Fishnets, roller skates and bruises

Last weekend, I took a break from fake violence, to go see some sporting violence. (And women in daring outfits doing daring things on roller skates.) My girl and I were off to see the double header exhibition games as the Rat City Roller Girls from Seattle, The Sockit Wenches, faced off against the Brooklyn Bombshells and the Queens of Pain. If you've never gone to the roller derby or haven't seen one since you were a kid, you are as deficient in your lady type bad-assedry as I was.

Having immersed myself in staged violence now for some time, I'm always happy at a sporting event with genuine unchoreographed chaos involved. I watch a little football, a little hockey and the occasional bench clearing brawl on the diamond always is an interesting diversion at the ball park. However I started to notice something weird at the roller derby. Once I got past the tight uniforms, and fishnets on a lot of these women (what can I do - I'm a guy. I notice that stuff.) I noticed that despite the absolute brutal focus and application of physical force to each other, these women were able to fiercely compete without getting aggressive in the same way that men seem to.

There was a lady on the Sockit Wenches who was nigh-unstoppable. This woman is quite possibly the closest thing to an actual Valkyrie I'm ever likely to see. With her blonde braids trailing behind her, "Anya Heels" who rolled primarily as a blocker, prevented just about every attempt to pass by maneuvering her body in ways that would make a rhino blush. She was no waif, sure - in fact if Peterbilt Trucks was going to try and design a woman, it might look a little like "Anya Heels" - but that's not to suggest she wasn't one of the fastest, nimblest most brutally beautiful things I've ever seen. A hip check from her could knock a guy like me into next week, and she wasn't shy about using her strength. She was a major reason the Sockit Wenches defeated both Brooklyn Bombshells and Queens of Pain.

As a guy, I know that in a competitive arena, I'd be nothing but ultra testosterone-y about that. But these women who were grimly facing down each other during the match and getting slammed around were also so... I don't know... girly? When the game was over, there didn't seem to be any lingering bad vibes. They were having fun. It was a game. A tough game, full of bruises, breaks, and rough hits, but none of these women radiated the strange aura of male over-aggression that I see when men play violent sports. To be clear, I'm not surprised in the least that women are tough. I've known that since the earliest days of my childhood - I had good parenting. Women are tough, strong and can be every bit as powerful as men if not more so.

What surprised me was that women seem to be more capable of playing a violent game and then letting go of the violence. It's as if they were simply donning an aspect or displaying a single facet of themselves - one of intense violence - and then putting it down when it no longer was necessary or called for.

I think there's a powerful lesson there, so go check out the roller derby.

I also think I'm in love with the Queens of Pain.

If you don't care about any of the above and just want to see hot chicks on wheels, look no further.