Women constantly combat the ever-so-tiring contradiction of whether they are strong or beautiful and a new sport that is hitting Laramie seems to unite the two stereotypes - a sport that is not for the faint of heart.

The new sport smashing the local rink is women’s roller derby. This sport combines beautiful women, endless physical strength and roller skates. The idea for a roller derby team seemed to occur over night at the beginning of last month.

“I randomly woke up in the middle of the night with a name for a roller derby team in my head,” founder and graduate student Jennifer Dunn said. “I talked to a few other girls about it and they all were really excited to be on the Naughty Pines Roller Derby Team.”

The initial handful of women who were interested in joining went to the local rink to brush the dust off of their skates.

“After an hour of skating everyone became more motivated and serious about the team,” Dunn said. “I was so surprised to see the confidence roller derby gave these women.”

Within weeks the Naughty Pines had recruited over a dozen women.

“Once we had enough girls to make a team, I went out and got close to a thousand dollars in sponsorships and donations for pads and helmets,” Dunn said.

Even though the team has received donations, they are still a non-profit organization. The Naughty Pines want to make a positive difference in the Laramie community; teaming up with the Laramie Downtown Clinic in order to give back to the public.

The Laramie Downtown Clinic is a non-profit group that provides health care for people who otherwise could not afford insurance or coverage. The group is volunteered based and is committed to their mission of helping lower income families.

The volunteers assist in giving patient care, serving as board members, and helping with fundraising.

“The organization’s tactics for helping people are a bit more traditional than smashing into girls on rink. But hey, everyone goes about charity in their own way,” Dunn said.

Working in collaboration with the clinic has played an important role in the team’s recent success. The Naughty Pines team has really started to take off and they continue to excel at each practice.

A practice consists of teaching girls how to skate and the rules of roller derby. But for many, this sport is like none they have ever encountered before. To understand the basics of this sport, one should imagine a hockey game.

Like hockey, the game is played by teams of two, but replace the ice with a roller rink. Change out the heavy pads and oversized jerseys for tank tops and fishnet stockings.

Roller derby has rules of its own, aside from the similarities it shares with hockey. The game that is played is referred to as a bout.

Each team can have five girls on the rink at a time during a bout. There are three main positions: a jammer, blocker and pivot, who attempts to knock down their challengers in order for their teammate to get through the mass of girls.

The one skater that can score, called a jammer, must get through the pack of skaters and pass everyone on the other team. If she is not successful, no points are scored.

Roller derby skaters find themselves simultaneously playing offense and defense as they skate around the track.

Understanding the rules of a bout is only the first stepping stone for the Laramie team. The Naughty Pines are trying to become the first official roller derby team in Wyoming.

In order to accomplish this goal, the team must be acknowledged by the national Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. The requirements consist of having an all-female team, certain number of memberships and the team must play majority of their public bouts as a flat track derby team.

The Naughty Pines are hoping to meet the goal by hosting a bout here in Laramie.

The bout will take place April 25 at the Laramie Community Ice Arena when the Naughty Pines square off against the Wreckin Roller Rebels of Colorado.

The bout is not the only form of entertainment that will be taking place that evening.

The sounds of an edgy New York rock band, The Giraffes, will give the event even more attitude. In addition, fire jugglers named the “Fire Flies” will be entertaining the crowd.

The Naughty Pines have a few short months until the bout. The team is still seeking new athletes, volunteers, and sponsorship.

The Naughty Pines invites any woman to come and try her hand at roller derby if she wants to have a heart racing experience.

Even though the team is all female, men are not left out. Men are encouraged to participate in roller derby by assisting in medical duties and referring bouts.

If you are interested in being a part of the Naughty Pines roller derby team or want more information, contact Jennifer Dunn a This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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