By Dorene Internicola
No joy at the gym? Try a little girl power.
Women are flocking to roller derby to find camaraderie, thrills, and enough physical conditioning and true grit to do a warrior princess proud.
"There are very assertive women who need an outlet for more than just running on a treadmill," Karla Addesso, a referee for the Florida-based Gainesville Roller Rebels, said in an interview.
'In the 70s it was played more for laughs and to see women fight' Maybe it's feminism's third wave, or the lure of the counter culture, but the full contact sport is enjoying a resurgence. More than 400 home-grown leagues have sprung up across the United States since 2001.
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Devotees also hope a new movie that will be released in the United States on Friday will respect their passion as it spreads the word.
"I know the actresses had to learn roller derby," Addesso said of the film, titled "Whip It."
"It's about a young woman who wants to do something a little out of the ordinary," she said. "We support that message."
Addesso, an entomologist whose derby name is Damsel Flies, is an example of the broad spectrum of women in their 20s, 30s and 40s who've found fulfilment by jamming, blocking and whipping it.
'Roller derby is an exciting, action-packed, collision sport for women' "You get very physically fit," Addesso said. "You skate for six hours a week. Do not be on the Atkins diet when you're on roller derby. You need carbs."
The team's 12-week training program stresses strength training and learning how to fall.
Addesso said it's a modern sport that suffers from an outdated image.
"In the 70s it was played more for laughs and to see women fight," she said. "The hardest thing for people to get is that it's not like the WWF (World Wrestling Federation). It's not scripted, not about elbowing."
These days the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, founded in 2004, sets rules and standards, which are enforced by seven referees per game.
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