By Brenda Holley / Dick Tater #300 – South Side Roller Derby
After 20 years in this sport, I’ve seen a pattern that destroys more leagues than bad footwork or lack of funding ever could. It’s the “Jekyll and Hyde” transformation.
We all know this skater. Off the track, she is a wonderful person. She’s the one tagging everyone in supportive memes on the chat groups and being incredibly kind when you’re hanging out after practice. But then, the whistle blows. The heart rate spikes, the adrenaline hits, and suddenly that kindness disappears. In her place is a “Red Zone” skater, arguing with refs, using excessive aggression in the pack, and shouting penalties from the sidelines.
The Biological Perfect Storm
When you’re pushing a high heart rate on the track, your brain’s “executive function”, the part that maintains your professionalism, starts to shut down. Layer on the Luteal Phase, the week before your period. Your core temperature is higher, your resting heart rate is up, and your patience is at an all-time low. You hit that “Red Zone” limit twice as fast. Your physical discomfort is high, and that “Adrenaline Blackout” is lurking around every corner.
The “Victim” Pivot and the Deflection Script
The most damaging part of this cycle is the deflection that happens when a Red Zone skater is called out. They often follow a specific script:
- Denial: “I don’t even remember doing that!”
- The Finger-Point: “Well, [Other Skater] did the same thing and didn’t get called!”
- The “System” Excuse: “The referees are failing. We need a complete overhaul of our officiating program before I can be expected to play better.”
- The Campaign: They go to their off-track social circles to talk about how “unfairly” they were treated.
Let’s be clear: A missed call or a perceived flaw in the refereeing program is not a green light for poor conduct. You do not need a league-wide overhaul every time you receive a penalty you don’t like. Accountability starts in the mirror, not with the officials. If you believe the entire system has to change for you to follow the rules, you are avoiding the real work of being an athlete.
The “Mean Girl” Infection
If this behavior is left unchecked, it spreads. When one high-skill skater is allowed to act out, others start to mimic that behavior to stay “competitive.” Very quickly, you don’t have a league, you have a clique of “Mean Girls.” This creates a toxic atmosphere where new skaters feel unwelcome and veterans feel exhausted. As an founder of over 20 years, I’ve seen this “infection” kill the vibe of entire seasons.
Why People Actually Quit (The Truth About “Being Busy”)
Red Zone skaters often think: “I don’t make people leave! When people quit, it’s because they got ‘busy’ or had a ‘life situation.'”
As a league founder for two decades, I’ve seen the most valuable, reliable members of our community walk away time and time again. They don’t always tell the truth on their way out because they want to avoid conflict, so they use polite excuses like “I don’t have time anymore.”
But the reality? They left because the environment stopped being fun. It is not enjoyable to pay monthly dues to be a part of a fitness community only to be yelled at, undermined, or targeted by a clique. When the atmosphere becomes hostile, the dedicated people leave, and this is why you see so many leagues die time and time again. No amount of sweet comments on the boards can fix the damage done during a scrimmage.
The “Accountability Reset” (The Practice Standard)
At South Side, we are training athletes, not just skaters. This applies to Coaches and Support Staff too. If a leader is a “bench bully,” they are undermining the entire mission of the league.
To address this, we use the “Accountability Reset” during our scrimmages and practices. (Note: We do not do this during games—the penalty box handles the business there.)
During practice, if you are benched for conduct, you stay benched until you can calmly identify the specific behavior that led to the penalty. If your only answer is “But she did it too” or “The refs suck,” you aren’t ready to go back in. You stay benched until you can take ownership of your own actions.
Building “Lifers,” Not “Surfers”
We see “League Surfers” all the time—talented skaters who move from city to city, burning bridges because their conduct eventually creates too much friction. They’re never happy because they never learned Self-Control.
We want you to be a powerhouse who is just as composed during a high-intensity jam as you are on the chat groups. Stop letting “skill” be an excuse for poor behavior. Let’s acknowledge the biology, respect the officials, and keep the game safe and FUN skaters—can thrive.
