Kyle Cassidy's Roller Derby Portraits

Chippewa Valley jammer Skeeter slips past a falling opponent. Yesterday involved all the local rollergirls (the house is filled with Moxie and various other not-local rollergirls) getting up really early and going to practice. I stayed home and worked on sorting photos, then we all headed down to the sports arena. Moxie did video interviews and I set up for more portraits. I set up a small studio as well as grabbing some one-offs. Then I photographed the bout. I’d only photographed one other roller derby game — the first one I saw a year ago. In the interim I’ve gotten interested in how I could have done it better — namely by using flashes and I’d been trying to figure out in my mind how they’d best work. I used two to cover half the track, one back light, and one key — this is the result. I’m thinking now that I could add a third and cover most of the area that I can see from one spot. The bout was exciting. Chippewa Valley won 110 to 76 but more exciting was that Stunt Double, Chippewa’s main jammer, proposed to her long time girlfriend, Arm & Slammer, on the track, doing a long baseball slide and ending up on one knee in front of Slammer, holding out a ring. Slammer said “yes” and the crowd went wild. At the after party the rollergirls taught me a move called “the can opener” which will be murder if anybody ever tries to get past me on the sidewalk. I also learned what the phrase “eating the baby” means, and a move called “Princess Thigh.” Today Lorraine leaves at 7:45 for the “hangover bout”, I get to lay in bed for another hour and then follow along. One more game and half a day of portraits and then I head back to philadelphia.

Chippewa Valley jammer Skeeter slips past a falling opponent.

Yesterday involved all the local rollergirls (the house is filled with Moxie and various other not-local rollergirls) getting up really early and going to practice. I stayed home and worked on sorting photos, then we all headed down to the sports arena. Moxie did video interviews and I set up for more portraits. I set up a small studio as well as grabbing some one-offs. Then I photographed the bout. I’d only photographed one other roller derby game — the first one I saw a year ago. In the interim I’ve gotten interested in how I could have done it better — namely by using flashes and I’d been trying to figure out in my mind how they’d best work. I used two to cover half the track, one back light, and one key — this is the result. I’m thinking now that I could add a third and cover most of the area that I can see from one spot.

The bout was exciting. Chippewa Valley won 110 to 76 but more exciting was that Stunt Double, Chippewa’s main jammer, proposed to her long time girlfriend, Arm & Slammer, on the track, doing a long baseball slide and ending up on one knee in front of Slammer, holding out a ring. Slammer said “yes” and the crowd went wild.

At the after party the rollergirls taught me a move called “the can opener” which will be murder if anybody ever tries to get past me on the sidewalk. I also learned what the phrase “eating the baby” means, and a move called “Princess Thigh.”

Today Lorraine leaves at 7:45 for the “hangover bout”, I get to lay in bed for another hour and then follow along. One more game and half a day of portraits and then I head back to philadelphia.

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