Roller Girls to hold exhibition at speedway

From a Charlotte Roller Girls press release:

What’s better on a summer night than roller derby? How about a roller derby exhibition bout combined with a night of racing. On August 4, the Charlotte Roller Girls will hold an exhibition bout at Lowe’s Motor Speedway during the track’s weekly Summer Shootout Series. It will mark the first time in history that the Charlotte Roller Girls will bout at the world famous speedway.

“Race cars have four wheels and roller girls skate with eight. I guess that means roller derby is double the excitement,” said league president Cress Barnes a.k.a Lucy Kwipment. “Racing and roller derby have a lot in common. Both turn left and the leaders try to lap the field. The fans are in for a real treat.”

In addition to the exhibition bout, a full night of Legends Cars, Bandolero Cars and CrashCARS racing is scheduled. Adult tickets are $7 and the gates open at 5:00 p.m. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. with the Charlotte Roller Girls scheduled for 8:30 p.m. For details visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

“We will be skating on the banked frontstretch which is a bit different than the flat tracks we normally compete on,” said Barnes. “Also, the fans will be a lot farther away than we are used to. At our home bouts, fans can sit trackside and if they are lucky, might end up with a roller girl in their lap. No other sport lets you get closer to the action!”

The next home bout for the Charlotte Roller Girls is on August 9. Held at the Grady Cole Center (310 N. Kings Drive), it’s the second qualifying bout of the 2009 intra-league championship. Tickets are on sale now for $10 at www.charlotterollergirls.com or in person at any Common Market. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $14.

Organized in 2006, the Charlotte Roller Girls is an all-female flat track roller derby league formed with the purpose of promoting the sport of roller derby and enriching the Charlotte community. It is a not-for-profit organization that donates its time and a portion of bout proceeds to local charitable causes. It holds its home bouts at the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte and its 2009 season runs from February through October.