The Blackwater Rollers huddle up by the rink, and eye their opponents. The Charlottesville team skates by in a tight pack. They’re a blur of fishnet stockings, booty shorts and teal jerseys bearing names like “Bruta Liza” and “SparKills.”
Founding member Britten King-Marshall dishes out last-minute advice. She’s short and feisty, a lethal combination in derby, but at six months pregnant, she is sidelined from the bout. ”Remember the No. 1 rule — if they’re in your way, move them out of your way,” King-Marshall says. ”And don’t wait for them to knock you out. Take ‘em out first.”
One year ago, the Lynchburg roller derby team was little more than a pipe dream. This is their first scrimmage: a showdown against the Charlottesville Derby Dames, the Star City Roller Girls (Roanoke) and the RockTown Rollers (Harrisonburg).
Read the full article by Liz Barry of The News and Advance, published October 4, 2009: www.americanchronicle.com/articles/yb/136067411.



