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closeSumner moms work together, play together
Dockyard Derby Dames of Pierce County tough it out on the rink
Roxanne Cooke
When Sumner resident Sarah Lynch tried out for the local roller derby league, she found her old roller skates gathering dust in her garage, left untouched since she was a speed skater as a teenager.
After 15 years of sitting on the shelf, the plastic on the wheels had oxidized and they no longer had traction. The bearings were rusted. The boots were too small.
Still, the 30-year-old financial analyst and mother of two put them on and gave roller derby a try.
“I feel like I’m 15 every time I lace them up,” Lynch said.
Piece by piece, she upgraded her old roller skates — her opponents could hear her coming with the squeaky bearings. Now she’s an accomplished “jammer,” the offensive scoring position for Pierce County’s Dockyard Derby Dames.
The league is made up of four teams: Marauding Mollys, Hellbound Homewreckers, Trampires and Femme Fianna. Roller derby is played on a track and consists of two 30-minute halves, which are composed of “jams” lasting up to two minutes.
During each jam, “the pack” of roller derby blockers and pivots work to prevent the opponent’s jammer from passing them by and try to make room for their own team’s jammer to get through, which is how points are scored.
It’s been a year and a half since Lynch began playing for the Hellbound Homewreckers under the name “Cookies,” and she loves the sport. Her speed skating skills have helped, she said, but she also had to learn about the aggressive side to the sport — and get over the anxiety that comes with dozens of girls on roller skates flying in her direction.
“We work hard,” she said. “We sweat.”
While some women in the league look tough, she said, it’s a great group from all walks of life — they range in age from 21 to 49, with varying degrees of skill.
As a financial analyst for Russell Investments in Tacoma and a mother of two girls, Lynch said balancing roller derby with work and home is challenging, but her daughters enjoy attending one of two practices each week
Plus, her girls just got their own skates and they’re already involved in theater and sports, too.
“The longer I can play ‘cool mom,’ the better,” Lynch said.
Melanie “Rita Beata Maid” Robinson is another well-rounded, fun mom from Sumner — she has a 7-year-old who trains with her sometimes on his own pair of wheels. She’s a blocker for the Femme Fianna, and this year is her first season.
Robinson, 28, was inspired by a bout she attended to get ideas for a Halloween costume.
“It was kind of addicting,” she said. “It blew me away.”
She and a friend tried out together, showing off a variety of skills and sitting down for an interview. All different skill levels try out, Robinson said. The league is more focused on commitment than skills and athleticism, which can be improved upon by practicing and playing the sport. The league is non-profit and run by the skaters themselves, so every woman must volunteer time in a committee role.
Robinson just has a casual background in skating, but soon after joining the league, she found she was developing plenty of new muscles.
“It’s pretty physical,” she said.
But falling, bumps and bruises are just part of the game, Robinson said. Knee pads, elbow pads, helmets, wrist guards and mouth guards are required. Though players can’t push opponents, they can do a number of “hits” to get them out of the way, such as a shoulder or hip strike.
When she’s not on skates as a blocker or a pivot leading the pack, Robinson is an administrative clerk for the city of Puyallup. She’s married to a husband who is supportive, and her 7-year-old enjoys coming to her games and practices.
“I don’t miss out on time with my family,” Robinson said.