Tough Canyon Lakers love roller derby

BY Kelly Lopez

Canyon Laker Heidi Graff circles the oval as part of a recent roller derby scrimmage she and her sister-in-law, Lori Lewis, participated in. Both are members of the Wine City Rollers roller derby team. Photo by Chuck Gay

Participating in roller derby isn’t for the faint of heart. The sport is like playing football on roller skates. Canyon Lake sisters-in-law Lori Lewis and Heidi Graff are members of the Wine Town Rollers based out of Temecula. And much like those in the weekly television sport of the 1970s (remember the Los Angeles Thunderbirds?), these women do their best to knock the opponent off their skates as they lead a path for their teammate to get past the opponent.

When the nation is not on lockdown, Lori and Heidi and their team hold “bouts” throughout the year against other Women’s Flat Track Derby Association teams.

Heidi has been involved with Wine Town Rollers for almost five years and competes in bouts regularly.

“I love it!” Heidi said. “I always loved to skate as a kid.”

But, roller derby is much more than roller skating casually in the cul de sac. Larger players block the opponents while the fleet quicker players try not to get tumbleweeded of their skates to the track. Bruises and other injuries are common. Common enough that a required member of the team is a medic.

Heidi first participated in Roller Fitness, which was offered at Epic Entertainment, but when that was shut down, she felt a draw to roller derby, she said. At their most recent event in February, Heidi served as the team’s medic. Medics, coaches, referees and other “non-skating officials” are required at every event. When Heidi is not skating, she is a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Loma Linda.

Heidi and Lori both have roller derby nicknames, as do all who participate. Heidi is known as “Thistle Hurt Ya,” because of her love of gardening, and Lori, who is also involved in rodeo, is nicknamed “Furious Fillie.” These nicknames illustrate the physical nature of the sport.

Lori and Heidi both describe their roller derby team like an extended family.

“We’re kind of like a tribe,” Lori said. “We speak the same language.” Heidi was also drawn to the sport initially because, like her sister-in-law, she has always been athletic and she loved the tough, strong and confident image of roller derby skaters.

Heidi also loves the diversity of her roller derby league.

“The ages of those involved span from 18 through women in their mid-50s,” Heidi said. “And they are from all different walks of life…teachers, nurses, stay at home moms, etc.”

The sport, popularized in the 1970s, is making a comeback all around the country and the world.

Heidi Graff, with her sister-in-law Lori Lewis dress up as “Vampires” for the Zombies Versus Vampires Halloween Scrimmage Roller Derby Bout in October.

The first roller derby event took place in 1935 in Chicago, where skaters competed in a week-long endurance race circling an oval track. The sport eventually transformed into a full-body contact sport popularized later in the century. Roller derby lost its popularity over the next few decades, but was reinvented again in 2002 in Texas. Other states started creating teams and followed suit. California was one of the first states to join in where women started forming roller derby teams and competed against each other.

Wine Town Rollers is a member of the non-profit Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) league. The athletes skate on quad skates around a flat track, as opposed to the more expensive banked oval track of the televised derby leagues of the 1970s. A flat track allows skaters to have more control as they are skating. The traditional banked track allows for speed and momentum, but a flat track can be created easily and is much more commonly available. The action is plentiful.

Roller derby is very physically intense. Each bout consists of two teams of up to 15 players who compete against each other for two hard-hitting periods of 30 minutes each. Each team sends up five players at a time for two-minute “jams.” One player is designated “jammer” and the remaining four are blockers.

The jammer is the scorer and she begins behind the “pack” as both teams skate in circles on an oval flat track. The jammer must then somehow squeeze past and lap the opposing team’s blockers to score points. Obviously, the opposing team attempts to prevent the scoring by either obstructing her path or by knocking the jammer off her feet.

Normally, the league holds practice three times a week and holds bouts at least three or four times a year. The team tries to hold scrimmages as often as they can. Of course, practices and events have been cancelled through at least mid-May while stay-at-home orders prevail.

The league’s most recent event was the Valentine Crush Open Scrimmage on Feb. 1. The team encourages all local derby players to participate in its open scrimmages. In December, the team held Wine Town Roller’s 6th Annual Naughty Versus Nice bout. In October, they held Zombies Versus Vampires Halloween Scrimmage. The league tries to create themed events around holidays and seasons.

The next big event Lori and Heidi are looking forward to is RollerCon in Las Vegas. The event is planned for July and hopes are high that the event will still take place despite the current lockdown. RollerCon is not just for fans of roller derby, but is for everyone who loves to skate. Many events are planned and scheduled to entertain roller skaters of all levels. Lori and Heidi plan on attending RollerCon with many others from their Wine Town Rollers team.

Because the sport is so athletically and technically demanding, there are two classes that Wine Town Rollers offers to its members. Lori is currently finishing Skating 101, which teaches the basics of skating, stopping, turning and even falling.

Lori Lewis, in the photo above, poses during a recent practice.

After passing Skating 101, Derby 101 is the next class, which has an additional demanding prerequisite. Before starting the Derby 101 class, Lori and everyone who wants to continue must pass the 27/5 test. She will need to skate 27 laps in five minutes. After she passes that test, she can take Derby 101. That class teaches members how to hit opponents properly and effectively. Rules dictate players can only hit an opponent by using their hips and shoulders. The class also teaches players how to take a hit and how to skate in a pack.

Wine Town Rollers also has a junior roller derby league called “Juice Box Crushers” for roller skating boys and girls under age 18. For more information or to get involved in Wine Town Rollers or this junior league email media@winetownrollers.com.