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A couple weeks ago, my friends Tom and Carla gave me the scope on the upcoming Cincinnati Imports event. A born and bred Cincinnatian, I can not claim import-status, but the Imports tend to overlook my Skyline breath and generally welcome me with open arms.

gardens_exteriorI was intrigued to find out the event would be the Cincinnati Rollergirls’ home season opener at The Cincinnati Gardens. It had been decades since I’d last gone to the Gardens – maybe a circus in the 80′s, who knows? A walk down memory lane.

That walk got a little longer when I found out that in addition to knowing Rollergirl Jammer @missprint95, I had gone to high school with one of the team’s most powerful Pivots – Blu Bayou.

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MissPrint and Blu Bayou – photos from Cincinnati Rollergirls Site

Of course, not knowing much about the actual rollerderby, I did some surfing of the ol’interwebs to see what I was in store for:

Well, not exactly, thank goodness! More like this:

The night was pure adrenaline. It’s athletic and fun and exciting. I’ll admit I had no idea what was happening the first half hour or so. There was no ball to keep your eye on and though the commentary was quite colorful (holla Collier Mamma), the pace was fast and my head was spinning. But fellow fans (Doug, Tom & Carla, Sara, Barry and Kate) schooled me on some of the ins and outs and it all started to click. Venture here for a tutorial.

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It was so wonderful to see strong, talented and gorgeous women being celebrated. There was a pretty sizable crowd cheering them on and frankly that’s not something women have enough of in these parts. We’re surrounded by testosterone-heavy sports in this city and it was nice to root on the ladies for a change! Plus, unlike most games in the testosterone jungle, WE won!

The Rollergirls made quick work of their opponents, the Hard Knox Rollergirls from Tennessee. But even in the face of certain defeat, our southern sistas boogied and laughed and had a great time. I loved their spirit. I’m sick to death of seeing “adult” athletes lose their cool and act like asshats when things don’t go their way.

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I give the whole night two thumbs up. It’s affordable: $10 tickets in the stands, $15 if you want to upgrade to trackside (where the action is!), parking is free (unheard of in this city, eh?) and for the first hour or so you can indulge in $1 beers! I can’t wait to head back in April. Their next home match is scheduled for Saturday, April 11th when they’ll battle the Burning River Roller Girls. You can get your tickets from The Gardens, Ticketmaster or directly from your favorite Rollergirl. I’ll see you there!