Tonight, the Queen Mary Dome becomes the Rollerdome as it plays host to the Long Beach Derby Gals’ second bout and another fiercely colorful and athletic spectacle. This evening’s event is both (in the words of one of its stars, Michelle “Estro Jen” Steilen) “off-the-cuff and fringe—like our community” and a serious milestone in the local evolution of flat-track roller derby, which has gained world-wide popularity in recent years and is among eight new sports being considered for inclusion in the 2020 Olympics.

“This is one of the coolest Long Beach events you’ll ever witness,” says Maggie “Anita Nother” Murphy, captain of the Breakwater Bombshells, who are facing the Cyclone Racers in a match dubbed “The Garden Of Beaten.”

Local fire ladies Sirena Serpentina will light up the proceedings before the match begins and halftime entertainment will be provided by The Champanties, a Long Beach band that brings a ton of girl-group swamp-rock juju. DJ The Almighty Nectar, a Long Beach derby mainstay, will keep the jams bumpin’ during the match.

Speaking of bumpin’ and jams, here’s a brief flat-track roller derby primer: matches are divided into two 30-minute halves, in which intervals of action called “jams” occur. Each team fields four blockers. Behind this pack of blockers skates one athlete from each team. These are the jammers, who can be identified by their starred helmets. Their job is to evade the opposing team’s blockers, skate through the pack, then come back around and pick up one point for every opponent they pass again.

The first jammer to skate through the pack becomes the lead jammer, and they have the power to call off the jam to keep an opponent from scoring points. Jams continue for two minutes if they’re not called off. Over-zealous use of elbows, tripping and back-blocking (like clipping in football) result in penalty minutes spent on the bench.

Anyone who questions the quality of the hitting during a roller derby match need only watch the YouTube video of Steilen getting flattened during a blocking attempt in a match last year. Michelle–a Breakwater Bombshell who owns the Moxi Skate Shop on 4th Street and is the head of the LBDG Coaching Committee–is a true ambassador of skating, and can be seen this weekend performing on the vert ramp during the Formula Drift event on the Grand Prix course.

“Skating is my religion–my roll-igion,” Steilen says with a laugh.

The LBDG is very committed to growing and maintaining the popularity of the fast-growing international sport of flat-track roller derby. It has attracted skaters from a wide spectrum of society and has achieved a camaraderie similar to that found in a sport like rugby, where the athletes beat on each other during the match and go out and celebrate together afterwards.

“We have built quite a family here,” says Jamie “NarLee” Villa, General Manager of the LBDG. “When a Gal needs to practice but can’t find a baby sitter, one of us non-skating members will look after the kids. We’re a group that empowers women, but we create so much more for one another.”

People-watching is at a premium during a LBDG event as folks from all walks of life show up at the Rollerdome to watch the fast, fearless skaters and soak up the festive ambience.

“LBDG prides itself on showmanship in addition to sportsmanship,” says Villa. “From start to finish, we try and create an experience the fans will never forget.”

Purchase tickets for tonight’s event at longbeachderbygals.com or at these local retailers: Moxi Skate Shop, Long Beach Roller Skates, Gallagher’s Pub (official sponsor of the Breakwater Bombshells) or The Pike Bar & Grill (official sponsor of the Cyclone Racers).

For inquiries about booths in the Vendor Village and information about sponsorship opportunities, please call Angela Roman at (562) 234-9720

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