A visit with the Burn City Rollers as they get ready for their next bout. Just click on the button below to listen or check us out on iTunes!
Photo by Sydney Fagen
The roller skating rink in Phenix City is not well-marked.
The night that I visited the Burn City Rollers in one of their two practice homes, I had to resort to calling a friend who is familiar with the area to talk me through directions where my GPS failed. I was more than a half hour late when I walked into the dimly lit room where about a dozen women were practicing drills. That’s when I knew how serious they are about roller derby.
The Burn City Rollers practice off hours in out of the way locations. They’ve raised money at a local burger joint and washed cars, but still fund most of what they do out of their own pockets. They’ve posted flyers in bathrooms to get word out about the team and work Facebook for all its worth to get word out about their bouts. And, let’s face it, skating fast around the track is tough work, especially when you’re facing another team determined to slow you down.
With derby names like 9lb Hammer, Amyn Atcha, and Cho Cold, it’s clear derby is fun for them and it should be, but it’s hard work too, both on and off the track. Your next chance to see for yourself is in Auburn where the roller rink is, I’m happy to say, clearly marked.
The Burn City Rollers host Mobile Roller Derby for Roller Derby Mayhem on Saturday, May 22 at The Skate Center in Auburn (1221 Commerce Drive). Tickets are $5 at the door. Doors open at 4 p.m., the bout starts at 4:30 p.m. Bring a folding chair to sit on the sidelines or a pillow to sit in the “Suicide Circle.”
– Kelly Walker
