Jamming out with Nashville’s roller derby skaters

Nashville is home to a small, but mighty, roller derby community, which has both an adult women’s league and a junior league. Teams suit up with quad skates, pads, mouth guards and helmets and compete with each other in this full contact sport on wheels.

What makes this sport unique is its culture. Whereas most sports require uniformity, individuality is encouraged in roller derby. Skaters choose a derby name, which might be a tough or clever pun on their own name. They dress up for their matches, called bouts, with fishnets, tutus and makeup. And many individuals who didn’t fit in anywhere find community, and family with their team.

Guests:

• Cassidy Everhart, skater for Nashville Junior Roller Derby
• Bryan Dismore, parent and board member for Nashville Junior Roller Derby
• Lexxe Thiruvengadam, skater and head of marketing for Nashville Roller Derby, and coach for NJRD
• Ashley Obel, Nashville Roller Derby athletics director
• Ilanna Perkins, Nashville Roller Derby president