Looking for a break from wine tastings and book club get-togethers? Feed your wild side with a trip downtown to watch a few of your North Shore neighbors on wheels with the Windy City Rollers.
The popular girls-on-wheels sport was first coined “roller derby” by the Chicago Tribune back in 1922. Four teams make up the Windy City Rollers–Hell’s Belles, The Fury, Manic Attackers and the Double-Crossers.
The bouts–held at the UIC Pavilion–are raucous, but surprisingly family-friendly–you’ll come across much harsher language at a Cubs game. The events are well-attended, the National Anthem is played on an electric guitar, and the cheerleaders are….really interesting.
Think you could spot a derby girl in a crowd? Think again–it could be the person in line next to you at the grocery store. The Windy City Rollers have a strong North Shore connection, with two skaters from Northbrook and one from Wilmette. Make It Better caught up with Dinah Party, Donna Party and Red Zeppelin:
Dinah Party (aka Erin Karson, Northbrook):
1. What’s a nice girl like you doing in the roller derby?
I’m not a ‘nice’ girl, but I fell into the category of young women who did chorus, figure skating, synchronized swimming, and joined a sorority. I was always athletic and derby fit into a space in my life I was looking to fill.
2. How did you first become involved with the league?
My older sister began skating with Windy City while I was in graduate school. After graduation, I relocated to New York where I tried out and made the Gotham Girls Roller Derby. After 2 years, I decided to return home to Chicago and I am beginning my third year as a skater here in Chicago. I competitively figure skated for a number of years so skating was a natural ability.
3. Tell the truth — Who gave you your skating name? What’s the story behind it?
When deciding upon a name, I knew I wanted to be Dinah ____ but I wasn’t sure. My older sister approached me about sharing the same last name for derby because it would be fun, especially since we skated (at the time) on rival leagues. There are a few pairings of sisters or mothers/daughters in the skating world, and very few of them share a common name. We felt it was better to share a name, plus it’s fun for our family to watch the ‘Block Party’ in action. I chose Dinah Party ultimately because it fit in with my “not so nice” sorority girl partying behavior.
Donna Party (aka Mariah Karson, Northbrook)
1.What’s a nice girl like you doing in the roller derby?
I am not that nice.
2. How did you first become involved with the league?
I first found out about WCR right after the league formed, went to the first game as a spectator and immediately thought “oh my god I HAVE to do this.” I bought roller skates and practiced with some friends that were also trying out, and waited until the league had tryouts.
There were about 80 girls who tried out that year, and luckily my friends and I all made it onto the league. I ice skated as a child, nothing more than the annual skating show with sequins and such, and roller bladed a ton in junior high and high school.
3. Tell the truth — Who gave you your skating name? What’s the story behind it?
I think (my friend and I) both saw Donna Party on a website for Garbage Pail Kids that were never made, called each other, and both had the same answer.
“Donna Party” presupposes a certain level of cultural literacy- the Donner Party was a group of settlers that left Springfield, IL in 1846 bound for California, only to get stuck in the snow in the Sierra Nevadas and resort to cannibalism for survival. My number is 1847 because that is the year most of the cannibalism occurred, and the year that the survivors made it to California.
Red Zeppelin (aka Christie Stevens, Wilmette):
1. What’s a nice girl like you doing in the roller derby?
I blame it all on my friend/roommate at the time – Go-Go Hatchet. She brought me out to “learn to skate” at some of the local rinks, in fact we skated at the Playdium in Glenview for a couple weeks. Then, somehow she persuaded me to “try on” some of the gear. And next thing I know I was suited up and ready for tryouts having no idea what to expect. I made the league and the rest is history.
2. How did you first become involved with the league?
I started from scratch, 3 years ago when I made the league I had only skated for about 3 weeks before tryouts.
3. Tell the truth — Who gave you your skating name? What’s the story behind it?
From Go-Go Hatchett. She knew I loved Led Zeppelin and really with the red hair, how could you go wrong with Red Zeppelin?
Photo credits: Action photo courtesy of Gil Leora, Dinah and Donna’s photos courtesy of Mariah Karson, and Red’s photo courtesy of Thia Penta
