Twenty roller derby teams, from around the country from New York to Seattle, converged here over the weekend with the passion to come out ahead of the pack.
The inaugural 2006 Dust Devil National Flat Track Derby Tournament took place over three days at Bladeworld, 1065 W. Grant Road.
Over the weekend, packs of supporters banged walls, screamed, spilled beer and lost their voices as they cheered for their favorite team.
Some 800-plus screaming people cheered on their favorites.
With the recent revival of roller derby, more than 40 leagues have formed nationwide — and with the teams come the zealous fans.
At a nearby merchandise table where derby paraphernalia such as stickers, T-shirts, buttons and, yes, customized panties were on sale, a 12-year-old Tucson fan, Molly Corbett, was clothed in a red derby-style dress complete with her own derby name, "Lil' Red Rollin' Hood" attached to the back.
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Her necklace was adorned with more than a dozen pins sporting the names of the Windy City Rollers of Chicago and, of course, her home team: the Tucson Roller Derby's Saddletramps.
"They might look fierce on the track, but they're really good people. I think derby is so inspiring and fun," Molly said.
Alongside the track and amid the controlled chaos, artist and derby fan Chod McClintock's smile spread from ear to ear as the Saddletramps flew past in a critical bout against the Minnesota Rollergirls, the game that determined which team would advance to the championship bout against the notorious Texas Rollergirls.
"The passion and the heart that the girls show is so inspiring to young women and athletes in general. It's probably the most entertaining spectator sport I've ever been to," McClintock said.
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