Cornfed Derby Dames prepare for 8th season

<p>The Cornfed Derby Dames compete in a derby game. CFDD is ranked 123 of 339 leagues on a national scale and have over 40 active members. &nbsp;Matt Ruddick, Photo Provided</p>

The Cornfed Derby Dames compete in a derby game. CFDD is ranked 123 of 339 leagues on a national scale and have over 40 active members.  Matt Ruddick, Photo Provided

Ranked 123 of 339 leagues on a national scale, the Cornfed Derby Dames, CFDD, have over 40 active members that make up two teams, the Muncie Misfits and the All-Stars. 

Founded in 2010, the CFDD’s website said the group aims to “bring together and empower women of all body types, race, age and religion." Angie Hubert, a player who goes by Bona Petite on the track, said that anyone who attends a game can see the kind of community the team has built. 

“The way that I think [roller derby] really empowers women is the fact that we have women that come from all different walks of life, and with that, we all have different sets of skills,” Hubert said. “We’re able to hone in on those separate skills that everybody has [that] make them special for who they are. We [are] not trying to make them the ‘all-around skater’ because there is no ‘all-around skater.’”

Roller derby was first introduced to the United States in the 1930s and has since expanded to more than 1,000 amateur leagues around the world, according to the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association

During a bout (game), two teams compete in the contact sport to score points. Each team has five members on the track at a time including a jammer (the scoring player), a pivot (special blocker who can also score) and three designated blockers.

In the bout, players are on both offense and defense simultaneously to help their jammer skate a lap around everyone else while also stopping the other team’s jammer. If a jammer is able to make a lap around the group, that team can score up to five points. 

The CFDD’s eighth season will kick-off at 2 p.m. Sunday at Gibson’s Skating Arena. The All-Stars will face the Naptown Roller Derby Warning Belles of Indianapolis and the Muncie Misfits compete against the Naptown Roller Derby Third Alarm of Indianapolis.  

This season will be freshman zoology major Emma Boggs’ first, but she said she already feels like part of the family. 

“What I love most about playing with this team is that I feel like there’s a really good sense of community and sisterhood,” Boggs said. “Everyone is really friendly, and we love each other. All the women just lift each other up, and we’re all always complimenting each other on how our performance was at practices and scrimmages.”

Ashlie McCormack, the league president and Rogue Miss-ile on the track, said there are a variety of ways to get involved with the team. 

“You can be a skater, which is what everyone thinks of. You get to skate, you get to play. But there’s also a lot of other really important roles,” McCormack said. “We have non-skating officials that are scorekeepers, and we also have our referees which keep the game going. Without them we couldn't do anything.”

The Derby Dames have four home games this season that will help them raise money for travel fare to their two tournaments in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Milwaukee.

The group also donates money to A Better Way in Muncie, a non-profit organization that provides a variety of services for victims of domestic abuse.

On Sunday, McCormack said she hopes many community members are able to come out and experience the game and help the group’s cause.  

Contact Justice Amick with comments at jramick@bsu.edu or on Twitter @justiceamick.

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