On A Roll

The Liberty Belles are poised to win big at this year's derby.

by Holly Otterbein

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Last year, Philly did what Philly always does — it came in second to New York City. The occasion was the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Eastern Regionals, and the losers were the Liberty Belles, the travel team for the brazen, sexed-up Philly Roller Girls.

Now the Belles want revenge. To get it, they'll have to do well at this weekend's derby: Although they won't be battling NYC, this match helps determine whether or not they make it to November's national championships. Thankfully, player Vanessa Jackson — who goes by "Euro Thrash" on the track — has a good feeling about things.

Vanessa Jackson: Yes. We just got back from Maine and beat the Port Authorities 161-17.

CP: Why do you think you've been so successful this year?

VJ: I think losing to New York ... really gave us the inspiration we needed. They're like the villain that everyone loves to hate. After that, people kept saying "Philly doesn't know how good Philly is" and that we didn't have enough faith in ourselves, so we really stepped up our practices and closely studied the new rules.

CP: Who's your best player?

VJ: Persephone. She's not even human. She's bionic. A year ago she had a baby, and two months later she was back on skates and faster than ever, with a six-pack on top of that.

CP: You moved from a track in the Northeast to one closer to Center City. Have you gotten more fans because of it?

VJ: Oh, definitely. We sold out to crowds of 750 this year, which is easily double what we were getting last year. And a good fanbase like that helped us play better, too.

We're currently looking for a bigger venue, actually, because we turn a lot of people away at the door. Most big venues won't even talk to us, though, because they see us as being too fringe. We're hoping that the national championships, which will be here in Philly this year, will bring more attention to us and change that perception.

CP: At almost every game I've been to, someone has left in stretcher. Is that typical?

VJ: (Laughs.) Well, it's not unusual. But like I say to my mom to calm her down, this is a full-contact sport, and we don't have any more injuries than other full-contact sports, like football or hockey.

CP: Does that actually calm her down?

VJ: No, not really.

(holly.otterbein@citypaper.net)

East Coast Derby Extravaganza | Sat.-Sun., June 27-28, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., $15-$50, Sportsplex, 1331 O'Reilly Drive, Feasterville, phillyrollerderby.com