The announcer yells, “Cassie Khaos is the lead jammer!” over the loudspeaker as the Circle City Derby Girls (CCDG) Party Crashers motor around the track, armored with kneepads, elbow pads and helmets. And they need them, because it isn’t long before there’s a pileup on the track; a handful of blockers go down and then just as quickly scramble back up on their skates and take off again.
This female dominated sport isn’t for the faint of heart (or brittle of bone). The CCDG jammer passes opposing skaters from the Cornfed Derby Dames of Muncie, racking up points as she goes, while her blockers play both offense and defense, trying to clear a path for Khaos while simultaneously blocking the other team’s jammer.
In the CCDG pack is Bona Contention, known off the derby track as Jeanie Neal. This last bout of their regular season is a special one for her. Because while she’s laying it all out on the track, fans can bid on a papier mâché version of her bust, decorated by a local artist, to benefit the Young Survival Coalition of Central Indiana. According to the YSC Central Indiana website, it is committed to providing connections, support and outreach to young women diagnosed with breast cancer, both during and after treatment.
As a 10-year breast cancer survivor, Neal is passionate about giving back to an organization that has given so much to her.
Breast Impressions, Inc., an organization whose mission is to increase breast cancer awareness and fundraising to support breast cancer education, prevention and treatment, has been working with leagues of the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association (including Indy’s other roller derby team, the Naptown Roller Girls) by providing breast casting kits to create busts to decorate to raise awareness and funds for local breast cancer programs. Neal knew this was a project for the Circle City Derby Girls.
“I pestered our team ever since I joined to do this,” she said. Six decorated busts in all were being auctioned off.
“Roller derby teams traditionally are involved with charity work,” Neal said. “Like ours, some teams donate a portion of their ticket sales to charity.” In addition to their fundraiser for YSC, the Circle City Derby Girls have worked with Second Helpings and Backpack Attack, among other organizations.
Fellow teammate Bliss Young-Morris (aka Mistress Azrael) was a bust model and decorator. Of Irish descent, she chose to decorate her bust cast in green with Irish symbols, including a stylized Claddagh. “It symbolizes friendship, love and loyalty,” she said. “With derby, it’s something as teammates that we share.”
As for Neal, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in January of 2001, she’s been in remission since finishing treatment in August of that year. She stays active with advocacy, going to Washington to lobby Congress for more research and reviewing grants for cancer related programs.
And she stays active with the Circle City Derby Girls (www.circlecityderbygirls.com), practicing four times a week. The team was granted apprentice status last spring and must complete the apprenticeship program to be eligible for full membership in the WFTRDA. In the meantime, Neal and her teammates will continue to hone their skills as warrior women on skates and helpers of the community.
Their decorated busts auction raised more than $700 for the YSC.
