Eerie Girls Rolling Hard

Saturday, Aug. 26

The Eerie Roller Girls are playing their last home bout of the 2017 season, the seventh since the organization was founded. The team squares off against Corry's Nightmares on Main Street.

"Fans can expect the usual thrills, spills, and hard hitting action," promised original team member Sarah Mazzone, who skates under the name "Sarahtearium" (and also holds the coveted 814 jersey number).

The Eerie Roller Girls (ERG) are female-founded and operated, and represent Erie in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). As members of the international governing body for the sport of Roller Derby, the team is solely made up of women from the Erie area. They are a volunteer organization comprised of 15 women. In addition to skating, they are committed to maintaining their sense of hometown pride by participating in local events and partnering with local charities when they aren't in the rink.

The Bayfront Convention Center serves as the new home for the league. Mazzone exclaimed that "this venue did more than we ever expected at our home opener. We, the skaters, and the refs had our own locker rooms! That was just the beginning. The venue is bright and super professional-looking when you walk in. The sound system is great. Fans have a fantastic variety of food and beverages to choose from, and the staff could not have been more attentive, and accommodating." She concluded that "it really just blew our little derby minds."

Long circling the outskirts of the sports world, roller derby has over 600 leagues in the United States, not to mention double that around the world. For the less informed, roller derby is a contact sport (sometimes very much so — just check out some clips online) played by two teams of five members on the rink at any given time. While skating counterclockwise around a track, the goal is to get as many of your team's 'jammers' to lap members of the opposing team and rack up points. After two periods of 30 minutes, the team with the most points wins. There is much more that goes into the sport of roller derby, but that's the basic nuts and bolts of it. So, if you are looking for a new exciting home team to cheer on, this is an event not to be missed. — Austin Mitchell

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., whistle at 7:30 p.m. // 1 Sassafras Pier // $10 pre-sale, $12 at the door // eerierollergirls.com