MULTIMEDIA

Circle City Socialites photo gallery

VIDEO

In Hollywood, a socialite is a waify blonde who dances on a table in a minidress, clutching a ratlike dog under one arm -- and a male model under the other.

In Indianapolis, a socialite is a brawny sort who glides around a concrete floor in a lime-and-black getup, with knee-highs protecting beefy calves. Her arms are tightly clutched to her body as she shoulder-checks another girl during a bout.

"I think any woman who plays roller derby loves to skate," said Jenny "Megan Enemies" Montgomery, co-founder of Indianapolis' newest roller derby league, the Circle City Socialites. "But for me, one of roller derby's biggest rewards is the feeling of empowerment that comes from getting over that innate fear of falling or getting hurt."

More than two years after the Naptown Roller Girls became the established derby league, there's a second outlet for bloodthirsty fans and players. The Circle City Socialites formed with the idea of becoming a "smaller-scale" team, open to women of all skill levels.

Montgomery and Kerri "Lethal Chrissy" Klein began the Socialites as a recreational team in April. The two were former Naptown members, but left the team, along with half a dozen other players, to create the Socialites. Within three weeks, 20 joined the new team, and Montgomery and Klein quickly realized "recreational" no longer applied.

They decided to start a full-fledged league, and are recruiting for the season that begins with an exhibition match on Sept. 27.

"It just kind of ended up in that direction," said Klein, 30, who stepped into a coaching role after becoming pregnant with her first child. "The word just kind of spread around. We didn't really do any advertising."

After tossing league names around for a little bit, the Circle City Socialites were born.

"It just kind of fell out of my mouth," Klein said. "It really fit with the mentality of the team."

The team even came up with an insignia: brass knuckles with a bit of socialite flair -- a honking diamond jutting from the ring finger.

The league practices on the thawed floor of Ellenberger Park's ice arena on the Eastside every Sunday and Tuesday, with some off-wheels meetings on Fridays. With ages ranging from early 20s to late 30s, the women are a group of regular Janes: They're librarians, students, moms. But they also spend four hours a week sweating and skating in a 100-degree arena.

Klein said that part of the reason she wanted to start a new league was because she didn't agree with Naptown's attendance demands. Naptown members must attend 60 percent of all scheduled practices and events. The Socialites don't have any such requirements.

"I figure if everyone wants to skate, they'll show up," she said.

And unlike the more competitive, experienced Naptown, the Socialites are "still learning about competition," Klein said, and probably won't join the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (think the NBA of roller derby) anytime soon. The Naptown Rollers, and many of the more established city leagues around the country, are members of WFTDA.

The Socialites will spar against other smaller-scale or JV teams, while Naptown plays against other competitive city leagues.

"Right now, I know that they're kind of far away from being competitive with Naptown," said Liz "Lilly Whip" Hufnagle, 29, one of the co-founders of the Naptown Roller Girls. "I don't seen them as a team we'd play in the near future."

Hufnagle, one of Naptown Roller Girls' co-founders, said the league gave Klein and Montgomery the go-ahead to begin their own team.

"At first, the way we'd understood it, they were planning to be a recreational team and had thought it was a good place for girls to get their skates wet before moving to Naptown," Hufnagle said.

Naptown Roller Girls are required to sign a no-compete policy when they join the team, Hufnagle said, but the league has no plans to enforce the requirements.

And Naptown has its own answer for women who want a less-grueling roller derby experience. Hufnagle said they're planning to start a junior varsity or "B team" in the fall.

"There are a lot of people who are interested in skating for Naptown, but are maybe nervous about the amount of skating experience they have," she said. "It was difficult for a lot of our newer players to get the same kind of experience, but we think we can do better for them and give them a venue where they can be leaders on the track."

The B-team's creation was not, Hufnagle said, in response to Circle City Socialites' inception; it was planned last fall. But, she said, "I wish that they'd known that we were developing the JV team, because that might have been more of an opportunity to play instead of starting a team from scratch. But more power to them."

So is Indianapolis big enough to support two roller derby teams? Other cities, such as Cincinnati and Minneapolis, have a similar thing going: one WFTDA-recognized team and a second smaller-scale league. Some are successful. Others aren't.

"I can't tell you how many posts on national message boards there are about having more than one team in a city, and it's not always doable," said Tara "Tin Lizzy" Jenson, 33. Jenson is on the North Star Roller Girls board of governors in Minneapolis.

The North Star Roller Girls aren't WFTDA members, but are in the process of sending in paperwork, Jenson said. As in Indianapolis, there's a WFTDA team in the area: the Minnesota RollerGirls. In the Twin Cities, having two teams is better for both, Jenson said.

"One of the things that is appealing is to have a Minneapolis and St. Paul league and capitalize on the rivalry," she said. "There's still some animosity when it comes down to particular skaters and particular individuals."

And when cities have enough skaters for two leagues and a large enough fan base to support both, it just shows that roller derby is headed toward becoming a higher-profile sport, Jenson said.

In fact, derby interest has grown enough to warrant a movie about the sport, due out in summer 2009. Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page (of "Juno" fame) star in "Whip It!," about a teen who finds, and joins, a derby team in Texas (it was in Austin, in fact, that roller derby's second wind started).

Both Socialites and Naptown leaders say Indianapolis is big enough for two teams, even though things can be a touch on the tense side between them.

"There's room for all derby in Indianapolis," Hufnagle said. "There's some awkwardness there, but no bad blood."

For Montgomery, it's pretty simple:

"We just want to skate."

Roller Derby crash course

Don't know how they roll? Here's a quick rundown:

There are two teams. An even number of skaters in each team heads on out the rink. The women must skate in a group around the track but don't have to be in any order. They're all blockers.

One player from each team, known as the "jammer," begins several feet behind the pack and has to speed up to get through the group. When she makes it through, a point has been scored.

The blockers have to simultaneously work to allow their jammer through, while attempting to block the other team's.

This is how they roll

Naptown Roller Girls

Established: 2006

Requirements to join: Must be at least 18, have USARS (USA Roller Sports) insurance, be available for practices at least twice a week, as well as various meetings and other commitments.

Next practice: Summer workshops are from 7 to 9.p.m. Aug. 4, 6, 11, 13 and 18 at the Southland Skate Center, 6611 Bluff Road. Tryouts are 7 to 9.p.m. Aug. 20.

Next bout: Dec. 29 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Recruitment contact: freshmeat@naptownrollergirls.com

Circle City Socialites

Established: 2008

Requirements to join: Must be at least 18, have USARS (USA Roller Sports) insurance.

Next practice: 4:30 to 6:30.p.m. at Ellenberger Park, 5301 E. St. Clair St.

Next bout: An exhibition match is in the works for Sept. 27. No tryouts are required, but skaters must pass a minimal-skills test to ensure safety.

Recruitment contact: www.circlecitysocialites.org