Roller derby gives girls permission to kick butt
Cats: movies|Ellen Page’s new flick Whip It transported me back to those Saturday afternoons when I watched Roller Derby on TV.
Anyone else remember Skinny Minnie Miller, the bad girl of roller derby. Actually they were all bad girls in roller derby and that is what made it so brilliant.
Roller Derby was a rock ‘em, sock ‘em, throw-em-into-the-boards contact-sport … for girls.
Back in the 70s, girls didn’t have a lot of opportunity for contact sports, so roller derby was it.
It was the Grand Pre Wrestling for girls. Skinny Minnie and Roller Derby broke all the rule on how girls and women were supposed to behave.
It showed them that girls were allowed to kick butt. And they never had to apologize.
Whip It was a fun movie but the memories it evoked were even better
October 9th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I was getting the same flashbacks just from reading about the movie in the paper. I always liked the knee pads myself.
October 11th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
This film does look like fun, I will have to check it out!
October 12th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Yes, yes, yes, I remember watching the roller derby girls in the ’70s. I was very athletic growing up, so it was enlightening to me that other girls felt as tough as I felt at the time.