CINCINNATI -- What do you do if you love to go fast, admire athleticism and skill, and crave a sport with an aggressive edge and a keen sense of humor?
For more than 40 women, the answer was to attend the first official tryout session for Cincinnati Rollergirls’ 2018 season earlier this month.
Under the guidance of CRG players, including Jennifer “Sailor Scary” Damron and Amanda “Mama Crass” Frietsch, the hopefuls tried out their chops on a variety of things including basic skating and roller derby skills such as blocking, learning to hit and take a hit (after all, roller derby is a full-contact sport), endurance, footwork, bout strategy and more.
Those looking to join the Cincinnati Rollergirls organization as a skater, referee or non-skating official can attend the weekly Monday Night Derby tryout prep sessions at The Skatin’ Place in Colerain Township.
The next tryout will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, April 8. Evaluators will place all participants in one of three CRG classifications: the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association team, made up of CRG’s two competitive squads, the Black Sheep (A) team and the Violent Lambs (B) team; the ‘Nati Lites recreation team; and the developmental team.
Beyond the core skating and roller derby skills, CRG is looking for players who have an innate drive and are dedicated to practice and improvement.
Maybe even more critical is this attitude: If you fall, you get back up again. Over and over.
Cincinnati Rollergirls, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2016, will play its season opener from 6-9 p.m. March 10 at the Schmidt Memorial Fieldhouse at Xavier University. For more information about tryouts or the upcoming season, visit cincinnatirollergirls.com.
