Monday, May 18, 2009

Want to make new friends while burning some calories, ladies? I've got two words for you: roller derby.

And here I was thinking (or had been told) that joining a book club or taking a pilates class was the best way to make new friends. Ha! Book clubs and pilates are for wusses.

Per CNN, moms, wives, even teachers -- i.e., real women -- are finding the best way to find "fun, friendship, and fitness" is by, you guessed it, participating in roller derby. And you get a really cool new nickname, like "Cykosis" or "Fanny Harmher," to boot. Awesome. ("J-TWO-HO" anyone?)
Who knew burning 400 calories (or more!) an hour could be so much fun?! And you know if Dr. Sanjay Gupta recommends it, it's gotta be good for you, ladies.

And just look what roller-skating did for Jessica Simpson and gal pals Christina Applegate and Eva Longoria! (Sorry, but I can't find a version of the roller-skating lovelies with an embed code. So you'll just have to watch them burn calories on YouTube.)

Sign me up! (Not.)

[Btw, for those of you interested in joining a women's roller derby league, here's a list. You're welcome.]

13 comments:

Cee Bee said...

Come on, J, let's start a league. We can practice on kids and we'll work our way up to adults...lol!

TommyMac71 said...

Sanjay Gupta sounds like the disease, not the doctor....

I was worried, I thought J was starting to believe what she saw on CNN?! Ooooo, Anderson Cooper said it, so it must be true!!!

There are better ways to burn 400 calories...

Dave S. said...

I would skip the kids and go right to the adults. Lower center of gravity + youthful fearlessness + wheels = disaster for grownups.

Sanjay Gupta would rather be reporting on this stuff than be Surgeon General?

Word verification "proross" - is this some kind of hidden "Friends" poll?

J. said...

Like what, Tommy?

Cee Bee, I think Dave S. has a point. I know for a fact that my kid and her friends could deck me before I made it once around the rink. But I'm intrigued by the idea of starting our own league or, more importantly, what we would name it. The Stepford Sirens? The Fairfield County Foxes? (I wonder if there is a league in D.C. called the Obama Mamas.... Dave?)

larissa said...

I want pink pom poms
For my old school roller skates
Looks like they're back in!

GSA said...

Did you notice the thunder-thighs on some of those roller-derby mamas? Or the fact that the totally made-up dumb blonde (aka Jessica) can’t skate? On the 2-3 seconds where she’s shown on skates, she looks utterly clumsy if not terrified; otherwise the video consists of upper-body shots or doubles.

Dave S. said...

I'll bet "Hot Wheels" is already taken as a team name, but if not...

Strangely enough, I am not in touch with the roller derby crowd down here, so I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the Obama Mamas.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like fun -- I love the nicknames, but I'm too afraid of losing my teeth. I won't be signing up anytime soon.

Caffeinated Weka said...

What a cool idea! Although ... it would take quite a lot of convincing to get me out there and taking on the kids. Oh well!

J. said...

Thanks for stopping by, all the way from Wellington, New Zealand, Cafe Chick! How cool is that, people?! : )

As to Anonymous's point about losing teeth, I am actually more worried about bruising. (I am small and bruise easily.) But I still like the idea of roller derby, or at least the cool nickname and T-shirt. ; )

EMM said...

My book club would kick your roller-derby butt...but, we're too busy drinking wine, eating really yummy food and talking about boys. Oh, sometimes the books too!

I'm hosting next month's soiree and will take a poll about the gals forming a RD team. ;)

Word verification - stingl. Perfect combo of still single.

Kendor said...

It's a wonderful thing that classic entertainment lives on in the post millennium.

I must confess to having enjoyed watching the ladies in the day when the derby was broadcast in the NY Metro area locally in the 60's and 70's (on WOR channel 9 in the days before them added the extra "W" to the call letters). This along with other high brow fun as "Bowling for Dollars."

For those of of you who remember, the San Francisco Bay Area Bombers were often led by one Joan "Joanie" Weston, who can be seen "jamming" here. BTW, the rights to Joanie's story (she died in 1997) were optioned by Goldie Hawn (have fun with that one).

The Bay Area bombers have apparently morphed in the internet age into the East Bay Lady Killers, whose website title tags proclaim: "Roller Bitches on a Killing Spree."

To which I say, YeeHa!

amyz5 said...

Believe it or not, a friends daughter is in the roller derby. She is a massage therapist by day and roller derby queen by night. And yes, she has a really cool name but I never remember it.