This is the Jam

I went to my first roller derby Saturday night.  I don't know if it was the crowd, the company or the Pabst Blue Ribbon but it was So. Much. Fun. Seriously, it was just as lewd, rowdy and sweaty as I'd hoped. The bout at the Hangar (which is essentially just a huge warehouse with bleachers in the parking lot of Oaks Park) was between the Heartless Heathers and Guns n' Rollers. We happened to be sitting near two different sets of GNR friends and family so we decided to root for them. With names like Twat Rocket, Axl Blows and Blood Clottia, there was ample amusement between wipe outs.

Though I was too young to appreciate roller derby in its heyday, last years' Drew Barrymore flick, Whip It seems to have brought the psuedo-sport/subculture back in to the mainstream. And thanks to the movie, I was somewhat able to follow along but as with most sports, the strategy and nuance were not as easy to grasp without the feeding spoon of Hollywood. I'm still not completely sure what a "jam" is nor could I comprehend any of the referee's wild gesticulations but by the end of the night, I was able to understand the scoring at least. We were treated to an exciting bout too, the Heathers coming from behind to finally win in the last minutes. Oh, and if all the PBR and shouting wasn't enough, we even scored some complimentary bacon flavored condiments.  It was fun to contemplate the marketing plan behind free "Baconnaise" and why it would be distributed to a bunch of fiesty drunks.  If anyone has a theory, feel free to share. Here are a few bad cell phone shots for posterity: