FORT BENNING, Ga., (April 23, 2014) --�If you like to skate, enjoy camaraderie and physical fitness, look no further than roller derby. The Muscogee Roller Girls, a roller derby league, is looking for new members - no matter your skill level.
The team started in 2012 and their current season record is 1-1, said Alan Phillips, head referee.
"They lost more games than they won last year, but our team is progressing faster than most first or second teams are," he said. "We are ranked above some teams that have been around longer than us. Good coaches and good referees will get you there."
The first things you learn when you begin roller derby is stops and falls, Phillips said.
"That's the things they teach you in the first two to three weeks when you start to play," he said. The rest of the learning doesn't really take off until you learn those."
And movies like Whip It tend to overdramatize the sport, he said.
"A lot of the rules are rooted in fairness and safety so there are penalties for doing things that are unsafe," he said. "For instance, you wouldn't be able to clothesline somebody or you can't swing your forearms or rail somebody in the back and knock them over. There are legal rules ... and as long as you hit legally, you can hit as hard as you want."
Denielle Saucedo, a team member and military spouse, said she started out with very little knowledge of the sport.
"Last year when my husband was deployed, I found ... Muscogee Roller Girls and that was my getaway through his deployment," Jacqueline Vegafria said.
She started on the team in January of last year.
"The camaraderie is awesome," Saucedo said. "It's an awesome group of girls ... and we all come together on the track. It's something that's fun to do. We all have a passion for it."
Marie Burks, the NCOIC of behavioral health at MEDDAC, is not new to skating, but said it was a great way for Burks and her 5-year-old daughter, Isabella, to get involved because Isabella was interested in skating.
Even if you don't want to be a participant in roller derby, the team could always use volunteers or referees, Phillips said.
Member dues are $35 or if you referee, $20 a month, according to the MRG website. The team is open to women, 18 and older, but also men who want to volunteer or serve as referees. The team practices Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at Front Porch of the South.
Getting involved with the team gets you into the bouts for free, otherwise tickets are $10 and include drink and food vendors, as well as live music after the bout.
For more information and to get involved, visit www.muscogeerollergirls.com.
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