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Derby Lite's 'Queen B' Says It's Time to Let Men Join Roller Derby Classes

By Mark Konkol | July 16, 2014 5:25am
 Barbara Dolan, aka "Queen B," says guys are now welcome at Derby Lite beginner classes.
Barbara Dolan, aka "Queen B," says guys are now welcome at Derby Lite beginner classes.
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DNAinfo/ Mark Konkol

CHICAGO — Barbara Dolan once lived the life of a middle-age roller derby queen, a delicate balance of work, kids and hip-checking chicks on a flat track that couldn’t last.

There were too many bruises — and too many late nights.

“My son got 11 tardies his first semester of first grade because I couldn’t get my butt out of bed after finishing practice at 11:30 the night before,” the former Windy City Roller known as “Queen B” said.

“As a 42-year-old mom working at a law firm I played competitive derby for two years until I couldn’t risk the injuries and continue to make that kind of time commitment. I was the second oldest, one of two women who had children and known for being the worst skater in the league. … I had to choose my kid over my derby aspirations.”

But she missed hanging around so many “cool ladies,” getting so much exercise and, let’s be honest, escaping her crying toddler for an hour or two.

So, one afternoon in 2007, she invited some of her pals to do a school gym to get in a workout minus the pushing and shoving.

“The next thing I knew it was a class and 10 weeks later there were 42 women signed up,” Dolan said. “We took the skills and drills of women’s competitive roller derby and did it in a non-competitive way.”

The skate sessions she dubbed “Derby Lite”— a mix of roller skating lessons and high-intensity interval training — snowballed into a nationwide training program at 20 gyms across the country, including Willye B. White Park in Rogers Park.

On Monday, Lisa Jarvis, 46, led about 30 derby ladies who go by some pretty tough nicknames — Black Widow, Maul Face, Flash Nordin, T. Licious, Lola Rollerova and Outlaw Ferrel, among them — on an intense hour-long workout that started with one question: “How many of you remember how to push someone?”

Speeding around an oval track the Derby Lite gals practiced shoving each other, weaving in a crowd and quickly changing directions to a hip-hop beat, pausing only to do crunches, push-ups and leg lifts.

“We get women from all backgrounds, but generally Derby Lite skews about 10 years older than competitive roller derby,” Dolan said. “We get a mix of professionals, stay-at-home moms, bartenders and seamstresses, teachers and even a famous blogger. The average age is 35 to 40, but we’ve had girls who were 18, and one 75-year old woman skated with us in pink knee pads.”

 Barbara Dolan, aka "Queen B," on the rink during a recent Derby Lite workout.
Barbara Dolan, aka "Queen B," on the rink during a recent Derby Lite workout.
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DNAinfo/ Mark Konkol

Now, Dolan, who celebrates her 51st birthday Wednesday, says she’s ready to open up at least some of her women-only Derby Lite classes to men.

“About once a year we get someone asking if their boyfriend can join. I always leave that up to the membership and it’s always overwhelming to not add men to the classes,” she said.

After all, Dolan says, the women-only classes makes it comfortable for ladies to wear revealing derby fashions — from short skirts and fishnet stockings to halter tops and belly shirts — creates a pretty cool vibe.

But she also thinks some guys could really benefit from learning to skate the Derby Lite way, and that’s why she’s now “cool letting guys take our startup classes.” Basically, it’s almost a public service.

“One thing about Derby Lite is that we excel teaching adults how to skate in this style. We know how to do it safely … and get you from zero to competent in about 12 hours,” Dolan said. “We have an extremely low injury rate. ... And only one in every 250 women who go through our program will break a bone. And I think it would be of value to men to be able to learn so they could go skating with their kids and, you know, not break a leg.”

At Monday's skate session, Dolan asked the women lacing up for a skating session at The ARC in Oak Park, “What do you think of menfolk joining us?”

“If they’re my age and single,” Jarvis, aka “Foxy Balboa” said, excitedly, “Then, yes.”

Dolan says she doesn't plan to advertise co-ed classes, but if some brave guy asks to sign up for an upcoming class she'd be hard pressed to say no.

"You thinking about joining us?" Dolan asked.

"Um, well, no," I said. "I'm afraid I'm too fragile."

And all the Derby Lite ladies laughed.

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 Should men be allowed to join Derby Lite classes? "If they're my age and single, then, yes," instrutor Lisa Jarvis, aka "Foxy Balboa" says.
Should men be allowed to join Derby Lite classes? "If they're my age and single, then, yes," instrutor Lisa Jarvis, aka "Foxy Balboa" says.
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DNAinfo/ Mark Konkol