Rock 'n' Roll

Lace up for a crash course in the most hard-core women’s sport you’ve probably never heard of

- Michelle October

You’d be forgiven for thinking that roller derby – the sport you’re likely associating with Ellen Page in the film Whip It – is just something they do in the movies. But, you’d be wrong. A thriving community of derby girls exists right under your nose – and they’re the total badasses you thought they were. Just ask Sam Baloyi (derby name Samurai), a player from Durban, who’s repping South Africa at the World Cup in the UK in February. She stumbled into the sport after a colleague asked her to come check it out. The feats of athleticism fascinated her. “They weren’t just rolling around aimlessly; they were doing things that I had thought were impossible – on skates!” she says. After just one session, she was hooked. Here’s why...