Remember when you were a kid, going to the skating rink, slowly but surely making your way around, careful not to fall?

Well, "roller derby" is what happens when roller skating grows up, and maybe gets a tattoo.

"Definitely, it gets aggressive," said Janel Herrscher, also known as
Shuggie Racharo.

The Topeka City Roller Girls made their debut Sunday night to a packed house.

"I am really excited to show Topeka something new and say that I was there from the start," said roller derby athlete, Tiffany Metz, who's game name is Edith My Dust.

To break it down simply, the team is split up and the girls in the back are trying to get to the front without getting any penalties. Things move quickly and it can be exhausting.

The two Topeka teams are the Death Row Divas and the P'Role violators. Toni Boyles has a daughter and daughter-in-law in the league and says the contact sport can be a little scary.

"I have to admit that I am a little nervous because they already have some team members that have some broken bones," Boyles said.
"We're just excited, we made or signs, we have the grand kids out, they've all got signs with names too, we think it's good for Topeka to do new and different things."

The women on these teams say they love the sport and camaraderie, and they hope Topeka will love it too.

"(It)brings something new and different," "said roller derby athlete, Laura Brown, better known as Sweet DeVille 187. "I think it will be around for awhile, we don't have anything like this, it's a new aggressive sport, full contact for women."

For the debut game tonight the Death Row Divas beat the P-Role Violators, 62 to 58.