Lafitte’s Ladies ready to roll again
A blur of purple and green uniforms and black fishnets flashes around the track as Lake Charles’ own women’s roller derby team skates by.
The derby team, Lafitte’s Ladies, celebrates its two-year anniversary Saturday. They will take on Assassination City Roller Derby of Dallas in one of their biggest matches to date.
“The girls have really come a long way. It’s taken a lot of dedication and practice and you can definitely see it,” said coach Richard Pattie.
Carroll Pattie, the team’s co-director who also calls herself team “momma,” said it’s been exciting to watch the team gel.
“I don’t know what we have here, I can’t put my finger on it, but we don’t fight. We don’t have a case of too many chiefs, not enough Indians. It is just the absolute best thing,” she said.
Whitney “Wonder Whit” Courville has been a part of the team since its inception in 2010.
“Someone had just put it on Facebook and they were serious! I’ve skated since I was 7 or 8 and thought it was sweet,” Courville said. “I’m also super about women and women’s rights, and it was perfect.”
Courville said, “I don’t usually hang out with girls because I’m more of a tomboy, but I have two best friends and they both play derby. It’s everything in one.”
Her teammate, Janie “Calamity Janie” Fuselier, agrees. Fuselier joined Lafitte’s Ladies not too long after it started. Over the past two years, Fuselier said that the team getting its own building has been the biggest change. Lafitte’s Ladies used to practice at area skating rinks but about a year ago the team started renting The Grindhouse. The Grindhouse is the location of all of the team’s home matches, called “bouts.”
“It’s much better. We can get a little rowdier,” Fuselier said.
“We have something to call our own now,” Courville said.
Roller derby bouts have two 30-minute periods. Each period is broken up into two-minute “jams.” The jams are where each team scores points. Offense and defense for each team happen simultaneously during jams. Each team has a group of skaters called blockers that skate out on the first whistle. A second whistle allows the jammers, one from each team, to begin fighting their way through the pack of blockers. The jammers are the offensive players. Each scores by legally passing the blockers from the other team. Blockers throw elbows hands, and sometimes their entire bodies at the opposing team’s jammer to prevent scoring.
“This is a contact sport. And it is a sport, not a show,” Richard emphasized. “Unfortunately, basically everything the audience loves is illegal. So if you hear a lot of cheers from the audience, someone is probably going to the penalty box,” Carroll Pattie said.
Saturday’s bout will mark one of the team’s biggest matchups.
“I’m excited to meet the new team and players. It’s always good. You learn from everybody you play with,” Fuselier said.
“We’re playing someone we’ve never heard about. It’s really cool. I’m getting more and more excited about it,” Courville said. “We’ve been doing so good.”
Lafitte’s Ladies are currently ranked No. 8 in the Derby South rankings. The Derby South spans across five states and includes 36 teams.
“We all love each other. We work well together. In just two short years, we’ve built a pretty good name across the South,” said Alicia Cretini, the team’s co-director, who also skates with Lafitte’s Ladies.
Saturday’s bout will not affect the team’s Derby South rankings, but Cretini said it will be a good indicator for the future.
“It’s exciting to play a team that ranks nationally and see where we stand,” Cretini said. “It’s going to be fun to find out. We’re pretty pumped.”
The bout against the Dallas team will begin at 7 p.m. in The Grindhouse, 932 Enterprise Boulevard Suite C. Doors open at 6 p.m. and attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and refreshments.
“It’s going to be entertaining. It’s girl-on-girl action and a sport you’ve probably never seen before,” Fuselier said. “We promise it’ll be a good reason to get out of the house.”
Tickets cost $12 at the door for adults and $6 for children under 10. Pre-sale tickets will be available tonight at The Grindhouse from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for $10 each.
Upcoming Home Bouts
July 7: Assassination City Roller Derby of Dallas, Texas
Aug. 25: Acadiana Rollergirls of Lafayette
Sept. 22: Brazos Valley Rollergirls of College Station, Texas
Oct. 20: Mobile Derby Darlings of Mobile, Ala.
Nov. 17: CenTex Sirens of Temple, Texas
Online: www.gulfcoastrollergirls.com