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“I love roller derby,” says Catherine Mabe, aka Jayne Manslaughter of the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls. “I love the game, I love the people involved in the sport, I love the history of it, and I am especially proud to be a part of the revival.”
Mabe/Manslaughter loves roller derby so much that she wrote a book about it: Roller Derby: The History and All-Girl Revival of the Greatest Sport on Wheels. Although the sport has gone through many incarnations since its inception, “I think the essence of the game is still the same,” she says. “There’s really a balance between spectator and sport now, I think.
“Once you understand the intricacies of the game, it’s just so exciting,” she continues. “It’s just not like any other sport. I’ve never been a sports person, and I feel like calling every ex-boyfriend I’ve ever had and saying, ‘I finally understand!'”
Mabe/Manslaughter, along with other members of the Rollergirls, will slow down tonight at the Tattered Cover LoDo, 1628 16th Street, at 7:30 p.m. to sign copies of Roller Derby. Next weekend, the Rollergirls take on California’s Angel City Derby Girls at Bladium Sports Club, 2400 Central Park Boulevard. Support the scene: Call 303-436-1070 or visit www.tatteredcover.com for book-signing information; go to www.rockymountainrollergirls.com for bout details.