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Comfortably ensconced in fishnet stockings and several coats of makeup, Shandra Simpson swivels her head to make fully certain she isn't about to get cracked from behind. She continues on at a leisurely pace, cruising around the rink eyeing her next victim like a lion set to pounce on an antelope. Steadying herself for the obligatory confrontation, Simpson launches through the air with projectile precision, flooring her opponent in a cantankerous collision. The jolt rocks the very core of Simpson, who is dazed enough to be dreaming. But in her world this is reality. She is a roller girl.
Simpson is one of the newest members of Assassination City Roller Derby (ACRD), an all women's league gaining popularity in response to a nationwide resurgence following the 2006 release of "Rollergirls." The Frisco resident attended a bout after seeing an advertisement in her apartment guide. Convincing her mother and several co-workers to tag along, she found the strength and independence of the roller girls fascinating. Shorty after the encounter, Simpson began skating, secure in the knowledge that she couldn't let the opportunity pass by.
"I had to do it," said Simpson, who took lessons for a month before joining. "I got stars in my eyes."
The stars she is seeing these days may be a bit different, but Simpson, 30, would have it no other way. She will make her debut Sunday at Texas Skatium in Garland as one of 12 members of Viva La Revolucion, one of four teams in the league. Themed around the John F. Kennedy assassination and conspiracy, each team will be adorned in different outfits as they take the rink in an event dubbed "Four More Fears."
"It is a bona fide sport," said Simpson, who skates under the name Trigger Mortis. "You have to work really hard to be good at this, it's not just a bunch of girls beating each other up."
Simpson, who works in outside sales for a sign service, convinced two of her co-workers to give it a shot. Both will compete for Bombshell Brigade, Assassination City's newest team that features a real-life mortician who appropriately skates by the name X-Zoom.
"It's a bunch of girls that don't get along with girls," Simpson said. "It's kind of a release for them."
Brigette Vinson, who learned of the sport through Simpson, also skates for the Brigade under the name Absynthia. Vinson is a Little Elm resident who was drawn to the fast-paced, physically demanding sport that allows den mothers, hospital volunteers, and corporate professionals to unleash their inner drama queen that is usually tucked away.
"To any girl considering joining, I say go for it," said Vinson, whose husband, Rowdy, provides security at the bouts. "I'm glad I did. It's like being a mini-celebrity."
For others around the league, it serves as a complete escape from the passivity of everyday life.
"It's not the roller derby you remember from the '70's," said Courtney Murphy, who skates alongside Simpson on La Revolucion as Athena Monster. "It's super competitive and more fun than adults should be allowed to have on eight wheels."
The once can't-miss sport is gaining momentum around the nation. Simpson estimates that there are 40 to 50 roller derby leagues currently in existence. In the embryonic stages of rebirth, that number is expected to grow in the coming years. In the ACRD league, participants range in age from 23 to 45, but the Women's Flat Track Derby Association has a 56-year-old competitor.
"Everyone is dedicated to putting on the best show possible," Simpson said. "It's all about the fans. They're always going to get an eye full."
Literally speaking of course. Decked out in halter tops and hot pants, roller girls make sure all gazes are directed their way. Menacing monikers such as Choko Ono, Smackajawea, Psycho Anna Lies, Fairy Painful, June Meat-Cleaver and Waylon Anya complete the made-for-TV characters.
"I'm not a mean person, so I want people to be scared before they see me," Simpson said. "The guys want to meet the derby girls and the girls want to be the derby girls."
Each bout has three 20-minute periods, but because all four teams will participate on Sunday, only two will be played. Each team sends five girls onto the track, four of whom join together in a pack. The fifth girl acts as a running back, attempting to break through the opposing team's group. Every time the jammer laps one girl on the other team, a point is awarded.
"If you have more to love, it's good," Simpson said. "You can take up more track and hit harder. It's the first time being a bigger girl is a compliment."
To complete the larger-than-life performance, security guards dressed as secret agents, fully outfitted with sunglasses, suits and earpieces, make sure roller girls don't break out of the penalty box. As expected, plenty of penalties are assessed by the referees each bout. Hands and elbows are not allowed to be used, so participants must hurl their shoulder or backside into opponents.
"You take some hard falls, but it's pretty safe," Simpson said.
Take it from a woman who once smashed her head on the track, cracking her helmet in half. She bounced back up, suffering only from a minor headache.
"The girls are strong, mean and beautiful," said Simpson, in what would normally be considered a contradictory statement. "When you go home you feel like your day is now complete."
As if fans didn't roar their approval of the hard-hitting action often enough, cheerleaders root on the roller girls from the sideline. Unlike in other sports where pom-poms wave for a made basket or perfect pass, these cheerleaders jump up and down when girls hit the deck.
"People think we are mean and surly or just bad people, but what we do in the rink is just a persona," Simpson said. "There's not a mean bone in anyone's body - if there was, it might be broken."
