0714 Roller Derby
Laura Luedemann, aka “Miss Sanitizer,” moved to Alabama from Germany after falling in love with the state.
Laura Luedemann had no problem finding not one, but two supportive new families when she moved to Alabama from Germany.
Her first family is her host family, the Hughes, for whom she works as an au pair through the Expert AuPair program.
Her second family might surprise you.
“You can travel around the whole world, and you just have to find a [roller] derby team in the city where you are,” Luedemann said. “Then you have a place to sleep, a team to skate with, and you always have people to support you during your stay.”
Soon after Luedemann moved to Alabama, she joined the Tragic City Rollers (TCR), Birmingham’s all female, amateur flat-track roller derby league.
By day, the members of TCR are mothers, nurses, teachers, businesswomen and students. At night, they adopt alter-ego derby names such as “Claw and Order,” “Inclement Heather” and “Road Rach.”
Luedemann first got involved in roller derby as a teenager in Germany. Her derby name is “Miss Sanitizer” because of a mild obsession with hand sanitizer that she developed from working as a preschool teacher in Germany and later as an au pair.
After she broke her nose in her first all-star bout against Lafitte’s Ladies on June 7, a close bout which TCR won 322-317, Luedemann’s teammates helped her navigate Birmingham’s hospital and insurance system.
“It’s like a family,” she said. “Derby teams support each other. On the track we might be enemies, but as soon as we’re not on the track anymore we’re all friends.”
Three-year-old Hannah Hughes said, “I think [roller derby] is fun, but it’s not good when she falls down.”
After one of her best friends from Germany moved to Huntsville, Luedemann visited Alabama almost every year since she was 17. Over time, she fell in love with the state.
Luedemann, now 25, has enjoyed her time in Birmingham with the Hughes family, who now lives in Crestline Village. A vegan, she jokes that Whole Foods is her second home. She also enjoys hiking at Oak Mountain State Park, going to shows at the Forge and biking around Mountain Brook.
“I love Crestline Village,” said Luedemann. “I love going to Taco Mama and taking the kids to what we call ‘Caterpillar Park’ in front of the elementary school.”
Roller derby is a big commitment for anyone, but Luedemann says it’s almost a way of life. Practice twice a week is not enough; Luedemann keeps her skates in the trunk in case she comes across an opportunity to skate.
According to Luedemann, bouts are competitive and intense, though not in a negative way.
“You never know what could happen in a bout,” she said. “I like this feeling, I like competition, and I just love that I’m not by myself. It’s a team sport.”
The basic rules of roller derby are simple. Two teams take the track at a time with five players each. Four of the players serve as “blockers,” whose goal is to block the “jammer” from making laps and scoring points. Jammers must line up behind the blockers and pass through the group to score in each two-minute “jam.”
Although derby may seem chaotic, Luedemann said that teams develop complicated strategies for their bouts.
“It’s not about you,” said Luedemann. “The team is only as strong as the weakest player because you have to play together. If you don’t play together, you’re lost.”
More than just a sports team, TCR also takes part in social activism and community service.
This year, TCR has partnered with the A.skate Foundation, which helps autistic children improve motor and social skills by teaching them how to skateboard. TCR home bouts at the Zamora Shrine Temple have donation collection centers for A.skate as well as a photo booth where people can donate money to A.skate and take pictures with the Tragic City Rollers.
The TCR schedule and contact information can be found at tragiccityrollers.com. For more information about roller derby rules and the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, check out wftda.com.
