'No room for slacking' in Atlanta Rollergirls' games

Competition will be fierce and chaotic Saturday night when the Atlanta Rollergirls bring out their B teams for two bouts of flat-track roller derby at the Yaarab Shrine Center, 400 Ponce de Leon Ave.

Atlanta's all-star B-team, The Rumble Bs, go up against Ft. Lauderdale's Gold Coast Derby Grrls at 7 p.m., right after two of the league's four teams, The Toxic Shocks and Apocalypstix, jam at 5 p.m. These are some of the first games of the 2011 season for the Atlanta teams involved, so there are a lot of unknowns: new players, new strengths, new strategies.

"We're just gonna have to look out for big hits. There will be no room for slacking. It'll be a cool game to watch," said Kathy McCarty-Baker, 25, who is called Samwise Banshee in the league, a name inspired by Frodo's righthand man Samwise Gamgee in "Lord of the Rings." (All players must choose a unique roller derby name. Check out the international master list.)

Here's the catch: the games have sold out, as they routinely do. But some people have luck coming around on game day, said Samwise Banshee, to "rally for tickets" in the courtyard of the Yaarab Shine Center. Even for those who can't get in, there will be food and entertainment in the courtyard, including local band Attention System and popsicle peddler The King of Pops.

Miss this game and there are still six left before the season ends in September. Tickets are available online.

Women's roller derby, popular in the 1970s, has experienced an incredible boom since it came back as a campy retro sport in the early 2000s in Austin, Texas. In the six years since it started mushrooming across the country, derby has shed much of its campy theatricality, such as time-out spankings, and become a seriously competitive, athletic and family-friendly contact sport, all while keeping a strong element of sass and DIY power.

"You even see it in Nike commercials and Cheerios commercials. It's not this novelty anymore," said Canna Whoopass, aka 32-year-old Tina Bradley, a physical therapist from Snellville, and a "huge wrestling fan" who took inspiration for her derby name from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. She's in her fourth season of derby, plays on the Atlanta all-star team, Dirty South Roller Girls, and will be advising players as a bench manager on Saturday.

New to roller derby? No worries. The league does a quick demonstration and explanation before each game. And even if you're feeling iffy on the game rules, it's still fun to watch the grace and brutality of the game as the players fly around the track.

Carina Gerry, 32, was living in Austin when she discovered and fell in love with roller derby.

"It was just this world of awesomeness," she said. Women older than her were playing and competition "was pretty tight. It's one of the few full-contact sports for women." She practiced speed-skating twice a week to hone her skills before joining the Atlanta league in 2006.

Now she's the president of the league and goes by the name Shannihilator, inspired by her other loves, country music and Shania Twain. (Her first choice was Shania Pain, but that was already taken by a player in Long Island.)

"Most people don't call me Carina," she said.

Shannihilator is recovering from a broken ankle and won't be playing Saturday. Instead, she's keeping game stats. Rivalry with out-of-town teams can get intense, but she said players remain very friendly off the track. She's hopeful that the Atlanta Rollergirls will go out partying with the Florida players -- "after we beat them."

Samwise Banshee is "so stoked" to be playing with the Rumble Bs for the first time on Saturday. She glows about derby in general -- "it's pretty much one of the best things that ever happened to me" -- and has some words of advice for women who are considering trying out for the Atlanta Rollergirls next year.

"They should not be scared."