Lafitte’s Ladies to Host Roller Derby Match this Saturday

Fresh meat.  Jammers.  Bouts.  If you are not immediately familiar with these terms, it’s likely because you’re not in the know on the sport known as roller derby.  You can get a refresher by watching Ellen Page in 2009’s “Whip It”, or you can get a crash course on the mechanics of the sport, here.

Either way you’ll want to educate yourself so you can be ready for this Saturday when our local roller derby team, The Gulf Coast Roller Girls, hosts a bout (competition) between their Lafitte’s Ladies against the Dallas Dirty Little Secret Service.

The match which will take place at 7 p.m. at the Grindhouse, located at 932 Enterprise Blvd Ste. C, Lake Charles, LA, will cost $12 at the door for adults, and $6 for children under ten; tickets can also be purchased before the event through Thursday at the Grindhouse for $10.  Those attending should remember to bring a chair, and the alcoholic beverage of their choice to the BYOB event.

Now that you know the mechanics of the game, and the specifics on the match, you’re ready for what fresh meat (newcomer to the sport), Dianna Waldroup describes as, “A full-contact, and crowd pleasing sport, that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat and wanting more. The hits will make you cringe and the jammers (the point scorer) will keep you on your toes by getting out of some pretty sticky situations.”

Though perhaps not well known as of yet in the area, the Lafitte’s Ladies, which are celebrating their second anniversary during this Saturday’s match, are becoming a force to be reckoned with in the roller-derby world, being ranked currently #8 out of over 30 teams in the southern United States.  Should they continue to be ranked in the top ten, they will compete in the Southern Belle Ringer being held in Mobile, AL.

On what attracted her to the sport Waldroup says, “I used to skate all the time at our local skating rink and loved it. I’ve never participated in a sport before, so choosing something that I used to have an interest in was a major factor.  I’ve never done anything like this before, so I thought it was about time to branch out into something new. “

For those interested in joining, after having watched the bout, Waldroup says, “Fresh Meat practice is open to anyone with any skill level. It’s held on Sundays at 4 p.m., at the Grindhouse.  If you’re interested in derby and don’t know how to skate, they’re willing to teach you how.”