The Angel City Derby Girls are made up of more than 30 members.
(Catherine Donahoe)

Thanks in part to exposure from the movie "Whip It" and simple word of mouth, many women in Los Angeles have found a new pastime. Roller derby, a full-contact sport played mostly by women, is seeing a resurgence in popularity after nearly 30 years on the bench. The women who play these days say the sport is both exciting and physically taxing, but a great way to make friends.

"We all have this common bond around skating," said Debbie "Booty Bumpher" Lockie, a member of the Angel City Derby Girls league. "You're not talking about shoes and shopping, you're talking about skates and skating and knee pads, and it's all about cheering each other on."

Roller derby takes place on a circuit track, and players score points by lapping members of the rival team. Five members of each team are on the floor at a time, battling counterclockwise for the next chance to score. Several roller leagues have formed in the Los Angeles area in the last few years, including the Angel City Derby Girls, the LA Derby Dolls, and most recently, the Long Beach Roller Derby.

The Angel City Derby Girls have over 30 members in their league, not including the "fresh meat," a number of girls new to the sport who are still learning and training.

The Angel City league is made up of three teams determined by skill level. The most skilled skaters make up the "A" team, 16 girls who call themselves the Hollywood Scarlets. The level "B" team, the Rocket Queens, currently has 11 members, and the "C" team, or Cosmonauts, has seven.

But becoming a true roller derby player means more than learning the rules and gaining the skating skills - it means choosing a derby name.

"It's kind of hard to pick a name," said Jennifer "Breakfast" McCoy. "The vets normally pick it out for us."

Derby names are sometimes derived from the players' real names, and at other times from pure imagination. Rebecca Nowell's derby name is "Reno Revolver."

"It's kind of a play on my first and last names, R-E and N-O, and I have a revolver tattoo," she explained.

Another member, Martine "Tiggy Smalls" Tendler, said her name was derived from a nickname. "People used to call me 'Martiggles,' and that got shortened to 'Tiggles.' 'Tiggy Smalls' sounds kind of like 'Biggie Smalls,' so it's kind of a play on words," she said.

Roller derby is popular among women of all ages. Lockie and a long-time friend started playing after a meet-and-greet in January; they are in their early 40s. "We decided to do this kind of later in our life," said Lockie. "I wanted a hobby of my own, separate from my husband."

"I had so much fun getting back on skates," said Lockie. "I haven't been on them since I was a teenager, and it came back right away."

Tendler said she joined because it suited her aggressive personality. "I used to be really scrappy as a kid, pick fights with people for no reason," she said. "I figured I needed an outlet for it, so low and behold: roller derby.

The women agree that the recent movie "Whip It" starring Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore has shined a light on the roller derby community. Lockie said the movie helped people who didn't know much about the sport now better appreciate it. "Whenever I bring up [that] I'm in a roller derby a lot of guys are like, 'oh wow!' because [they] are aware that it is full contact."

For those who may remember the sport from times past, the movie helped bring them up to date, showing them how the sport has evolved. "When my parents found out I was doing [roller derby] they were like, 'oh is it like what we used to watch on TV when we were younger?'" said Tendler. "But it's kind of different than that. It's more modern."

For many of the women, the sport is more than a hobby. "I've made some really great friends," said Tendler. "It's the best way to make friends and get in shape."

Frequent injuries, however, are also a reality of the sport, and players are quick to warn prospective team members. "It's funny," said Lockie, who was sitting on the sidelines due to injury, "you get injured, but you love it so much and you want to get better so you can get back out there."

The sheer amount of physical effort required for the sport may also come as a surprise to newcomers.

"By all means, make sure you are prepared for the hard work you're going to put into it," said Tendler. "I've never done a full-contact sport, so for me to come into this not knowing what to expect could have been bad, but it's been really cool."