photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN
“HIT HER, MOM! HIT HER!” screamed a very young lady at a group of rapidly moving women at the Castine Center in Mandeville. There was no reason to panic, though. Mayhem ruled over the scene, but it was under control, as the Lethal Ladies of the Northshore Roller Derby League met the Crescent City Derby Devils in a Halloween match-up titled “Slamityville Horror.” Rising out of Depression-era marathon skating exhibitions in the late 1930s, roller derby gained great popularity—it was one of the first sports ever 68
Inside Northside
televised, in 1948. By the 1950s, professional leagues were developed; they never really took off, but never really disappeared, either. In the early 2000s, the sport saw a resurgence; all-female amateur leagues developed and are now found nationwide. Combining fitness and camaraderie with a style that could be described as Goth-punk meets pinup girl, the sport has found thousands of adherents who don helmets, wheels and fishnet stockings to battle it out with each other on the track, often as their kids cheer them on.