CHICO, Calif. - The Nor Cal Roller Girls are lacing up their skates after a two-year Covid-19 hiatus.
Players got creative during the pandemic by skating on trails and in skate parks. Now, they're finally back on track.
"It's a beautiful, wonderful chaotic mess," skater Leslie Bowen said.
"It's super fun and sometimes scary," Shannon Simmons added.
The team is practicing together for the first time in two years.
"Coming back to it was like coming back to a part of my life that I felt like had been taken away from me for a while," Sophia Simmons said.
"There's definitely some bruises," Bowen joked. "My legs definitely hurt for a while."
The soreness wears off, but players say there's nothing like derby.
"There's so many favorite parts," Shannon Simmons said. "I like the competition. I like the physicality."
Roller derby is all about physicality, whether you're a jammer trying to score points by lapping opposing teams, or a blocker trying to stop them.
"There's nothing like watching a derby bout," Bowen said. "Just the intensity of it. Watching when the jammer pulls through, when the blocker gets in a good block."
"There's a lot of strategy that goes into modern roller derby," Sophia Simmons said. "There's a lot of planning of how to effectively prevent other jammers from getting through. Also, getting your own jammer through. All of that stuff."
Sophia says the best part is playing with her team.
"It's great having a support network that I know will always be there for me," she said.
The team will scrimmage in Redding on July 24th. That'll be many players first game since 2019.
The Nor Cal Roller Girls are always looking for new members to join their team. If you're interested, you can visit the team's Facebook page or stop by practice at the Funland in Chico every Tuesday night at 8:45 p.m.
Sports Director Jenna Fink joined the Action News Now team in June 2021. For story ideas for Jenna, email 4news@actionnewsnow.com.
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