Pittsburgh Roller Derby Undead team ready to lace up skates and get rolling

Roller Derby is back rolling again.

After more than a year outside the rink because of the pandemic, the Pittsburgh Roller Derby Undead team will have an intra-league bout at 5 p.m. Saturday at Neville Roller Drome on Neville Island.

The name “Undead” is a nod to the zombies from Pittsburgh made popular by George Romero’s film “Night of the Living Dead.”

“It has been great to be back together and see people again,” said team member Nancy Donnelly of Allison Park, whose roller derby name is Kace O. DaMondaze. “We’ve all been itching to get back to the contact aspect of the sport. The bout will be us versus us.”

The team was formed in 2019. It is an all-gender and inclusive squad.

“We have some new players, but most of us bring experience from various leagues,” Donnelly said.

Roller derby has five players on each team who compete at a time — four blockers and what is called a jammer. There are two 30-minute periods. Skaters try to block opponents so their jammer can pass by multiple times and score points. It is a contact sport. Players are required to block within the rules or they will be penalized.

Donnelly said when they initially returned to practice, they began with non-contact workouts, doing drills and concentrating on footwork to safely distance. Recently, they’ve been able to incorporate contact back into their training.

They practice most Mondays and Sundays.

They wear roller skates that are lower on the ankle and a helmet, wrist guards, knee and elbow pads and a mouthguard.

“I like the adrenaline rush,” Donnelly said. “I also like to keep active, and roller derby is great for that. The sport is intriguing to me. We are always recruiting new members.”

Courtesy of Paulette Reinke

In Roller Derby the player in the jammer position (right) wears a star on the helmet.

The bout tomorrow will be an open scrimmage and anyone can play, she said. They are open to competing against other teams on an unofficial basis.

This team’s ages range from 18 to 50.

Spectators are invited. The cost is $10.

The team hopes to become affiliated with the Men’s Roller Derby Association, the governing body of men’s flat-track roller derby. Flat track was developed in early 2000.

The updated form of the sport is played on a flat surface, which can be more easily set up at venues like roller rinks, arenas and gymnasiums.

It can also be played on a banked track, which is raised and angled.

“Unlike other sports, you are playing offense and defense at the same time,” she said. “There is a lot of strategy. You have to be powerful to get through blocks and fast and it takes some dexterity and brute force – legally.”