The Palmetto State Rollergirls will be hosting the Cruel Summer III flat track roller derby bout this Saturday, July 7th at 4pm.
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups (“jams”) in which both teams designate a scoring player (the “jammer”) who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. The teams attempt to assist their own jammer while hindering the opposing jammer — in effect, playing both offense and defense simultaneously.
Made up of female skaters, roller derby locally tends to be an exciting affair that is well attended. With an MC describing the action and encouraging the fans to cheer for the skaters, roller derby is as much about entertainment as it is about competition.
Formed in 2006, the Palmetto State Rollergirls are the oldest roller derby league in South Carolina and their history includes several firsts:
- Hosting the state’s first ever flat-track bout, “Cinco de Die-O,” playing against Greenville, SC’s Reedy River Rollergirls on May 6, 2007
- Being the first South Carolina team to play a North Carolina team when we took on Wilmington, NC’s Cape Fear Rollergirls in “Red, Fight, and Bruise” on June 14, 2007
- Organizing the state’s first derby tournament, our four-team round robin “Labor Pains” event held on September 2, 2007, and including teams from Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, Greenville, and Columbia
The bout will be held at the Fun Warehouse on Dick Pond Road in Myrtle Beach. Tickets can be purchased at http://palmettostaterollergirls.com or at the door the day of the match. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own beach chair.
