Film

I watched Drew Barrymore's "Whip It" again last night for my ethnography - it was very interesting to compare and contrast my first and second viewing of this film. With my research question in mind, I noticed a few more things this second time around and I felt that I was able to examine and critique it in a different way. I think I'll definitely be able to discuss a few elements of this movie in my ethnography. Is anyone else using film as a source for their paper?

Another update: my qualitative online survey is getting some great responses! I used surveymonkey to post my interview questions to the league to see what their thoughts were and people have been very receptive and amazing. They're even posting it to the larger WFTDA (Women's Flat-Track Derby Association) message board and to the professional and junior derby league here in Austin. So I'll definitely have some more great quotes to include (without any more transcribing...)

Ethnographic overview

Hey everybody - I had to leave early for a lecture the day we went over our paper overviews in class, so I wanted to post my bird's eye view of my ethnography and see if anyone had any additional suggestions! I hope everybody's drafts are going well - I'm hoping mine isn't going to be too much of a train wreck on Monday...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
From my personal experience with the readings this semester, I have particularly appreciated the writings that have very engaging introductions. Therefore, I will strive to start my ethnography off in a similar fashion, hopefully intriguing my readers and sustaining their interest. I would like to begin my paper with a personal account of my initial experiences and introduction to roller derby, along with a brief history and run-down of this sport – what is it exactly? How is the sport played? How did it start? How has it evolved and where is it now? From there I plan on utilizing my field-notes, interviews, and participant observation, to discuss the relationship between contemporary American feminism and roller derby. How do skaters perceive this dynamic? How do those outside the derby world interpret it? How has derby impacted the lives of these women skaters and their personal identities, self-esteem, and confidence? Through weaving in feminist theories and literature, I hope to connect my localized, personal experiences, observations, and interviews with larger, nation-wide issues of female identity and empowerment.

Finally, I intend on concluding my paper with a conversation regarding the potential and future of roller derby. For example, with the recent creation and expansion of “Derby Brats,” an Austin league for 8-17 year old skaters, how might this sport continue to influence future female generations? What can roller derby tell us about the future and direction of feminism? How does derby interact with contemporary American feminism? What spaces of possibility does this sport open up for women? How is roller derby growing and progressing from its original origins? Furthermore, how do I see my relationship with roller derby evolving and continuing? What reflections and conclusions have I personally drawn throughout my relationship with this recreational league?

Musing on feminism + roller derby

Throughout American history, I feel that definitions of "femininity" have limited the athleticism of women. Not very long ago, it was not commonly considered "proper" or attractive for most women to be so physical or "sporty." There are substantially more outlets nowadays but I still wonder how much the legacy of these definitions impact the minds of contemporary women.

Even today, I don't feel that most women's sports get nearly as much attention as men's sports. For example, a friend asked me the other day - "How many women basketball players do you know off the top of your head?" I honestly couldn't think of any - while I'm not the biggest basketball watcher, I definitely know quite a lot about the men's teams because I hear much more about them without even trying. So that's one of the unique things about derby - it's predominately an all women's sport and it's still drawing in an increasing amount of attention. There are men's leagues popping up again around the nation but I have a feeling that the original women's teams will maintain their popularity.

• Something I find very intriguing about roller derby - I believe that this sport pushes you to be a strong, powerful athlete as well as an an active participant in your personal definition of femininity. I think it's interesting that to a lot of outside viewers, roller derby has a very "butch" connotation attached to it. Roller derby girls definitely an encompass a wide range of sexualities, however I think this is intriguing because I feel that a lot of people consider it "butch" in a somewhat derisive way. As in, if these girls are so physical and athletic, they must be not "normal" women. I think this is connected to a lot of stereotypes about homosexuality as well but I'm not sure...this is an area that I'm interested in exploring some more.

I don't think that women can deny the power of outside influences - our definitions of our sexuality or our femininity are not built in a vacuum. However, by introducing to me to such a diverse, eclectic, and smart group of women, I think that derby has helped me become more aware of these external forces and how they currently shape and manipulate me.

Fieldnotes

I'm still playing catch-up a little with my entries! So here we go:

4/4/10

We had our last practice today before our end-of-season game. I was getting kind of snarky and frustrated - our team was short today and mostly comprised of new girls. We weren't really playing well - derby is definitely a team sport and teamwork is really vital to scoring points, no matter how great the jammer is. So I was getting pretty antsy and my competitive side was really coming out that practice. "Build a wall! Hold the inside line!" *the other team's jammer breezes right by them* "Or not..."

Needless to say, I wasn't being the most supportive team player. I reprimanded myself however and apologized. (I like to think the extreme heat that day was a contributing factor - we like to call it "Bikram derby" in the hotter months.) That practice really made me think of how I felt when I started out playing derby - I was definitely a pretty shaky skater and I didn't really have a clue as to what I was doing. From my observation and participation, derby is not a sport that you can usually just jump into right away. There were definitely times when I became disheartened - I felt like I had plateaued and that I wasn't getting any better. (I still hate turn-around stops so much.) Plus, derby is a lot more fun when you're not getting the wind knocked out of you every jam. It's taken me a while to really feel more solid on my skates but the process has been worth it. Through conversations with my fellow skaters, being able to chart our progress and development is one of the really empowering things about derby, and athletics in general. It's a really great feeling when you realize that you can skate a lot harder and faster than you ever did before. (A lot of us remember when we felt like we were going to die after an hour and a half of practice - now we wish they went on so much longer.) It's great to be able to take a solid hit from someone much bigger than you and still stay on your skates. This sport helps our balance and agility - our core muscles definitely get a work-out. It's also a great brainteaser - derby is definitely a cerebral sport full of strategy and quick-thinking.

All in all, derby definitely takes time and commitment - I'm very grateful for how supportive, encouraging, and *patient* the other more experienced skaters have been during this learning process. Therefore, I want to make sure that I am emulating their positive influence as well for our newer skaters. This season is helping me to curb the snarkier side of my competitiveness - I definitely do like to win but when it comes down to it, it's much more important for me to build relationships and friendships rather than rack up points. *cheese*

Documentary notes

Here are some of my notes from my viewing of Hell on Wheels:

The original name of the roller derby company - it started out as a for-profit - was "Bad Girl, Good Woman" - I thought that was a neat name

Roller derby is Austin definitely started out much more campy and raunchy - fights were encouraged and there were a few choreographed hits. Elbowing, pulling, pushing, shoving, etc. were all included. Some of the founders talked about how, in the beginning, marketing and profits were really important. Sex sold for roller derby and girls "behaving badly" definitely drew in a crowd. However, many of the skaters voiced concerns or addendums to that statement- saying that they also wanted it to be about the skating and the superior athleticism. "We want them to say 'damn they skate good, not just damn, they look good'" - paraphrase

They talked about the fine line between sexy and slutty - another skater also talked about the problematic dichotomy that is often made between expressing sexuality/sex appeal and being a feminist.

Texas rollergirls have come a long way since their inception - the rules are now WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association) sanctioned and fights are a thing of the past. Usually. They don't have the "penalty wheel" anymore - This foul system was a fun idea but it had some interesting options such as:

"Sold to the highest bidder" - the skater has to go on a date with whatever audience member bids the highest
"Spank alley" - she bends over and skates past the audience while they spank her - sometimes that got reversed however, and the skater got to spank the audience...
"Jackass" - this one was neat - the skater had to wear a set of donkey ears over her helmet for the next jam

Bibliography sample

Hey everybody - here's the rough draft of my bibliography that I've come up with - these are just a few of the sources so far:

Hell on Wheels. Dir. Bob Ray. IndiePix, 2009. DVD.
This is a pretty great documentary by an Austin filmmaker - I think it's a really good introduction to how women's roller derby was revitalized and reinvented in Austin. It was only released last year but the filming took place over about five years. I skate with/am trained by several of the women interviewed in this documentary - I'm really hoping to get to record some of their current thoughts and opinions.

Rollergirls - The Complete Season One. Dir. Dan Brown. Sunset Home Visual Entertainment (SHE) / A&E Home Video, 2006. DVD.
The series focuses on players from the Texas-based TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls - I haven't seen this yet but I'm interested to see how roller derby is presented in this series. I'm expecting it to be useful to compare and contrast the two Austin roller derby leagues where I can. They play a pretty different game than we do however - bank track derby is intense..

Coppage, Keith. Roller Derby to RollerJam: The Authorized Story of an Unauthorized Sport. Square, 1999. Print.
I found this book at the library - it looks like it might have some good history, visuals, and personal accounts in it.

Joulwan, Melissa. Rollergirl Totally True Tales from the Track. New York: Touchstone, 2007. Print.
This is a book written by Melicious - a retired Texas rollergirl. She was one of the founding members of the new league and it looks like it could have some useful information in it - "complete with photos and suggestions on how to develop a Rollergirl name and persona, this unprecedented tell-all comes from the woman who's watched the sport evolve from an underground Friday-night event to a bona fide national phenomenon."

I'm also looking into articles on feminist theory - I have some suggestions and leads that I'm still going through as of now. Hope you're all doing well!

2/7/10

Some field-notes thus far:

Roller derby is pretty well-known for the great outfits/uniforms we get to come up with - our bouts are definitely a fun time to dress up a little. In our rec league, we come up with different team themes for each big game - Senoritas de los muertos, Rockabilly Rumblers, Naughty Ninjas, and so forth. However, during practice, most of us wear shorts and a t-shirt - nothing too elaborate - comfort and flexibility are key. It's interesting though - a fair share of the new girls definitely start out in the league "wearing the part" - brand new skates, crazy tights, makeup, and fancier outfits. Yet it doesn't usually take too long for the newer skaters to start wearing work-out clothes that are a little more practical (i.e. stuff they don't mind getting sweat all over.)

I think this might say something about the image of roller derby - from the outside it may be perceived as more about appearance and sexualized-show, but when it comes down it, I think a lot of us wear short skirts or shorts largely because they're easier to skate in...However - I'm interested to explore this some more. We don't have set uniforms in the rec or professional league - the outfits can range from glittery spandex to jean shorts and a t-shirt.

And thanks for your comment Amanda! I think it's a really interesting debate - what does it mean for women to "reclaim their sexuality"? What does that look like? How does one go about that? It's something I'm definitely looking forward to discussing and learning more about through my ethnography.

Topic Analysis - what & why

Hey everybody - here's the topic analysis that I have landed on thus far, I'll bring in some copies for tomorrow as well:

For my ethnography, my goal is to learn more about women’s flat track roller derby and how this sport contributes toward the discussion of contemporary American feminism. Through actively researching and participating in the Texas Rollergirl’s Recreational league, I intend to explore how roller derby relates to issues of female sexuality, athleticism, and empowerment. Through this study, I intend to learn more about what this sport means to my fellow skaters and how it has influenced their everyday lives and identities. Through comparing and contrasting these findings with mainstream perceptions and portrayals, I hope to raise further awareness about this sport and generate discussion concerning the role of roller derby in the current-day American feminist movement.