MASON CITY – Who would have expected the spectacular turnout the River City “Dames of Anarchy” had Saturday night for their first bout? A half hour before it was to start, The All Season Building at the Fairgrounds were bringing out more chairs and decreasing the size of coach/player area to make more room for the fans. Some people sat on the floors or had to stand to watch.
On the way in, a fan was overheard saying, “Well, I guess Roller Derby is going to be a big hit in Mason City”.
Harley Davidson, who sponsors and promotes the “Dames” was a big part of getting the fans in. They helped sell tickets, gave tickets away, had lunches and had calendar made with the Dames.
The Dames of Anarachy is a women’s Flat Track Roller Derby team and was split into two teams, the DOA Gray and the DOA Blue. They were dressed to rumble.
At 7:00, the National Anthem was played by guitar, each team was introduced to the crowd, being led by a Harley Davidson Motorcycle, the announcer, sitting in a booth with a big banner by Wayne’s Ski and Sports, explained the rules and strategy and then the Bout began.
Each team started a two minute bout with five girls. Four were the blockers and one was the scorer. The scorer wore a star on her helmet and she was the only one that could score points. She did this by getting by the blockers of the other team.
This type of sport isn’t for the meek, it’s for the warrior. This causes injuries. One girl was carried off the floor and taken to the hospital. During half-time another girl had fallen and hit her head. She was taken away in the ambulance. Asking a teammate about the two girls, “What I heard is that they will be okay. The girl that cracked her head, managed to make her way to the side of the track.”
There was a pig mascot running around, entertaining people and getting pictures taken. Asking if he was representing “The Harley Hog”, he answered, “Well, yes, but also for Crime Stoppers”. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from the Dames of Anarchy Bout will be given to help “Crime Stoppers”.
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