We’re very very excited about going to our first roller derby match tomorrow! So excited that we asked Ginger from Richter City to take some time after her Good Morning debut to talk to us as well.

1. How did you get into roller derby in the first place?
I had a bunch of friends who were involved in the very beginnings of the league, and I jumped on board after an ill-fated New Years (too much alcohol and a break up and a tent = not good). My new year’s resolution was to do more things for myself and I joined derby because I loved the idea of skating and dressing up and having a pretend name and character… In the end though, I fell in love with roller derby because of the intense athleticism that is at the core of the sport, the amazing women that I skate with and the fun that we have.

2. Roller Derby can be seen to be about strength, which is an awesome thing, but it’s also about fighting other women, isn’t it? How do you think it fits into the feminist spectrum?
Hm, I wouldn’t describe roller derby as being “about fighting other women”, any more than I would say that rugby is “about fighting other men”. The contact is a part of a sport that is about agility, strength and power. Conceptualising derby in the feminist spectrum is interesting, and it’s something that bears a lot of thinking about; I believe it’s an amorphous situation, constantly changing depending on circumstance and situation, rather than one set in stone. I would say that as a rule derby deliberately plays with and subverts all sorts of stereotypical ideas about women and their sexuality – that is, by playing with these stereotypes and ideas we’re reclaiming power over them and making them a joke. Hah, we say!

3. How do you balance your in-rink persona and the real you or are they the same thing?
My in-rink persona, Ginger Tonyx, is an angry ex-Broadway broad (think: Valley of the Dolls). I love her, but I’ve had enough therapy to leave her in the rink! (Well, she sometimes comes to karaoke or out to the pub. But she’s very well-behaved then).

4. What do you wear/do to make yourself feel good?
I wear my red cowboy boots, red lipstick, vintage furs, cat ears, tutu (one at a time!); and I watch endless episodes of the Gilmore Girls, ride my bicycle along the waterfront, SKATE, op shop and knit/sew/cook.

5. How would you define pretty?
Pretty is playing with being a girl, and using the girly bits that work to the best of your advantage.

The bout will take place at on Saturday March 28, Wellington Basketball Association (behind Dance and Drama School) off Hutchinson Road and on the corner of Newtown and Mount Cook, Wellington.

Doors open at 6pm and the action begins at 7pm. Tickets are $10 and only available at the door. No eftpos so remember your cash.