Women, ages 18-47, enter the room, some with kids in tow. The one known as “Chatterbox” comes in to discover it’s Girl Scout cookie delivery tonight. No, this isn’t a Brownie leader meeting or a ladies’ book club–these are the NRV Rollergirls.

The rest of the derby girls are stretching, putting the finishing touches on their outfits, and taking a lap or two around the rink. Practice hasn’t yet officially begun, but the women look ready to rock and roll. A blur of hot pink and black, helmets, pads, mouthguards, and quad skates—at first glance it looks like a scene from a punk rock ’80s music video.

While the aesthetic may have evolved over the years, the sport can actually be traced back to the early 1920s; observers will note that the girl-power vibe developed in the flapper era has grown exponentially since then. Roller derby is fodder for pop-culture as well. A resurgence in the 1970s sparked musical gems such as Jim Croce’s “Roller Derby Queen,” and October of this year will see Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut about a league in Austin, Texas, starring Juno‘s Ellen Page called Whip It!, so the derby’s appeal continues to sustain itself.

Each player in the NRV Rollergirls has a nickname for her derby persona written on the back of her shirt, the likes of “Acid Assassin,” “Yankee Bruister,” “Final Destination,” “Kiss My Grits,” and “Mizz Feminatzi.” The energy level is up tonight. Their bout with Richmond’s River City Rollergirls is coming up on Sunday, March 1, at Adventure World in Christiansburg. (Tickets are just $7 and the bout begins at 6 p.m.!)

It’s plain to see the girls have come to improve their game, but there’s more to it than that. “This is a sisterhood,” Gloria Murray tells me. Her nickname “Seam Ripper” comes from being a seamstress. At 47, she’s the Rollergirls’ senior member, and has come to skate but will sit out the scrimmage because she’s recovering from a broken leg she suffered last April. Before that, she broke three fingers. Why does she stick with it, despite the injuries? “It’s about camaraderie, something I can do for me—even though people think I’m crazy.” Those people include her children, who range in age from 11 to 27.

The bout on March 1 marks the league’s second anniversary. “Speed Junkie,” also known as Shilo Atkinson, is the captain and founded the group after playing with the Star City league in Roanoke for a month and a half. She’s currently a nurse, and says she watched the derby on TV as a little girl, but back then it was a bit more staged, like professional wrestling. She wants everyone to know that what they do is “100% on the fly.”

They currently have 18 members but would like to recruit more. Atkinson says for potential players “the only requirement is dedication.” You don’t even have to know how to skate because they can teach that; they also teach you how to “fall small” to reduce injury. And several falls do happen during the scrimmage—a couple of skaters lock wheels, others lose their balance trying to stop the jammers from passing. The ref reminds the group to keep it in “derby form,” which is a low crouch aimed to prevents falls and common injuries known as called “rink rash” or “fishnet scars.” This is no game for sissies.

Even the practice exercises look painful. A variety of skating techniques are called out—”figure eights,” “scissors,” and “slalom”—and if a skater lifts her feet to keep going, she’s supposed to go to the middle of the rink and pay in push-ups. “Queen Kong” is one of the honest ones who follows through on this. Her given name is Nikki Selvey, and she is 26 and works in finance. She found out about the league through a friend and joined for the friendship and the workout.

Marcia Hoback, known to her teammates and fans as “Mrs. Timex,” discovered derby through a coworker who was getting fitted for her mouthguard. At age 40, she’s an empty-nester whose other hobby is riding her 2000 Harley Davidson Fat Boy. She says derby is great exercise, and much less boring than going to the gym.

Elaine West, 37, joined the NRV Rollergirls in August and is now co-captain. She’s married and runs her own business, West Stampede, a saddle and tack shop in Riner, Va. Her two sons, ages 3 and 6, love that she’s a derby girl and wear T-shirts to the bouts that read “Flamin’ Laine AKA Mommy.” She joined because she wanted to try something different, “something to do with women that wasn’t scrapbooking.”

The league’s goal is to become official by being accepted into the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. To do that, a certain percentage of the team has to meet skill requirements. To join, you first need to get yourself outfitted with skates, pads, a helmet, and mouthguard—most of which you can order through the rink, online at RollerDerbyDepot.com, or at second-hand sporting goods stores. The insurance costs $55 annually, and dues are $5 per practice, which are held on Sunday afternoons and Monday and Wednesday nights. Contact Shilo Atkinson for more information.

One last piece of advice, however: “You tell ‘em Hurricane Gussie says you can’t be a derby girl unless you have the heart, the guts, and the balls!”

Taryn Chase would like to dress like a derby girl for Halloween, but she’s been known to have the breath knocked out of her while jump roping.