Roller derby is about to hit Dunedin and it's no place for the faint-hearted.
The women-only, full-contact sport combines athleticism and strategy on eight wheels.
"It's a pretty unique sport.
"There's no other female sport like it that combines a dramatic theatrical element with a hard-core, hard-out sport," Dunedin fashion designer Charmaine "Little Yellow Jacket" Reveley said yesterday.
"It's full-on.
"You're hitting girls as hard as you can and trying to smash them to the ground.
"But there's a rule book a-quarter of an inch thick, so it's really all about strategy."
A roller derby "bout" is played over an hour on an oval track, the size of a basketball court, in two-minute races, called "jams".
Before taking the court, combatants don fishnet stockings, short skirts, pads and helmets and adopt funny alter egos.
"Nothing else encourages women to be fierce, athletic, competitive and tough as hell while looking like smoking-hot babes in booty shorts and fishnets," former Dunedin model Sam "Anne Thrax" Mitchell said.
"Roller derby is more than a sport; it's a sisterhood."
A group of 35 enthusiasts established Dunedin Derby at the Edgar Centre in March.
"I think the popularity of the sport is due to the mix of spectacle, speed and sex appeal," Ms Reveley said.
"It's huge overseas and has grown so much there are 20 leagues in New Zealand now."
Dunedin Derby is looking for women aged 18 and older who are keen to strap on some wheels and attitude and train for a new Dunedin league.
"We're looking for new girls ... to join the league in 2011," Ms Reveley smiled.
"But you've really got to train for about a year so you're up to speed for a bout.
"You have to be super fit."
