Portneuf Valley Bruisers: Roller derby 'hell on wheels'

TWIN FALLS (AP) - Many of them are wives and mothers with full-time day jobs. They're some of the nicest women you'd ever want to meet.

But put them in a pair of skates, and you'll see the living embodiment of "hell on wheels."

"I'm not aggressive by nature, but playing physical was appealing to me," Sandy Mecham said.

Mecham, of Idaho Falls, also is known as player No. 212, "Boss Mare." She is a blocker for the Portneuf Valley Bruisers, a Division 3 roller derby team based in Pocatello. Many of the players, such as Mecham, come from throughout eastern Idaho, including Idaho Falls and Blackfoot.

Mecham was into sports while growing up, although she did know how to skate. It wasn't until well into adulthood that she toyed with the idea of joining a sport. Roller derby called to her.

"It just seemed like a perfect fit. I could use my size and strength to my advantage," Mecham said.

At 5 feet 10 inches tall, she towers above most of her teammates before she even puts on her skates. While roller derby isn't just about beating people up, it is a full-contact sport, Mecham said.

The rules are simple. Each team has five members: a jammer, three blockers and a pivot.

The pivots and blockers from two opposing teams band together on an oval track to form a single pack. The jammer has to muscle her way out of the back of the pack and lap it. The jammer scores a point for each opposing team member she passes outside of the pack.

Blockers, of course, try to block the jammer. But there are strict rules about what kind of contact they can use with their bodies. Tripping someone, for example, or using any part of the arm below the elbow are illegal and will result in penalties.

Games are broken up into two periods of 30 minutes and further into two-minute "jams." The team with the most points wins.

"I don't think sitting on the sidelines you realize how much endurance it takes," Emilee Harris of Idaho Falls said. "It's very empowering."

Harris is also known as player No. L7, "Assault E. Hag."

"I think, as an adult female, there's not (a lot of sports to participate in) but running and tennis," she said. "(Roller derby) looked so much fun. I came to games and wanted to try it."

Harris joined the Bruisers in January 2014.

"I hadn't worn skates in years, so I was like a baby giraffe," she said.

Since then, the Bruisers have started hold a "Skate Camp" twice a year, the next one scheduled in August.

The camp runs once-a-week for six weeks. It offers those interested a chance to learn the basics of skating - and falling - to help reduce the chance of injury.

At the end of the six-week course, participants can decide if they want to join the team as novice players, known as "fresh meat." The Bruisers roster currently features three "fresh meat" players and 11 full members, but they would like to add more.

Many of the women said playing roller derby has brought out an aggressive, competitive side to them they never knew existed.

"It's not the kind of person I am. I don't like to get hurt or go fast," Pocatello resident Alyse Morgan said. "(But now) I like to go fast and hit hard. The stress relief is amazing.... It made me more conscious of decisions I make in life that affect the team, like working out instead of bingeing on junk food."

Morgan, No. 138, "Itza Trap,"was one of the founding members of the Bruisers in October 2010.

"We've really come a long way," she said. "We play against a lot of teams in higher league brackets (than us) and win about half the games. (I feel) in the last two or three seasons we're a real team."

But the best part about it is making new friends.

"The people ... are really amazing," Morgan said. "(They're) people from all walks of life. You make lasting friendships with people you have nothing else in common with."

For more information about the Portneuf Valley Bruisers and the upcoming skate camp, go to portneufvalleybruisers.org.

- Idaho Falls Post Register