Hellgate Rollergirls kick ass, take names

Published: November 5, 2010

The Dirt Road Dolls and Brawlin' Mollies compete at an October bout in Missoula. (Photo by Merrill Bradshaw)

“If you’re looking for butt-kicking, tights-wearing, roller-skating Missoula ladies who like to zoom down a track and aren’t afraid to kick ass and take names, you’ve come to the right place,” announces the website of the Hellgate Rollergirls, www.hellgaterollergirls.org.

And it’s absolutely true: These women rock and roll!

They careen around a concrete oval track, attired in short skirts, fishnet stockings, knee and elbow pads and helmets. A bout boasts two 30-minute periods of short “jams,” in which a lead jammer for each team tries to find her way from the back to the front of the pack. It’s fast and sometimes ferocious, as skaters block, pivot and push.

The group, started last year by a few roller-derby fanatics, has grown to more than 70 members and hosted two bouts at a warehouse located at 812 Toole Ave. on Missoula’s Westside, with its third bout slated for Nov. 6.

According to founding member Darby Smash (aka Jennifer Hendrickson), who skates for the Dirt Road Dolls, bouts are scheduled for every six weeks, with the next one set for Dec. 4.

The November contest pits the Hellgate Rollergirls’ All Stars against the Toothless Annies, a team from Spokane. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the bout at 7 p.m., followed by live music. (Hot tip: Get there early to snare a seat.)

The Hellgate Dirt Road Dolls challenge the Knock ‘Em Down Derby Dames from Billings on Dec. 4.

Darby Smash (photo by Merrill Bradshaw)

Darby, who grew up in Ronan, first heard about roller derby while living in Philadelphia. “I love to roller skate, and I wanted to get involved in Philly, but then I moved back to Montana,” she says. “I heard about derby happening here last year and bought my skates and gear and never looked back.”

The Missoula league, which was formed last December, has two teams, the Brawlin’ Mollies and the Dirt Road Dolls, and boasts more than 70 dues-paying members.

“We will draft more girls as they improve their skill levels, but it takes awhile to get their skills up to game play,” says Darby. The league hopes to have enough competent skaters to launch a third home team by next summer.

None of the members had prior roller-derby experience. “Derby is all new to all of us,” says Darby. “There is not one girl on our league who has ever played before.”

But never let lack of experience interfere with a good jam. So far, the Missoula skaters have competed against teams in Coeur d’Alene and Kalispell. In addition to a league in Billings, Great Falls is also launching a start-up team.

The skaters’ current home on Toole Ave. is rented month-to-month, although the league is considering signing a yearlong lease for the warehouse.

“It’s quite spendy,” says Darby. “That’s why we’re in major need of sponsorships.” The league currently pays its bills through membership dues, admission to the bouts, merchandise sales (including calendars) and sponsorships.

In her “other life,” Darby is a devoted mom and an aesthetician at an upscale Missoula spa. Other members’ occupations are as diverse as their skate names, which include Dreadly Nighshade, Booya Bootay, Kitty Bellicose and Viperella.

Although the competition is fierce during a bout, Darby says when the buzzer signals the end, friendship resumes. “It is a very competitive sport, and I have to admit there are times on the track I get upset about a ref call or something a player does, but that's just on the track,” she says. “Off the track they are all my friends!

“I have met some of the nicest ladies through roller derby – a very supportive, caring group of women,” she adds. “We all have each others’ backs.”

– Kristi Niemeyer