takeout - A sub-category of the Johnnie Crash, in which a skater jabs their shoulder hard into the chest or breasts of the skater coming up behind them


Ass to Puss - A Booty Block in which contact is made between the front skater making the block, and the rear skater who contacts her with her crotch

An Incentive to Get Training!

Following May-Q Dizzy's awesome report on Grange Hell , the Round-Up Bout Facebook page has been buzzing with chat about one thing ... Estro Jen's arse!


And so .... especially for you guys, a little incentive to get training even harder at derby practice this week!!

Special thanks to El Toupee for completing the awful job of trawling through pics for one of Estro's bum! ;)

Tattoo Freeze Convention

Put a little money aside this Christmas and New Year, because something quite special is happening in mid-January.


The publishers of Skin Deep have decided to put on their first tattoo expo’ and, whilst they’re at it, have arranged a mouth-watering one-day Roller Derby tournament (featuring the Steam Rollers , the Suffra Jets , the Ultraviolent Femmes , and the Birmingham Blitz Dames) in addition to a whole host of other goodies.


The event is being held at The International Centre in Telford on January 17th, 2010, and tickets are £10.  CLICK HERE  for more details


So, mark the date in your diary, book the following day off work, and order your ticket as soon as…

El Toupée

VOTE to help London Rollergirls skate in the US ....

CLICK HERE to give your vote in the British Airways Great Britons competition to Kamikaze Kitten and the London Rollergirls.


What is the Great Britons Programme about?


As the official airline partner of the London 2012 Games, British Airways has launched a programme called Great Britons, which will help and inspire people in the UK to be the best they can be. This scheme will look for individuals who demonstrate the values associated with Olympic and Paralympic Games and who strive to be the best, whether their passion is in sport, music, fashion, performing arts, art and design, innovation, or community.
BA are giving 180 flights away this year to talented individuals and groups.
For many, this once in a lifetime chance gives them the boost they need for their careers to take off to the next exciting level.


What Kamikaze Kitten has to say about the competition ....



Winning would mean being able to push myself to a new level as a sportswoman, and help the fledgling women's sport of Roller Derby grow and be recognised throughout the UK. The London Rollergirls are working hard in order to raise enough funds to fly our All Stars team, of which I am captain, over to the US and take up the invitation to train with Gotham Girls Roller Derby in New York – the top ranked US Roller Derby team.
In July we hosted and won the inaugural European Roller Derby tournament in Earls Court, London. We brought together over 12 European teams for this weekend event which culminated in the London Rollergirls comfortably winning the title of European Champions. Training with the Gotham Girls will let us take UK roller derby to the next level. We are hoping to take full advantage of our trip across the pond and play at least four US teams along the East Coast of the US to maximise our learning. We are fundraising hard to raise cash for this trip – winning this competition would take us a big step towards achieving our goal.
This is more than just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and my team to play at the very top of our game; it's an opportunity for the sport of Roller Derby as a whole. Along with other members of London Rollergirls, I have been active in travelling around the UK and Europe, coaching other teams as far afield as Glasgow and Berlin. The skills we will learn taking on the titans of the sport will be passed on to benefit the entire UK Roller Derby community and this opportunity would mean really putting UK Roller Derby on the map. It’s not just one skater this would make a difference to, it’s over 400 roller derby players in the existing 23 leagues in the UK, and the hundreds that are waiting for a team to appear in their city or town. 


So ... show some Derby solidarity, and CLICK ON THIS LINK to vote for the girls to get free flights to New York.  It only takes a couple of minutes, and you can even link the site to your Facebook to make voting even easier.