Roller girls pull out of central Jersey for new base in Newark
“Hub City Hellrazors” name lives on at in-league meets

Howard Princz
H.P. Mirror staff

On June 1, 2008, the NJ Dirty Dames (NJDD) roller derby league merged with the Garden State Rollergirls of Newark. The preceding weekend, May 25, the Dirty Dames paid homage to its long-time fans, friends, and family in its final home bout, free to the public at the Kendall Park Roller Rink in Kendall Park, NJ.

Donations were made to the Ryan Miller Heart Foundation with the proceeds of the farewell bout. "It was very emotional for some of the girls. It was actually the girls on the Dirty Dames skating against each other," said Jen Palko, former media coordinator for the Dirty Dames.

The NJ Dirty Dames, founded in March 2006 as the first flat-track roller derby league in New Jersey, retired the Dirty Dames name and will now compete as part of the Garden State Rollergirls league. NJDD’s current all-star travel team, the Hub City Hellrazors, will continue its 2008 season as a new intra-league team under the Garden State Rollergirls.

All home bouts by the Hub City Hellrazors will be at Branch Brook Park Roller Skating Center in Newark, NJ, home of the Garden State Rollergirls.

“This is something we’ve considered for a while now, and we felt this as the right path for our league to take leading into a larger population of skaters and the ability to do more for our fans,” says current NJDD president Kristen Arban. “While we’ve become sentimental about losing the NJ Dirty Dames name, we’re all strong women and promise that we’ll continue on strong in the future.”

Palko, of Somerville, is optimistic about the merger. "It is a good chance to have more girls get involved. In this league they do everything including the business and the marketing," said Palko.

She joined after attending an open skate for the team in February 2006 in South Amboy. "I was talking to friends online who sent me the website for the Dirty Dames," said Palko. "How many people really think about roller derby?"

"Ashley Rosa and her friends were celebrating her birthday watching Rollergirls on A&E," said Palko. "Ashley came up with the idea of the league, posted it on Craigslist and that's how it got started. Ashley is the founder of the league," Palko added.

Palko loved her time skating. "I loved it. It is unlike any other sport," she said. "It is a family. We see each other two to three times a week and we've gotten very close. It is competitive but we all have a good time," she added.

Highland Parker Sara Wolfe reflected on the merger. "It's the best thing for the league," said Sara Wolfe of Highland Park. “It was the right thing to do and the team will be better for it,” she added. Wolfe, a former member of the Hub City Hellrazors and also of the NJDD intra-league team Rink Wreckers, said she enjoyed her overall experience. "It has been really great, the sport itself is fun," said Wolfe.

Speedy Gun Getcha of North Brunswick started roller skating at the age of eight. She got herself involved with the Dirty Dames only recently, after seeing a magazine article last summer and attending a meet and greet event in February. Speedy made her debut at the Middlesex farewell meet May 25th, skating as a jammer for the Rink Wreckers in an intra-league bout versus Troop 666.

Despite the merger of NJDD, Speedy plans to continue skating. "I will stay with the team," she said. "So far the experience has been very satisfying."