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8 OUR YUCAIPA | APRIL 2014 OUR YUCAIPA | APRIL 2014 9 Have you heard of the Yuc-Town Rollin' Bombshells? Originally a different roller derby team in 2011 the Yuc-Town Rollin' Bombshells came to Yucaipa in May 2013. Yucaipa's only all women, full contact, flat track, roller derby team practices from 7 to 9 pm most Tuesdays and Thursdays at the 7th Street Park in Yucaipa. So what is roller derby? It's a fast-paced contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short match ups ("jams") in which both teams designate a scoring player (the "jammer") who scores points by lapping members of the other team. Teams attempt to assist their own jammer and stop the opposing jammer — in effect, playing both offense and defense simultaneously. While the sport has its origins in the banked-track roller skating marathons of the 1930s, Leo Seltzer and Damon Runyon are credited with the basic evolution of the sport to its initial competitive form. Professional roller derby quickly became popular; in 1940 more than five million spectators watched in about 50 US cities. In the ensuing decades, however, it predominantly became a form of sports entertainment where theatrical elements overshadowed athleticism. This gratuitous showmanship largely ended with the sport's contemporary grassroots revival in the first decade of the 21st century. Although some sports entertainment qualities such as player pseudonyms and colorful uniforms were kept, scripted bouts with predetermined winners were abandoned. Modern roller derby is an international sport dominated by all-female amateur teams, in addition to a growing number of male, co-ed, and junior roller derby teams, and was (as a roller sport) under consideration for the 2020 Olympics. Megan Tugel, the president and trainer of Yuc-Town Rollin' Bombshells has extensive knowledge of flat track roller derby. Megan's mother Denise Burton started playing for a team in San Bernardino in 2007 at the age of 32. The team eventually disbanded but not before Megan started playing in the junior roller derby league at the age of 12 and caught the bug. Right now the Bombshells consist of about 10 players. They are actively recruiting to get their roster to at least 14. Women travel from all over the Inland Empire to practice with them. There are currently five derby girls from Yucaipa on the team. All the players on the Bombshells also have awesome player names like Teflon Dawn, Booty Hunter, and Mama Beater and come from all walks of life. Megan helps run Simmons Offroad Repair but there is also a bounty hunter and an employee from Bed, Bath, and Beyond who play on the team. Roller derby girls come in all shapes and sizes. There are three different positions that are played and it is crucial to learn all the positions and then pick your favorite. There are the Blockers that do exactly what they sound like, block. There are the Pivots who act like the pace car on the track, and then there are the Jammers who score the points. By searching on YouTube under "Flat Track Roller Derby" you can find videos showing rules and strategies of the game. Without a full roster the women have not been able to schedule a real bout but have been scrimmaging teams from different cities. The roller derby season is usually March through November. The Bombshells are women over 18 but they offer a junior league for girls ages 10 to 17. They would also like to start a baby bombshells division for girls ages 5 to 9 to teach young girls the rules of roller derby without the contact. The city has cooperated with letting the Bombshells practice at 7th Street Park but with a full roster they would let them reserve the park. The Bombshells would also able to paint a track on the basketball courts at the park with the city's permission, provided they can raise enough money. On April 6, from 10 am to 3 pm they will be having a car wash in the 5th St. Marketplace parking lot located at 5th St. and Yucaipa Blvd. If you have any questions or are interested in joining the Yuc-Town Rollin' Bombshells you can e-mail Megan Tugel at ytrbombshells@gmail.com. They also offer one on one basic training. ~ By Stacey Parr, staceyimageup@yahoo.com; contact her if you have a unique Yucaipa-based story Yuc-Town Rollin' Bombshells: Lil' Miss Hell Kitten #333 Ballistic Bunny #348 DNye R' L8tr #45cal Tinker Brawl #81 Firecracker T #7 Booty Hunter #50 Teflon Dawn #57 Ballistic Bunny Jazzinator #69 JERKxican #3 Hell Kat #666 Sharkie #23 JAM-HER Sirena Roller Derby Gains Momentum

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