Rhode Island International Film Festival 2009

Not Your Mama's Roller Derby confronts the stereotypes of older roller derby, its infamous wrestler-like women players and its figure eight banked track and gets at the heart of a newer roller derby, the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. The documentary traces the inception of Providence's Roller Derby League, one of the earlier leagues formed, and interviews Sara Doom, the league's birth mother, now a Harvard Ph.D., is as one of her former team players characterized her, a 'cool'' nerd. Doom and other early PRD players discuss what it was like as a struggling league and describe the skills besides skating that were needed to make the league grow. Amid spectacular cityscape shots, Providence's Mayor David Cicilline's interview where he proclaims roller derby as the pulse of his hip city, and the daunting gladiator-like music of Marianne Messina's ''Roller Chicks,' the camera captures the mystic atmosphere of roller derby and its fast-growing and dedicated audience.The filmmakers turn their lens close-up and the audience listens to Frida Destroyer and Violent Vixxen and other PRD members divulge the secret references to their roller derby personalities and other'secrets'' of roller derby such as what the game entails and the rigorous training that players endure to become part of the elite league of fast-skating women. The filmmakers, too, resist glamorizing players and instead examine what players believe draws women to this sport, as they dispel many misconceptions about derby. Burnin' Helen, a PRD skater, debunks the myth that women get hurt playing this sport: she tells viewers that only her mother thinks that derby is dangerous. In the same breath, she recounts a severe injury that she delivered to a Connecticut derby player who ended up not playing for several months; Burnin' Helen admits that she now has toned down her moves and doesn't knock out players. PRD's Bunnicula also discusses her recent knee injury, which has forced her to take the bench, and thus not be able to help her teammates at the fasting-approaching East Coast Derby Extravaganza Competition held in Philadelphia. Other players such as Whip Tease and Rhode Kill emphasize the skills that new players learn in order to eliminate injuries on the track. But as former Brown University Athletic Trainer Gail Connolly states, team and community always outweigh the risks of playing a sport. The film follows the anticipation of the PRD league's national all-star team the Riveters, as they power up to compete in the WFTDA East Coast Extravaganza held in Philadelphia. There is much excitement about this event as the Riveters have lost the last two games. Coach Buzzy speculates about the upcoming conference and expresses his slight hesitation to compete with Dolly Rocket, the former PRD Riveter's Captain, who now skates for Baltimore's Charm City Roller Girls. Coach Buzzy, Mayor Cicillicine, Lotta Pain and Frida Destroyer examine the probabilities of the Riveters winning and cheer their team on.With veteran players injured, the Riveters face the Atlantic Rollergirls as their first opponent in the tournament. Viewers watch the Riveters uproot the Rolllergirls in a grueling game; as the announcer declares at the end of the game,''you' ll never see a game like this again.'' Down by twenty points at the first half of the bout, the Riveters dig deep into their quad skates and by the final half, they're soaring ahead of the Rollergirls. In the aftermath of the bout, Craisy Dukes declares''we just decided not to suck and after losing and losing and losing ,we really need this.' Next, we hear from Dolly Rocket, the former Captain of the Riveters, who must face her former teammates the next day in competition. Viewers get an inside story; Dolly Rocket, in a philosophical moment, addresses the dilemma of sport, a loyalty to her former teammates and her team's goal to win.In the next tournament game, the Riveters confront Charm City. Unified and powerhouse skaters in their last game, the Riveters don't have the power to stop Charm City. Dolly Rocket skates by her former teammates and the scoreboard doubles points and leaves the Riveters behind. By half time, it's clearly a victory for Charm City. Burnin' Helen stops for a minute and speaks to the camera; she is positive and upbeat and compliments her opponents' skating abilities;even in defeat the Riveters possess poise.Viewers meet Burin' Helen again and she becomes more philosophical about her teammates as she begins to describe what roller derby and her teammates mean to her. Messina's quick guitar picking accentuates the moment and before the audience can blink, Burin' Helen reveals that her husband has become paralyzed and her teammates were the ones who kept her alive. With a choking voice, she bops down off camera, and viewers hear''The girls in the league are like my sisters.'' Next, Jailbird Jenna, an early PRD player skating in her last game with her teammates, also reminiscences about her teammates and leaves viewers with her thought-provoking commentary that the PRD girls embody family, a sisterhood; the audience is exposed to the deep inner circle of roller derby; the myriad reasons that women don quad skates and travel six hours to compete. As Jailbird Jenna gathers up her sports bag and ambles off camera, Messina's guitar melody bursts into a hard rock riff and credits roll.