Texas Lonestar Rollergirls: Banked Track Roller Derby

Roller Derby, Texas-style Founded in 2001 in Austin,Texas by She-EOs Anya Jack, April Herman, Heather Burdick and Nancy Lynn, TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls was started with a vision of outrageous production value and fabulous women on skates. The Lonestar Rollergirls are local favorite daughters as well as a hearty entertainment staple, perfectly blending the "Keep Austin Weird" attitude with a free-wheeling pursuit of fun and competition, with rocking local music thrown in for good measure.

High Impact Primarily composed of women between the ages of 21 and 40+, the Lonestar Rollergirls embody a "do-it-yourself" attitude, pooling their resources and varied skill sets to keep their league up and rolling. With 10+ committees and an elected governing body, these women have fought to build their organization from the ground up, never taking an official loan and keeping the majority of league responsibilities in-house. The same work ethic continues to pervade the league today, as the rollergirls look to the future and plot the course for where the next five years will take them. Their plans are big and their dreams even bigger, and there is no doubt that these women will continue to impact Austin, and beyond, in a serious way.

Teams We currently have five teams: The Hellcats (50's-style vixens who love their hotrods and switchblades), The Putas Del Fuego (Cholas with a taste for blood and tequila), The Holy Rollers (the baddest bullies in the Sacred Heart schoolyard), The Rhinestone Cowgirls (Texas fillies that offer up the best in country-fried violence), and the Cherry Bombs (ruthless Rock 'n' Roll misfits run amuck).

The History The Lonestar Rollergirls' first public bout was seen by approximately 400 spectators. By season's end, crowd attendance had reached 1,300, with hundreds having to be turned away at the door. Now, as the 80-member skater-owned and operated league hits its fifth anniversary, the sport of roller derby has grown in incredible leaps and bounds, as has the amount of involvement that each skater puts into this business.

In 2003, TXRD purchased an original roller derby banked track, making them the first all-girl league to ever skate on a banked track. TXRD has sparked a roller derby revival and can be directly connected to new leagues springing up in cities around the world, from the Cayman Islands, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

The Word is Out Local and national media have taken notice of the women of TXRD, recognizing that this group of women truly is unique. Media Coverage includes: The Chicago Tribune, The Austin American Statesman, The Austin Chronicle, Austin Monthly, Austin Fit Magazine, Bust Magazine, Drill Magazine, Loaded, Playboy, Rank and Review, SPIN, Texas Highways Magazine, IN Magazine, Austin Music Network (AMN), National Public Radio (NPR), KLBJ Radio, 101X Radio, Mega 93.3 Radio, KAOS 95.9 Radio, KVRX Radio, KOOP Radio, Comedy Central's Insomniac with Dave Attell.

TXRD is also featured in three music videos, as well as a documentary being filmed by Bob Ray and Werner Campbell of Crashcam Films. The documentary, titled "Hell On Wheels," tells the story of a group of women who create a high-octane rock and roll-fueled, all-girl roller derby league from the ground up. The film follows the women through the planning stages, fundraising rock shows, grueling practices and, ultimately, up to their first bone-breaking, smashingly successful first season and beyond.

In 2006, the Lonestar Rollergirls were featured in a 13-episode television series on A&E titled "Rollergirls." This opportunity helped spread the new derby to households across the nation and the world, and renewed the excitement for banked track roller derby that many viewers recalled from decades ago. That same year, the Lonestar Rollergirls had the chance to skate in larger venues across Austin, including the Austin Convention Center in Downtown Austin.

The LonestarRollergirls also have participated in the first two interstate banked tracked derby bouts for the new all-girl leagues. In 2005, the league hosted the Renegade Rollergirls from Arizona, and then in 2006, the LA Derby Dolls from California. We look forward to many more cross-country matchups in the near future!

The Best Fans in the World The fans that attend our bouts range from white-collar professionals and soccer moms with kids in tow, to bikers and mohawked rockers. The largest majority of or fan base is from 21-35 years of age, with an emphasis on things alternative when it comes to music and entertainment. Much of our audience is comprised of those who spend a large amount of time in Austin's entertainment districts. But again, because of roller derby's past glory, it appeals to many who grew up watching it on TV.

TXRD Loves Its Community The women of TXRD volunteer their time and make special appearances at many benefits and events to raise money for local charities. Recent events have benefited New Horizons, an Austin-area shelter for mentally and physically abused children, The Austin Human Society and The David Powell Health Clinic for uninsured and underinsured HIV+/AIDS patients.

Derby Slang

Thunderdome: Where people go for roller derby mayhem and madness.

Getting railed: when a skater rams another skater up onto the outer track rail

Give a whip: An assist move in which a skater extends her arm and whips her jammer around the track, propelling her with momentum and quite possibly taking out unsuspecting blockers in her path.

T-stop: dragging the back skate perpendicular to the front skate.

Track Rash or Masonite Burn: Stinging, red streak across buttocks and/or legs resulting from too-short-skirts/pants/shorts and exposed skin hitting the banked track. Accompanied by painful skin-sticking-to-masonite board sound.

Fishnet Burn: Similar to masonite burn, but an attractive, semi-permanent fish-scale pattern, resulting from falling while wearing fishnet stockings.

Over the top: Overhand cheat move in arm wrestling.

Take that bitch down: A call to jump the jammer and stop her any way possible.

Take downs: The semi-legal version of "take that bitch down."

Over the rail: Pushing a skater over the barrier rail onto the floor.

Seymour: Lux's pet hematoma.

2 lap duel: Two skaters, two laps, anything goes...

Spank Alley: Where you go when you've been bad.

Pack em up!: Fight yell by Ref Masterblader before jam.

Clothesline: Straight arm block against a jammer's throat.

Headlock: Good "take that bitch down" move, and legal if hand is open.

Red Rover: Effective block by two skaters with linked arms.

Cannonball: Deliberate fall to trip several skaters on the opposing team at once.

Solid: A great compliment about a skater's stability and toughness. "She's solid."

Cutting the track: Crossing the infield to rejoin the pack after you fall.

Clawing: A jammer pulling her way through a tough pack.

Riding the lip: One skate on, one skate off the track - now illegal.

Catching the lip: Can rip your skate off, or break your ankle in half.

Striding the Track: The best way to skate around the banked track to build up the most speed (three strides on the straightaways, two on the corners).

Pushing to the inside: When a desperate blocker pushes opponents onto the concrete infield.

Snake Drill: A practice drill in which all skaters skate single-file around the track, while a single jammer weaves through the entire line from back to front.

Stich 'N Bitch: Team meeting where members get together to drink beer, work on uniforms, strategize, and basically ... well, bitch.

She-E-Os: Founders of Texas-style roller derby: Anya Jack, April Herman, Heather Burdick and Nancy Lynn.

Purple Heart Award: Awarded to the most heinous injury of the year, usually taken home by recipient of a broken bone.