Nine years before Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page and Kristen Wiig decided to Whip It on the big screen and bring the re-birth of the roller derby to the attention of viewers, the underground roller derby scene was already alive and kicking in LA.

I caught my first L.A. Derby Dolls match in 2007. Since then, it seems a void in my life has been filled. Considering we don’t have a local NFL team to cheer on, the L.A. Derby Dolls provide an appropriate forum through which I can satiate my thirst for full contact sport spectating. The best type of roller derby matches are those played on banked tracks.

I don’t condone the use of flat tracks, but I can still appreciate the fact that these are not scripted and the players really get down and dirty with the rough housing.These derby girls are so bad ass they built their own track! They practice 4 times a week and they compete in matches on the weekends.

If you hate your job and are wondering what the salary of a roller derby girl is, don’t quit your day job just yet, because these girls don’t get paid a penny!

They do it all gratis for the pure love of the game.

Check out some L.A. Derby Doll matches and decide which team you’ll be a fan of. Will it be the Fight Crew, the Tough Cookies, the Sirens or the Varsity Brawlers? The players have rad names and there’s so much pushing and shoving you’ll think  you’re at a Black Friday sale!

Here’s a schedule of the upcoming 2012 season.