AUSTIN ORIGINALS

Austin-based Texas Roller Derby celebrates 25 years of punk power

Colonel Slamders (white helmet) of the Rhinestones and Mad Maxican (right) of the Hellcats battle through the pack during a Texas Roller Derby bout.

Photo by Brent LaVelle

Before Austin was a soccer town, it was a roller derby town. Texas Roller Derby will celebrate its 25th season on Saturday, July 11, by bringing its biggest regular-season showdown to the Travis County Expo Center, where defending champion Cherry Bombs will face the 2025 champion Rhinestones. This is the league's first bout at the Expo Center this season.

For 25 years, Texas Roller Derby has done things its own way. The banked-track league blends serious athletic competition with a punk-inspired DIY ethos, colorful derby personas, and theatrical flair, creating an experience that's equal parts athleticism and spectacle. Founded in 2001, TXRD is run by its skaters, who compete on six home teams — Cherry Bombs, Hellcats, Hired Gun$, Holy Rollers, Putas del Fuego, and Rhinestones — while helping operate every aspect of the organization.

A spokesperson for the team said they aren't planning a formal celebration, but this big match will be a great chance for old and new fans alike to come together with time to catch up and enjoy the playoffs and championships. The July 11 bout also features two of the league's most successful teams.

The Cherry Bombs enter as the reigning champions. The Rhinestones captured the league title in 2025.

Zara Problem, co-captain of the TXRD Cherry Bombs, faces an opponent during a Texas Roller Derby bout. The award-winning banked-track skater is known throughout the league for her explosive hits and leadership on the track.Photo by Brent LaVelle

Roller derby has earned its place in the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas, which describes the sport's scoring this way: blockers and jammers battle their way through the pack as teams fight to put their scorer in position. It's a game of both speed and elbows, where strategy can be just as important as brute force.

The league's founders knew they wanted to create something different. As founding skater La Muerta recalled in a 2007 interview with the Austin Chronicle, "We know we want it to be sporty, but we also know that it needs to have entertainment in it." Many of the founders were learning to skate as they built the league from the ground up.

That unlikely beginning quickly became part of Austin lore. The league's early years inspired the 2007 documentary Hell on Wheels, directed by Austin filmmaker Bob Ray, which chronicled the birth of Austin's roller derby movement and the personalities whose DIY spirit helped fuel the sport's modern revival. Austin's roller derby culture later reached movie audiences through Whip It, directed by Drew Barrymore and filmed largely in the city.

Their track names say it all. Skater personalities include Zara Problem, Mad Maxican, Colonel Slamders, Cannabish, Jose Queervo, Whorechata, Ninja Please, Milla Juke-a-Bitch, Gayle Force Winz, Toxic THOT Syndrome, and Blunt Force Trauma.

The unsurprising outcome to the Texas Roller Derby's 25th anniversary cake. Photo by Alex Sampson

Texas Roller Derby traces its roots to the group of Austin women who helped revive roller derby for a new generation. Following an early split in the original organization, TXRD continued as a banked-track league, preserving a style of play that has become increasingly rare while maintaining its skater-owned structure.

The July 11 showdown kicks off the league's stretch run. The regular season continues August 29 with Putas del Fuego versus Hellcats at the Travis County Expo Center before returning to the Thunderdome in Buda on September 26 for Holy Rollers versus Cherry Bombs. The playoffs are scheduled for October 17, with the season culminating in the Calvello Cup Championship on November 7 at the Travis County Expo Center.

On July 11, doors open at 5 pm. Tickets range from $30 to $45, plus fees, and can be purchased through the Texas Roller Derby website.

sports roller derby history

Movie Review

Stiff acting and earnest story turn Maddie's Secret to comedy gold

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

John Early in Maddie's Secret.

Comedian John Early is one of those “that guy” actors, having appeared in shows and movies like Broad City, Neighbors 2, Portlandia, Late Night, and Search Party without ever being the lead. So he’s taken it upon himself to give himself bigger exposure by writing, directing, and starring in the new film, Maddie’s Secret.

Early plays the titular female character who works as a dishwasher with her best friend Deena (Kate Berlant) at a food video content company called GourMaybe. When a homemade cooking video shot by her boyfriend Jake (Eric Cahill) goes viral, Maddie gets bumped up to on-camera talent, soon becoming the face of the company, much to the chagrin of rival Emily (Claudia O’Doherty).

With that added exposure comes more scrutiny in the form of online comments, many of which point out Maddie’s fuller figure and clear enjoyment of the food she makes. This criticism triggers Maddie’s bulimia, a condition she thought she had under control. Not wanting to lose her coveted spot, Maddie tries to keep her bulimia from everyone around her, something that becomes increasingly difficult to do.

If that sounds like an ABC afternoon special, that’s because that’s the vibe it seems like Early is going for. The film feels like a melodrama, with many of the actors speaking in unnatural cadences to make situations seem more intense than they actually are. That gives the film a natural comedic tilt, although Early makes sure to have everyone play their scenes straight, letting the ridiculousness of the story speak for itself.

Early playing a woman is oddly not part of the joke. According to him, the performance is not him doing drag, and he never plays the role in an over-the-top manner or like he’s making fun of the character. In fact, it’s striking how earnestly he inhabits Maddie, as if he truly was trying to get into the skin of a woman who found herself in such a situation. Anything funny that comes from him is just part of the progression of the story.

Setting the film in the world of food vlogging is the one area where Early seems to actively be going for jokes. Maddie and Emily come up with creations that seem reasonable and off-the-wall at the same time, like a Rotel dip made with French techniques. Characters also frequent real L.A. restaurants with punny names like Naughty Pie Nature, making fun of the food scene as much as they are exalting it.

Early definitely holds the viewer’s gaze in his first lead role, allowing Maddie to become a fully-realized character. His scenes with Berlant and Cahill make the film, as each of the supporting actors commit to their roles and elevate Early’s writing. Other standouts include Connor O’Malley as the boss at GourMaybe, Kirsten Johnston as Maddie’s mom, and Vanessa Bayer in a late-film cameo.

Because Early is not trying to make a full-on comedy, many may come away perplexed by Maddie’s Secret. But the film is clearly made with intention, giving a slight send-up of both 21st century food culture and a loving homage to the cheesy TV movies of the past.

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Maddie's Secret opens in select theaters on July 3.

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