Women's sports deserve support

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In no way did I expect to see what I did during my travels this past weekend. Fishnets, helmets, skirts and knee pads were abound when my friends and I stumbled upon a large crowd Friday night.

We were all intrigued by what was going on before us — grown women roller skating around a small oval path in the middle of a park. We had just discovered roller derby.

To be honest, I had vaguely heard of roller derby before I had seen the trailer to Drew Barrymore’s new movie, “Whip It,” and even seeing that trailer once did little to prepare me for what I saw in the park.

Roller derby resurfaced in the early 2000s with an all-women’s league called Bad Girl Good Woman Productions. This led to the creation of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), where rules were set and official leagues were formed. There are two WFTDA teams in Michigan: one in Detroit and one in Grand Rapids. There are smaller leagues throughout the state, and I would hope to see a league here on campus one day.

The two teams we watched, The Old Money Honeys and The Rats, were going head-to-head in the final championship round.

Intense doesn’t even begin to describe the level at which this sport was being played. The women were elbowing, pushing, ducking and rolling, all while skillfully skating around with a great amount of ease.

The players were wiping out in five-people pileups, which didn’t stop them from getting up again as fast as they could. Others were trying to skate through what seemed like an obstacle course of opponents.

As we watched with the help of the event program, we figured out for the most part what was going on. There were different rounds, or jams, which started with the two teams in formation. Each team has a pivot, a jammer and three blockers on the track at a time. The pivot and blockers of each team try and stop the jammer of the other team from breaking through the pack, who is the only one who can score points. And this is all happening very quickly and all at once, with about five referees screeching their whistles throughout the two-minute jam.

Like I said, this whole thing was very intense. These women were badasses who weren’t afraid to play rough, and had chosen names to reflect their ruthlessness, like Hysterica! and Slamerella. Badasses of all different shapes, sizes, looks and backgrounds, all sharing one common bond: roller derby. Nothing stood in the way of these women, and they weren’t playing for money or fame. They had a clear passion for what they were doing. Why else would you skate around in hot pants and fishnets on a cold September night?

When I saw all of these different women taking part in a sport they love, I felt empowered. What added to this feeling was the community support. The turnout for the event was great. There were men and women, students and professionals, young and old — you name it. There was even a Girl Scout troop there, with signs to cheer for the teams. Men also found ways to become involved, such as being referees, emcees, selling merchandise or being part of the cheering crowd.

After watching these athletes skate around the track, I realized how inspiring it was to watch women breaking stereotypes. They weren’t afraid to break a nail and get scratched up. It reminded me of women’s hockey or women’s rugby teams, sports that usually are dominated by men.

Look at our own campus sports. Men’s sports have always seemed to have the limelight. Men’s baseball was the first to arrive on campus in the 1860s, and football still continues to draw the largest crowds.

For women, basketball was started in 1898, 28 years after women were admitted into Michigan Agricultural College. Despite the growing of women’s teams after this, these teams were prohibited from competing against other colleges until after 1945.

In the 1970s, after legislation was passed calling for equal funding for all college athletes, women still were only allocated less than $85,000 in funds, while men received almost $776,000. This same year, the women’s basketball team filed a formal complaint, supporting gender equality in sports. Today, there are more than 12 varsity women’s teams, and dozens of club and intramural teams. All deserve credit and recognition for what they are doing.

Last year I had the opportunity to attend varsity women’s golf, gymnastics, cross country and softball matches, and I hope to add to that list this year. Women’s soccer currently has an undefeated season, and the field hockey team won their first Big Ten game, to highlight a few teams. I urge others to check out all of these teams as well.

I would like to commend all woman athletes of all different sports and levels, whether they are professional, collegiate, high school, club, intramural or those who play for fun. From field hockey to roller derby, please keep doing what you love, stay strong and remain an inspiration to others.

Lauren Wood is a State News guest columnist and journalism sophomore. Reach her at woodlau2@msu.edu.

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