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Athens Roller Derby Back in Action
By: August Knuth
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The Athens Ohio Roller Derby is back in action after their home opener Saturday.
Photo Courtesy: aord.org
The Appalachian Hell Betties hosted the Violet Femmes of West Virginia in their first home bout since July 15, 2017.
AORD started their season with a ten point loss (159-149), but skater Cassidi “Brass Hunkles” Hunkler said her first bout was everything she expected – and more.
“It was amazing, it’s an indescribable feeling,” she said. “All the hard work and practices, to see that payoff … it just resulted in a lot of pride.”
What is AORD?
AORD is an amatuer roller derby league comprised of women from Athens and the surrounding areas following the rules of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.
League Vice President Liz “Bruser Von Hammerstein” Hammer said the league is supported and run by community members.
“We all work in this community, we all live in this community, we all love this community…but we also all love to derby,” she said.
She said AORD prides itself on being an inclusive group.
“We take all genders, all body types, and we’ve really just become a big family,” she said.
Hunkler said AORD is one of the few opportunities for women to play an aggressive sport.
“I grew up playing a lot of sports, but my brother was a wrestler and football player,” she said. “Being very competitive, this is finally an opportunity for me to do these things that so many men are able to do their whole lives.”
They practice Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, mainly at Dow’s Rollarena in Nelsonville, though sometimes they’ll use Ohio University’s indoor tennis facilities.
History of AORD
AORD was started in October of 2010 by Jessica “Madam Kracka LA Whipski” Beckford.
They played their first bout in June 2012 defeating the Glass City Rollers of Toledo.
The minimum age limit is 18 years old, but there is no maximum age. AORD has seen people participate in their fifties and sixties.
In her fifth year of AORD, Hammer said they have come a long way.
“For our homecoming game last July, we had roughly 600 to 700 people show up,” she said. “We didn’t have a home game for up to four years at that point, so to see that many people there was amazing.”
Hammer said many of the nicknames that the members go by come from a “rite of passage.” Many choose their own nicknames once they figure out who they are as a player, and what fits their personality.
She personally chose “Bruser Von Hammerstein” because her last name is “Hammer” and her father always called tough women “bruisers.”
Photo Courtesy: AthensOhioRollerDerby Facebook Page.
Up Next For AORD
AORD will be hosting a “fresh meat” clinic Saturday, April 7th.
“Fresh meat” is what they call their newcomers, but Hammer said it’s not as scary as it sounds.
“This is a low commitment event,” she said. “We want people to come down, we have skates and all the equipment you can borrow.,” she said. “There is no skating experience required.”
This clinic is for people who are interested in joining AORD or wanting to learn how roller derby works.
The clinic will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 P.M. at Nelsonville Rollarena. It will cost $5 for admission and $2 for skate rentals.