Decades of roller derby tradition collide with punk rock rebellion at Texas Roller Derby (TXRD). As the league prepares for its February tryouts on February 15 and 16, conventional notions of sports and gender are left in the dust.
A roller derby game, or bout, is a fast-paced scoring battle between two teams. Each team's designated scorer, called a jammer, earns points by lapping opposing players while skating counterclockwise. The rest of the team executes a tactical dance of offense and defense, simultaneously clearing paths and blocking opponents.
“There’s this misconception that it's really violent or it's really intense," says TXRD skater Ambitchous. (Derby names are a norm in this sport.) "TXRD does a lot of, like, showy things, and we try to make it entertaining, as much as it is a sport, and we're very athletic at the same time."
Although roller derby involves a lot of physical contact and falling — and players often dress up in intimidating-but-campy outfits — it's more about community.
"[Violence] is just a hard word for people to use, because it's really not and people in roller derby are some of the sweetest and most gentle people I know," says Ambitchous. "There are some really, truly kind and gentle souls who just like to skate and hit people sometimes, and it's a healthy outlet. Truly one of the nicest things my friends do to me is hit the sh*t out of me.”
At TXRD's tryouts, successful candidates will enter a three-month Roller Rookie program of twice-weekly practices and monthly evaluations. The league welcomes women, transgender, intersex, and gender-expansive participants, regardless of presentation — a stance that distinguishes it from many traditional sports organizations.
“I came out of retirement because I missed the community so much," says longtime skater with the league Beaux Dacious. "It is so eclectic, so inclusive. It doesn't matter your your age, your size, your orientation, how you identify. It's such a welcoming and warm space, more so than you would think. Because I think sometimes people hear roller derby and they think we're always tough and grumpy, but it’s such a warm, loving space, and one that I'm super proud to be part of.”
That welcoming culture extends beyond the track. The league is entirely skater-owned and operated, with athletes doubling as everything from marketing managers to apparel designers. TXRD has also garnered international attention, having helped train the cast of Whip It (2009) and been featured in Netflix's Home Game (2020) docuseries.
"If you are interested in Derby, and you've got the skills to get in, there's a whole built-in community there," says league skater Scrappy. "That's not the reason I joined, but it's one of the reasons I stayed. It's not even just camaraderie. You're not just skating, you're not just playing a sport in the way that you do in a lot of places. ... You're only really enemies or adversaries on game day. The whole leave it on the track concept is real, and it's because these are your business partners that you're skating against."
TXRD's high-energy matches unfold in its aptly named home venue in Buda, The Thunderdome (1131 S. Loop 4), where teams like the Putas del Fuego and Cherry Bombs battle it out. That sense of community often proves irresistible — it's not uncommon for skaters to first come to a bout as a fan, only to find themselves signing up for tryouts months later, drawn in by the sport's athleticism and fiercely supportive environment.
The Texas league's DIY approach and flair sparked a nationwide revival of the sport in the early 2000s, blending athleticism, theater, and entrepreneurship in a way few others do. TXRD embraces showmanship with unique elements like the infamous penalty wheel, where skaters might find themselves in an impromptu pillow fight or other theatrical challenge after minor infraction. The league's distinctive ruleset, which permits everything from throwing elbows to controlled fighting, adds to the spectacle.
"I had moved to Austin about two years ago, and I just wanted a cute little hobby," says Faye Tality, one of TXRD's newer members. "I wanted to learn how to skate, and then I just fell in love with the culture. I started taking classes, and I'm like, oh my god, this is something I really, really, really want to do, and I just got drug into it. The culture is so amazing. I just tripped into it."