BELLEVILLE, Mich. – Quietly nestled beyond a deserted intersection outside of Belleville, Mich. sits Rollers Skate Park – home turf of the Ann Arbor Derby Dimes, Ann Arbor’s roller derby league since August 2010. On a Wednesday night in November, middle school pizza parties linger in the lobby under the neon lights. But push through another set of double doors and the energy heightens.

The Game

On the shiny wood rink, painted lines gleam and direct a swarm of fishnets, leopard print kneepads and neon roller skates in continuous circles. The sound of a whistle commands skaters to jump or stop – a warm-up to practice skills essential for the team to win a game.

In derby, the game is known as a bout. It comprises two 30-minute halves, according to referee Andrea Gruber, also known by her derby name, Whiskey. Each half is split up into two-minute sections called jams, which is the equivalent of a play in football.

Looking out at the track, Gruber noted the calls the refs were making as the teams scrimmaged, while explaining how a bout works.

According to Gruber, each team has five skaters on the track at a time. On each team, there are two types of players: jammers and blockers. When the first whistle blows, the blockers start skating around the track. They’re called the pack. When the pack moves past the pivot line, the jammers are released.

“What makes derby special is that it’s both offensive and defensive at the same time,” Gruber said. “The blockers are trying to get their jammer through the pack, but stop the other one. The first jammer to get through is called the lead jammer. After passing through the pack a second time, every opponent she laps is one point she gains for her team.”

The Ann Arbor Derby Dimes League is composed of two home teams, the Tree Town Thrashers and the Huron River Rollers, and one travel team, the A2D2 Brawlstars. The Thrashers and the Rollers are both made up of 15 to 20 members and often play each other.

For the Brawlstars, bouts are always against teams from other leagues throughout the state.

“The travel team is the best of the best,” Gruber said.

Brawlstars skaters practice at least three times a week, bouting at tournaments twice a month on an almost year-round schedule, according to Gruber. Tournaments attract many of Michigan’s 14 derby leagues and often span entire weekends.

This Saturday, the Brawlstars will be heading to Shelby Township for the Mitten Kitten Tournament where 11 teams hailing from Traverse City to Port Huron will bout it out for the tourney title.

This weekend the Brawlstars are playing Floral City and then the Motor City Disassembly Line.

“Each team is seated depending on what their scores have been in past bouts," said Brawlstars member Dani Van Dusen, known as Hermione Gank-Ya when bouting.

"You’re guaranteed at least two matches. If you win one and lose one, you might get a chance to play again. Like for us, if we lose against Floral City we play the Killamazoo Derby Darlins on Sunday.”

The Teams

For a skater new to the derby world, there’s a lot to learn before she can set a skate on the track for a real bout. Inexperienced Ann Arbor skaters — often referred to as “fresh meat” — must go through a three-month boot camp and pass a skills test before being drafted to the Thrashers or the Rollers.

For a lot of the women on the Derby Dimes, the learning doesn't stop after they're drafted.

“All sorts of women are here,” said Elizabeth “Biz” Nijdam, a Rackham graduate student and a skater for the Thrashers.