AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Young women named Hard Dash, Kill Any and Betty B. Tough are putting the squeeze on Maine lawmakers to make it easier for them to expand the sport of roller derby.
Roller derby advocates on Tuesday told a legislative panel that an old statute that prohibits skaters from hitting each other is prohibiting them from building a new rink. Two women testified wearing skates and their roller derby uniforms.
Alyssa “Spry Icicle” Bergeron said the sport is increasingly popular in Maine and the United States.
She says Maine skaters have been forced to break the law for the last 10 years and now want to play their sport legally.
Committee members said it seemed unfair that hockey players are allowed to check each other but derby skaters can’t.
