About once a month Rachel Weinberg, 32, dresses up in ripped pink and black fishnets, striped knee-high socks, spandex shorts and a corset top. Then she writes the number 311 on her arm with black marker, straps on her roller skates and dons elbow pads, knee pads and wrist guards.
For the next few hours she will respond to the name Chop Suzzy on the roller derby track.
Weinberg, studying elementary education at UW-Madison, has been skating for Madison roller derby league Mad Rollin' Dolls for almost six years. She is one of their most valued members, skating on their nationally ranked Dairyland Dolls team.
During the Dolls' offseason Weinberg skates for the Vaudeville Vixens of Madison.
Roller derby has quickly gained popularity among athletes and fans in recent years, with Madison at the forefront of the trend. Weinberg said she is drawn to the sport because of how it empowers women.
""Our league was started by women, for women,"" she said. ""There's not a lot of full-contact, really intense sports that women play. So it makes us role models for young girls that show women can be just as strong and intense as any athletes.""
Weinberg said the ability of team members to create their own derby identities contributes to this empowerment. Skaters create personas and uniforms to match their names, such as Meanie Cooper, Buzz Tightrear, Anita Bier and Bloody Cupcake.
""I think that's the definition of feminism—being able to own your own destiny and be in control of your own image and what you do,"" she said. ""Our teams have all walks of life, all shapes, all sizes. It's really empowering to be part of something that brings out the best in everyone rather than forcing them into a certain mold.""
Nicole Olthafer, skating as Darling Nikki for the Vixens and the Dairyland Dolls, agreed.
""Society kind of ropes you in and people are scared to go outside of those boundaries a lot of times,"" Olthafer said. ""I like that this extension of myself allows me to be that edgier, sexier, tougher person. A lot of it gets put away when you work. If I wore what I really always wanted to be wearing, people might be like, ‘Whoa, that's kind of crazy.' Derby's awesome because it allows everyone to step outside of that norm together.""
Scanning the crowd at a derby bout, it is clear this message is getting out. At the Vaudeville Vixens bout Feb. 13 at the Alliant Energy Center, young girls around the stadium screamed for their favorite skaters.
Best friends Emme Hannibal and Natalie Grady, both 9, kept a running commentary from the bleachers.
""Oh yeah, penalty for the red team,"" Hannibal shouted. The red team was the Vixens' opponent, the Unholy Rollers.
Both girls love rollerblading and dream of joining a roller derby team when they are old enough.
""For once, it's a sport without boys,"" Grady said. ""I love their colors and their costumes and sparkles and their makeup.""
Grady wants to play football in high school, and she loves the physical element of roller derby—with one complaint.
""I think they should let you use your elbows,"" she said.
Weinberg offers exactly what the girls are looking for—a fun personality with a competitive edge.
Before the bout began, Weinberg danced on the sidelines, tapping hips with her teammates.
""A dance party is currently breaking out on the floor of the roller derby. I've never seen that before,"" the announcer said. ""That's sarcasm.""
But when Weinberg stepped on the track, her face became serious and focused.
""I'm always really wired and full of adrenaline, but as soon as I step on the track this coma comes over me,"" she said. ""I'm able to block out what the crowd and announcers are doing and narrow my attention.""
As the teams took their places, Weinberg pulled a starred cover over her cow-print helmet to designate herself as the Vixens first jammer of the bout.
Weinberg lined up behind the pack of skaters next to the Unholy Rollers' jammer. Her task: to weave and fight through the pack before the other jammer. She would score points for her team by lapping the pack.
Olthafer said Weinberg's control over her body makes her an effective jammer.
""She's very good at jumping and being fast and agile on her feet,"" Olthafer said. ""She's very slippery that way for jamming.""
With one leg out in front, knee bent, toe pointed down, Weinberg waited on the jam line.
On the ref's first whistle, the pack dispersed and prepared to assist their jammers. Weinberg leaned forward. On the second whistle, the jammers sprinted forward.
Weinberg's pink and black fishnets streaked through a sea of spandex, tutus and knee pads as she hammered her way to the front. Skate over skate she turned sharply inside the track, splitting two Rollers' blockers and emerging from the pack.
""Go Chop!"" her father Mark Weinberg yelled from the bleachers, standing up. His Vaudeville Vixens T-shirt had a special back: ""Chop's Pop.""
Six years ago, Weinberg sat on a half-wall with her father overlooking a derby game at Fast Forward in Madison. Five minutes into the game she knew she had to join a team.
""She said, ‘I'm going to do this,' and I don't think she's looked back since,"" Mark said. ""When she wants something, she usually finds a way to get it.""
For example, Weinberg joined karate when she was 11 and continued into her 20s, earning a third degree black belt and eventually owning and operating her own karate school.
""When I decide to do something I do it 100 percent,"" she said. ""That's just the way I've always been. When I find something that's important to me I give it everything that I can.""
Weinberg's ardent determination, honed in her 15 years of karate training, shines through in her sharp skating. Her style is so unique that the new Wii roller derby video game features a character modeled after her.
""She's very centered physically, which allows her to isolate body movements,"" said Mark, who's been watching her since her debut six years ago. ""She can stick her leg out one way and her torso the other way, take sudden turns and maintain her balance.""
Weinberg's karate experience also prepared her for the physical contact.
""You don't want to be timid out there. That's how you get hurt or become a target,"" she said. ""I'm able to follow through on hits and bring my body back quickly when I get hit.""
For many skaters, derby bouts are a chance to relieve tension from other parts of their lives.
""It feels really good to use your body and hit someone,"" Olthafer said. ""It's great stress relief after a long day of work. My husband can tell when I have not been at derby practice in a while.""
Weinberg said that while she leaves her aggression behind on the track, she takes other elements of Chop Suzzy home with her.
""Derby's done a lot for me personally. You just feel confident and stronger and that permeates into other parts of your life,"" she said. ""Chop Suzzy is sexy and strong. I can wear my short shorts and fishnets, and I can still take out people that are twice as big as me. I don't feel like Chop and Rachel are all that different.""
When the derby days are done, Weinberg and Olthafer said they will always carry the strength and friendships built on the track.
""We always joke that someday when we're like 80 there will be a derby nursing home and we'll all be there with our sore hips and knees as a result of our abuse of our bodies from derbies,"" Olthafer said. ""And we'll still all be playing it in our wheel chairs.""
