The Dick Tater of South Side Roller Derby

by HiJackn' Jill
03/26/2010

As we stand chatting on a Monday night, her eyes keep returning to the skaters. She is anxious to start working on skills and drills with some Fresh Meat before the boot campers join in at 8 p.m. "Tell the boot campers to stay on the floor the entire time." she tells me, "If they do that, then they have potential."

Dick Tater, a.k.a., Brenda Holley Cooper, grew up locally and has been skating competitively for most of her life. She has competed in national-level skating and has been a member of U.S. Roller Sports since 1986. She holds the title of a world-class figure skater and has been coaching roller skating for over 25 years.

Her longtime friend, Jessica, known as Playa H8r, recalls Tater's early years of skating. "In 1992, we were skating together at the Almeda Skating Rink. She was a bit older than me, and I looked up to her. We were artistic roller skaters, which is the same thing that ice figure skaters do, but on roller skates. She was always the girl with the crazy programs and unique costumes, and she was known for her beautiful spins. One memory I have is at the 1993 regionals - she had this gorgeous blue and white dress, and she skated to a traditional waltz that cut into this crazy techno music. Only Brenda could pull something like that off," said Playa H8r.

While reading Roller Skating Association magazine in 2005, Tater saw that they were filming an A&E documentary about the TXRD Rollergirls. She searched the Internet and found out about the nearest league, Houston Roller Derby. At that time, Tater was teaching an an outdoor inline skaters group and an adult roller skating class. So as she began training for tryouts, more girls, including Playa H8r, joined her class to train for the HRD tryouts as well. When Tater tried out for HRD later that month, she said, they were reluctant to draft her to the league because since she was already a skating coach and she may not take well to the instruction of others.

Playa H8r said, "Brenda took to derby like a fish to water. I think she realized that she had found her calling. The next day, I received a phone call that I had not made their league, which I was fine with. Later I called Brenda cause I knew she would make it - she did so well at tryouts and was so excited to play roller derby. But she told me that she didn't make it either. I was shocked! She genuinely wanted to skate with them and at that time, had no intention of starting her own league. But from that point, South Side Girls were born."

So in March 2006, after getting the phone call saying that she would not be accepted into HRD, Brenda's training classes became "Roller Derby Boot Camp". By June 2006, she and the original boot campers, including Esther Conolly, thought up the name and concept for South Side Roller Derby. "I met Brenda at Roller Derby Boot Camp," said Esther, "I thought at that time, and I still think, she is the most amazing skater I have ever seen."

Over the last four years, many skaters have come and gone, but SSRD has grown to become a league of over 100 skaters and seven competitive teams. While the main focus is on SSRD teams competing against each other, travel teams also participate in several travel games every year, especially when trying to help out new leagues. The league encourages all of its skaters to participate in the areas of training, recruitment, public relations, events, artwork, business operations, and most exciting right now, building a banked track.

Tater and the other skaters of SSRD are currently building the 5th working banked track in the world in their newly-leased building in Texas City, with the first banked track bout being planned for April 2010. Within the next five years, Tater wants SSRD to buy a building as a permanent practice facility, and she also plans to transport the track to larger venues that hold more fans, such as Reliant arena. The goal would be to become like any other sport, with larger sponsors and more television advertisements and exposure.

"Tater is determined and passionate," says MoJo, who has been with South Side since October 2006. "She will not let anything get in the way of South Side's growth. We have had setbacks and disappointments along the way that would have forced many people to give up, but Tater is not a quitter. Her attitude got us where we are today, and her skills as a skater and a teacher have helped our girls become strong skillful skaters."

I asked Tater a few quick questions before she went back to instructing the skaters out on the floor:

HJ: What are your interests outside of derby?

DT: Fitness, nutrition, natural medicine, and my web design business, EyeAppealDesign. com.

HJ: What's your favorite thing about derby?

DT: The competition. That's why I started skating. I wanted to skate and wanted to compete and be great at it.

HJ: Do you have a favorite league/team/ player outside of SSRD?

DT: Renegade Roller Derby. They play by no rules. Anything goes, but it's not too crazy because they train for it.

HJ: What would you tell a girl who wants to play roller derby?

DT: Come to Roller Derby Boot Camp and you can learn everything you need to know. For more information, go to southsiderollerderby.com or if you have questions, find out more email us at info@southsiderolle rderby.com.

What is Roller Derby?

This is a question I get a lot. The simple answer: two teams on the track, four blockers, and one jammer per team. The jammer scores every time she legally passes an opposing player after she successfully gets through the first time.

Then the conversation usually continues as follows:

Curious person: “So you’re just trying to get your jammer through.”

Me: (with a grin)“Sometimes.”

Curious person: “Oh, so you’re trying to stop the other jammer.”

Me: “This is true too.”

Curious person: (a moment of silence)“So how do you do that?”

Me: “Exactly.”

This was my very train of thought when I first started Roller Derby. I immediately tried to compare, relate, and pull from other sports that I had played, and make it some how work with derby. I think that is the natural thing to do. “What is this like?” Softball? No. Volleyball? Nope. Basketball! Yes, picking and rolling, blocking, and maneuvering around opponents, it had to work. Unfortunately, it took me several hours of research to figure out that it would not. Why would nothing mesh?

Most obvious to me was the game set up. Roller Derby does not have a defensive and offensive side for each jam; both teams are always on offense and defense. Except in the rare instances when a jammer, or several blockers from one team, are in the penalty box. You are constantly switching between the two and you can actually be playing both of them at the same exact time. For instance, blocking an opposing jammer while whipping your jammer forward.

For spectators, this can be confusing. What looks like chaos out there is chaos. For every jam, you might see more than 10 “plays” happen. That’s in less than two minutes. We get no breaks in between plays to discuss our plan of attack. We have to be ready.

You walk out on the court, or field, in any other sport and you know your job. You know there are a finite number of things that will probably happen, and you know what your response should be.

In Derby, the dynamics of the pack are constantly shifting and your plans have to accommodate that shift. It’s constant motion and adjustments, shifting of goals and changing of targets. Switching from offense to defense.

Funny thing about Roller Derby is you might not have all of your players with you on the track to do what you need to do. They can be in the box or just somewhere flailing around on the floor. You have a plan of attack then you turn around and your entire team is “missing”. It is humorous to think about but not while you the only woman left standing.

Some may argue that there are many variables in every sport, which is true. Although I have never seen a pitcher turn around to check a runner at second, only to find his entire team is laying on the ground in left field unable to get up. Even then, he could stop the game and wait for them to get back into place. Time for decision-making is not a luxury we are allowed.

Roller Derby is new compared to most sports. It was around in the 70’s but was a completely different sport, I hear. This new revival started up several years ago. There is not a lot of history, documentation, and input on strategy in particular, openly available. Look up basketball, football or baseball plays. You get a list. Search for derby strategy and you won’t get much if anything. Trust me, I tried. Why is this? I know girls all over the country have great strategy and use it to the fullest. Then I spent many sleepless nights strategizing along with my teammates and understood…it’s theirs. That’s why. They want to keep it that way. This is their own creation, their baby. You don’t just give it away. That is what is so frustrating and amazing about this sport right now. We don’t have standard playbooks to reference right now because we are writing them.

So what is derby? I still don’t completely know. Two years ago I thought it was girls hitting each other and skating. One year ago I thought it was staying at the front of the pack and skating really fast. This year I finally realized there is no answer. It’s infinite, and there are no definitive answers yet for me. It’s being smart, or smarter than your opponent. Not being afraid to get hit or hurt. It’s making decisions, and trusting that they will be right. It’s your team trusting each other’s decisions.

I’m not sure what Roller Derby will mean to me next year but I look forward to every hit I take, and every sleepless night that gets me there.

Marlo # 3

"MobStars"

Meet the Muerta – Las Muertas Captain Frisky Bidness

By D-Vious

Many of the ladies who skate for South Side could be considered renaissance women – and Frisky Bidness certainly fits the bill. Off the track she’s known as Christian Sherrill, mother to 3 great kids, wife of 15 years (her husband is affectionately known as Muerta Mike by her team), and full time Hairstylist – a job she loves. But on the track she’s Frisky Bidness, first-year captain of the Las Muertas and a player to be reckoned with.

It was a fateful bout in April of 2009 that pulled her to the ranks. “I went to a bout and I saw those girls beating the shit out of each other and knew I must try this,” Sherrill recalls. She’s been in love with the game ever since. When she sat down to choose her name, she decided to go with personality: “I chose my name cuz I'm a little bit Frisky and a lot Bidness and I think it fits my personality very well.”

What do you love about playing Roller Derby?

I love knocking bitches around and getting knocked down. I love the team and how they have your back through anything, even if it’s not derby. I have made some friends I will have forever and bonded with some I would have never thought I could have because of derby.

How do you prepare your team for a game?

Practice hard and a lot! Psych myself out a little. On the way there I play some rock music as loud as I can so we’ll be ready to whoop some asses.

What is your biggest challenge as a team captain?

Building a great team has been my biggest challenge so far and teaching others the game of derby. It is a lot harder job then it looks! I just try to be there for the girls on my team; make them sweat and give them all I know.

What are some of the best qualities you see in your fellow derby girls?

My team is often the underdog we are not afraid to lose but love to win. We work very hard for everything we want and need as a team. We are the best dead girls you'll ever find.

Rolling around with South Side Roller Derby’s *Riot*

By: Mimi Malicious

Sara Sellers, 21, of Webster, is a college student that also answers to an affectionate, rebellious scream of “*Riot*”. One of the 1st tasks as a newly recruited skater with South Side Roller Derby is to create a skate name. When I asked Sara how she came up with her skate name, she answered, “My parents used to always tell me, ‘you’re such a riot’ and so it just seemed like the right name”.

Sellers, who has been a skater with South Side Roller Derby since 2007, is the Captain of one of South Side’s newest teams, The Gun Bunnies. In games, *Riot* is usually the jammer – which means she’s a point scorer.

Sara started doing roller derby when her brother’s girl friend asked her to go skate with her. “I stuck with it and she left shortly after”, says Sellers. Participating in a roller derby league is a huge commitment physically and it’s time consuming. South Side team members have league wide practices three times per week and team practices once per week.

Here are a few more questions I asked *Riot*:

What do you love about roller derby? “I love how you can take all of your daily anger and frustration out on these girls and they all LOVE it! These are the coolest chicks I have ever met.”

How do you prepare your team for a game? “Good training, talking strategy… all that good stuff.”

What is your biggest challenge as a team captain? “Line ups! I hate line ups! I love my team so they make it easy for me. Oh, and I also hate drafts.”

What are some of the best qualities you see in your fellow derby girls? “Before derby, I never really had friends that were girls. I hate drama and it seems like we are all very similar girls…They are tough, yet sweet. Hilarious, yet serious at all the right times. I love how protective my girls are of me, and I am of them. Like I said earlier, they are the coolest bunch of chicks I have ever met.”