The Dolls' season opener in January drew a record-breaking crowd of 1,600 at the Coliseum, and the skating was faster and harder than ever.
By now, most folks in Madison have probably heard about the "Everyone is at a different stage in their development as a player," she notes, "so we've gone from basic Derby 101 to now breaking our practices down into 201 and 301 drills for varying skill levels." A fifth-year skater, Basel marvels at how talent has progressed since the league got its start in 2004. "Five years ago, I struggled to make it through three minutes of falling drills," she says. "I never thought that I'd be here now, leading practices and timing skaters through seven minutes of the same drill. The great thing about derby is that we all have such a vast array of experience, so we all teach each other on the track." And as the sport continues to boom and the competition improves at a national level, training only gets tougher. "From wall-sits and push-ups to falling and jumping, our sport and the training for it is constantly evolving," notes Basel. Derby fans are starting to notice. The Dolls' season opener in January drew a record-breaking crowd of 1,600 at the Coliseum, and the skating was faster and harder than ever. At this particular match, the Unholy Rollers upset the longtime dominant Reservoir Dolls by a score of 89-69, and the Vaudeville Vixens clobbered the Quad Squad by 144-56. A taste of the action in the latter battle can be viewed in a short video shot from a helmet cam by referee "Eddie Lizard." Sure, I might be a little biased about all of this, so don't take my word for it. To see just how finely tuned these eight-wheeled machines has become, you should probably check it out for yourself. On Sunday, February 1, the Dolls will be hosting their second bout of the 2009 season at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center. Cleverly dubbed "Super Roll Sunday," the doors open at noon and action commences at 1 p.m. The bout will see the Unholy Rollers take on the first visiting team of the season, the online or at the Coliseum on bout day, and group ticket discounts are also available. A portion of proceeds from the bout will be donated to the party with the most dangerous athletes in Madison. Melissa Faliveno skates as Harlot Bronte with the Mad Rollin' Dolls and works as an editor and freelance writer in her spare time.
